Prohibition Repeal and the Roaring Twenties Essay

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Prohibition/Repeal and the Roaring Twenties

Prohibition and the Roaring Twenties

According to the films, how did prohibition come about, what was it trying to accomplish and why?

The concept of alcoholism never stood at ease with many factions throughout the industrialized world. Even in Europe, the thought of alcohol related to drunken brawls and non-covert prostitution. The United States was no different, and by the 1840s to the roaring twenties, alcohol had become one of the major enemies of religious and political groups. The period of Prohibition came about not as a sudden concept that must be faced, but as a political platform for many groups; among these groups include large Protestant factions and women's temperance and suffrage groups.

But banning alcohol was certainly not the all-encompassing goal of Prohibition. Far from it, many of the political factions used alcohol as a stepping ground in chasing the influx of European immigrants away from the country.
Societal issues -- industrialization, urbanization, and immigration -- contributed to the idea of nativism, which focused on the needs of citizens as opposed to the "new" immigrants. For anyone looking at the social disorganization within the cities during this time period, one could see that banning alcohol was only a stepping stone for those who thought that their lands were being overrun with large amounts of immigrants.

2. How did social conditions described in the film correspond with material discussed in the Chicago School (chapter 4)? What do all these events mean for the development of certain law enforcement activities or certain crime policies in the U.S. At this time?

As was mentioned, there was a rapid influx of immigrants entering the country, those of whom have left their own homes behind….....

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