Organized Crime in the 20th Century: Prohibition's Affect on the Western United States

Abstract

The story of organized crime in America has always been a popular choice, as with the blockbuster classics, Casino (1995), Goodfellas (1990), and the Godfather trilogy (1972-1990); Americans have always been mesmerized by the romanticization of the "mafia life." With the current trends in media entertainment, such as video games like Rockstar Games L.A. Noire (2011), the Mafia series (2010) from 2K Czech, and the new 2013 mini-series from TNT Mob City. Americans have proved that this fascination with organized crime is not just a trend, but an important part of history. This paper will analyze Prohibition's influence on organized crime, in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, during the post-World War II era (1945-1960). My thesis will be backed up by primary and secondary evidence, such as, FBI databases, interviews, newspapers, historical manuscripts, and scholarly articles.