American Gangsters
In class we discussed Prohibition and American Gangsters such as Al Capone.
First off, the accepted historical narrative of Prohibition is that it gave way to organized crime but that it was a way to help marriages and people in general because people were not going out and spending their money on alcohol. It was also possibly related to anti-German sentiment since most of the beer produced in the country was produced by Germans.
Organized crime was huge during Prohibition and it gave rise to men like Al Capone who was a huge gangster during this time and he's probably one of the most well known gangsters of our time. There has not been a criminal in recent years that has achieved the recognition and the prestige that Al Capone received.
Al Capone was extremely ambitious. He was the son of immigrants and overall he was a good-business man. Do I believe that he would've been able to be a great gangster had not Prohibition occurred. Prohibition was the reason why he became as great as he did.
Many immigrants perhaps idolized him because of how he was able to move up in society and rise to such power. It was like the ultimate American dream and for awhile Al Capone was living it.
Fashion of the gangsters was almost just as important as the gangsters themselves.
Men wore suits but there were just a little bit flashier to show off the wealth they had. They were almost making fun of the white collar people. They were able to purchase more and more extravagant clothing in a time where material to produce these suits were very scarce.
The suits became almost like a uniform that these men wore. People could tell they were gangsters from just watching them walk, the way they dressed and the way they talked. But at the same time, they seemed to blend into everyday society to a point.
There were a lot of gangster films produced during this time and at one point actors started dressing like gangsters and gangsters started dressing like the actors, it was like a mix of the two worlds combining and sort of blending into one another.
But in a nutshell, the 1920s gave birth to gangsters, new political ideals, new fashion trends and it was period of prosperity and overall change within our nation.
(Pictured above Al Capone)
First off, the accepted historical narrative of Prohibition is that it gave way to organized crime but that it was a way to help marriages and people in general because people were not going out and spending their money on alcohol. It was also possibly related to anti-German sentiment since most of the beer produced in the country was produced by Germans.
Organized crime was huge during Prohibition and it gave rise to men like Al Capone who was a huge gangster during this time and he's probably one of the most well known gangsters of our time. There has not been a criminal in recent years that has achieved the recognition and the prestige that Al Capone received.
Al Capone was extremely ambitious. He was the son of immigrants and overall he was a good-business man. Do I believe that he would've been able to be a great gangster had not Prohibition occurred. Prohibition was the reason why he became as great as he did.
Many immigrants perhaps idolized him because of how he was able to move up in society and rise to such power. It was like the ultimate American dream and for awhile Al Capone was living it.
Fashion of the gangsters was almost just as important as the gangsters themselves.
Men wore suits but there were just a little bit flashier to show off the wealth they had. They were almost making fun of the white collar people. They were able to purchase more and more extravagant clothing in a time where material to produce these suits were very scarce.
The suits became almost like a uniform that these men wore. People could tell they were gangsters from just watching them walk, the way they dressed and the way they talked. But at the same time, they seemed to blend into everyday society to a point.
There were a lot of gangster films produced during this time and at one point actors started dressing like gangsters and gangsters started dressing like the actors, it was like a mix of the two worlds combining and sort of blending into one another.
But in a nutshell, the 1920s gave birth to gangsters, new political ideals, new fashion trends and it was period of prosperity and overall change within our nation.
Yes, crime and prosperity all together...
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