The Prohibition Era

Prohibition Era 

(January 17, 1920 – December 5, 1933)

Today (December 5th of 2022) marks the 89th anniversary of the abolishment of the Prohibition in US, also known as Repeal Day. 

                                                                                                               

What is Prohibition?

From January 17, 1920 until December 5, 1933, the production, importation, transport, and sale of alcohol had been strictly prohibited (banned) in the US, hence the name Prohibition.  The Eighteenth Amendment's ban of alcohol was enforced by the Volstead Act. 

                    

Prohibition Agents and FBI agents dumping liquor out of a raided building, 1929.

What led to the Prohibition?

There are a lot of reasons as to why the US decided to ban the use of alcohol, the main reason being to stop the society from ruining itself. 

WWI (1914 to 1918) - The awful war and post-war effects that WWI imposed on society and world economy. Even after the war, people of the world struggled for many years and lived in extreme poverty. 

In 1915, when 76 million people lived in the US, the consumption of alcohol per capita was 22.5 gallons (or 85 liters). 

The Volstead Act was introduced in 1919, and was enforced the next year in 1920, until its abolishment in 1933.

 The National Prohibition Act, better known as the Volstead Act, defined an intoxicating beverage as anything that contained more than one half of one percent alcohol. By contrast, Canadian prohibition laws set the limit at 2.5 percent.

The National Prohibition Act, better known as the Volstead Act, defined an intoxicating beverage as anything that contained more than one half of one percent alcohol. By contrast, Canadian prohibition laws set the limit at 2.5 percent.

To escape the horrible reality, people indulged in a very unhealthy and toxic use of alcohol, which helped society develop a self-destructive way of living. 

Prohibition agents dump liquor out of a raided building, 1929.

However, what happened in reality has little or no connection to the original reason to prohibit alcohol. 

So, what actually happened during the Prohibition years?

Instead of stopping or minimizing the use of alcohol....you guessed it! ..It actually tripled. 

Unlike its original idea, the Prohibition was an Era in which the consumption and trade of alcohol were higher than America had ever seen until then.

The Al Capone Time  

Enoch "Nucky" Johnson (second from right) photographed with Al Capone "Scarface" (third from right) during the Atlantic City Conference in 1929. 

"The Untouchables"

Who was Enoch "Nucky" Johnson?

Always well-dressed and well-mannered, Nucky was the most influential Republican in New Jersey and was in charge of picking a number of governors and senators, but when asked to run for the state senate himself, he declined, saying that it would be beneath the dignity of a "true boss" to aim for such a low position.

Nucky was widely beloved by local citizens, among whom his benevolence and generosity were legendary. 

He once said, "When I lived well, everybody lived well".

The Rise to Power 

Enoch "Nucky" Jonson was a self-made man that started his career as a policeman, then Sheriff of Atlantic City. Over the years, he became part of the Republican Party, one of the most influential parties in the US at the time. He was also the county collector, editor of a weekly newspaper, bank director, president of a building and loan firm, and director of a Philadelphia brewery in addition to being the county treasurer, which gave him power over the county's finances. 

Nucky used his position in the Republican party to manipulate fellow Republicans into thinking he was (as were they) strongly opposed to alcohol. Conservatives (Republicans) were the loudest crowd to speak against alcohol, which gave Nucky crucial support from the masses to vote in favor of the Prohibition. 

On January 17, 1920, the first day of Prohibition, Nucky officially became The Head of A Political Machine that took full control of the import, export, sale, production and consumption of alcohol across 50 US States. Alongside the infamous Arnold Rothstein, Lucky Luciano, Al Capone, and other influential figures, Nucky established a market of monopoly that was in its peak for 13 years. 

The Legendary Bacardi Slogan

At that time, the US imported alcohol from countries from all around the world. The most popular and consumed drink was unarguably GIN, imported from the UK. It is said that Americans developed special taste for GIN and invented many authentic recipes that include spices like: Fresh Rosemary, Basil, Whole Grains of Black Pepper, Sliced Cucumber, Green Olives, and many other botanical tastes. 

However, Americans adored every kind of alcohol, including whiskey, bourbon, wine, beer, rum, and others.

This was a golden moment for the Bacardi brand as their products ware constantly entering the US territory. Americans also used to take "extended weekends" in Cuba to enjoy Bacardi's legendary rum. Many of the Bacardi's cocktails gained world-wide popularity during the Prohibition, which is why their posters and slogans are strongly fixated on this Era.

Speakeasy Bars

Speakeasy is practically an illegal bar located in a soundproof area (usually through a backdoor which leads to a secluded area, meant to look like an exit, or just a  simple backdoor that leads nowhere). 

Originally, Speakeasy bars were used to illegally sell and drink alcohol, but eventually they became the home of all illegal activities like: gambling, bootlegging, prostitution, etc. The idea of the Speakeasy bars is for their existence or location to remain unknown. 

The popularity of Speakeasy bars was sky-rocketing and there were around 30.000 bars that were made known to the public, even though the exact number is probably much higher. 

Speakeasy Bars continue to exist even today, although of course, are not meant to host any illegal activities, but merely to be styled according the legendary trends that were born at that time.

In Pop Culture

The lavish side of this Era is best pictured by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 - 1940), an American writer and socialite. Some of his (many) popular titles include: The Great Gatsby (1925), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (1922), The Diamond as Big as the Ritz (1922), The Beautiful and Damned (1922), and others.

"The Great Gatsby" - Speakeasy Scene (2013, movie excerpt) 

[Jay Gatsby (played by Leo DiCaprio), Nick Carraway (played by Tobey Maguire) and *Meyer Wolfshiem (played by Howard Da Silva) enter in a Speakeasy.]

Arnold Rothstein - who Fitzgerald had met, served as the inspiration for his character *Meyer Wolfshiem.

Arnold was an American racketeer, crime lord and businessman, also known by his stage name "The Brain". One of his employees whose name might sound familiar is Lucky Luciano.

Charles "Lucky" Luciano was initially hired by Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria as a gunner at the beginning of 1920, and a few years later he started working for Arnold Rothstein, eventually becoming his associate. Luciano reportedly made millions from bootlegging by the middle of the 1920s.

The craziest fact about Arnold Rothstein? 

He was (and still is) thought to have fixed the 1919 World Series. 

However, Rothstein has never been officially charged, and he had always maintained his innocence.

Other movies/series set in this Era

Some Like it Hot (1959), The Roaring 20s' (1960),  Once Upon a Time in America (1985), The Untouchables (1987),  Boardwalk Empire (2010), Peaky Blinders (2013)

The Roaring 20s and the emerging of the Jazz Age 

'Bob' hairstyles, Jazz Music and of course...a lot of alcohol! 

The Roaring Twenties are still known as the years in which the wildest and most lavish private parties were thrown.(However hard to believe). Meanwhile, the crime bosses were making a fortune of it. 

The Abolishment of Prohibition

Ultimately, it was decided that the effects of this social experiment made rather negative impact on society and was certainly not serving its main goal. 

On December 5h, 1933 the Prohibition was finally abolished. This makes the Eighteenth Amendment the only ratified Amendment in US history.