Origins of the Mafia - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com Origins of the Mafia A+E Networks Introduction The Mafia, a network of organized-crime groups based in Italy and America, evolved over centuries in Sicily, an island ruled until the mid-19th century by a long line of foreign invaders. Sicilians banded together in groups to protect themselves and carry out their own justice. In Sicily, the term “mafioso,” or Mafia member, initially had no criminal connotations and was used to refer to a person who was suspicious of central authority. By the 19th century, some of these groups emerged as private armies, or “mafie,” who extorted protection money from landowners and eventually became the violent criminal organization known today as the Sicilian Mafia. The American Mafia, which rose to power in the 1920s, is a separate entity from the Mafia in Italy, although they share such traditions as omerta, a code of conduct and loyalty. Google The Mafia’s Sicilian Roots For centuries, Sicily, an island in the Mediterranean Sea between North Africa and the Italian mainland, was ruled by a long line of foreign invaders, including the Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, French and Spanish.

The residents of this island, which measures almost 10,000 square feet, formed groups to protect themselves from the often-hostile occupying forces, as well as from other regional groups of Sicilians. These groups, which later became known as clans or families, developed their own system for justice and retribution, carrying out their actions in secret. By the 19th century, small private armies known as “mafie” took advantage of the frequently violent, chaotic conditions in Sicily and extorted protection money from landowners. From this history, the Sicilian Mafia emerged as a collection of criminal clans or families. Did You Know? The Sicilian Mafia is one of four major criminal networks currently based in Italy; the other three are the Camorra of Naples, the Ndrangheta of Calabria and the Sacra Corona Unita of Puglia. Although its precise origins are unknown, the term Mafia came from a Sicilian-Arabic slang expression that means “acting as a protector against the arrogance of the powerful,” according to Selwyn Raab, author of “Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Empires.

Raab notes that until the 19th century, the word “mafioso” did not refer to someone who was a criminal, but rather a person who was suspicious of central authority. In the 1860s, a play called “I Mafiusi della Vicaria” (“Heroes of the Penitentiary”), about a group of inmates at a Sicilian prison who maintained their own hierarchy and rituals, toured Italy and helped popularize the term Mafia in the Italian language. The Mafia on the Rise in Italy In 1861, Sicily became a province of recently unified Italy. However, chaos and crime reigned across the island as the fledgling Italian government tried to establish itself. In the 1870s, Roman officials even asked Sicilian Mafia clans to help them by going after dangerous, independent criminal bands; in exchange, officials would look the other way as the Mafia continued its protection shakedowns of landowners. The government believed this arrangement would be temporary, lasting just long enough for Rome to gain control; instead, the Mafia clans expanded their criminal activities and further entrenched themselves in Sicilian politics and the economy.

The Mafia became adept at political corruption and intimidated people to vote for certain candidates, who were in turn beholden to the Mafia. Even the Catholic Church was involved with Mafia clans during this period, according to Raab, who notes that the church relied on Mafiosi to monitor its massive property holdings in Sicily and keep tenant farmers in line. In order to further strengthen themselves, Sicilian clans began conducting initiation ceremonies in which new members pledged secret oaths of loyalty. Of chief importance to the clans was omerta, an all-important code of conduct reflecting the ancient Sicilian belief that a person should never go to government authorities to seek justice for a crime and never cooperate with authorities investigating any wrongdoing. The Mafia in the 20th Century and Beyond The Mafia’s influence in Sicily grew until the 1920s, when Prime Minister Benito Mussolini came to power and launched a brutal crackdown on mobsters, who he viewed as a threat to his Fascist regime. However, in the 1950s, the Mafia rose again when mob-backed construction companies dominated the post- World War II building boom in Sicily.

Over the next few decades, the Sicilian Mafia flourished, expanding its criminal empire and becoming, by the 1970s, a major player in international narcotics trafficking. The American Mafia, a separate entity from the Mafia in Sicily, came to power in the 1920s Prohibition era after the success of Italian-American neighborhood gangs in the booming bootleg liquor business. By the 1950s, the Mafia (also known as Cosa Nostra, Italian for “Our Thing”) had become the preeminent organized-crime network in the United States and was involved in a range of underworld activities, from loan-sharking to prostitution, while also infiltrating labor unions and legitimate industries such as construction and New York’s garment industry. Like the Sicilian Mafia, American Mafia families were able to maintain their secrecy and success because of their code of omerta, as well as their ability to bribe and intimidate public officials, business leaders, witnesses and juries. For these reasons, law-enforcement agencies were largely ineffective at stopping the Mafia during the first part of the 20th century.

However, during the 1980s and 1990s, prosecutors in America and Italy began successfully employing tough anti-racketeering laws to convict top-ranking mobsters. Additionally, some Mafiosi, in order to avoid long prison terms, began breaking the once-sacred code of omerta and testified against fellow mob members. By the start of the 21st century, after hundreds of high-profile arrests over the course of several decades, the Mafia appeared to be weakened in both countries; however, it was not eliminated completely and remains in business today. Tags Sicilian Mafia | Mafia Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Various Camorra clans, 'Ndrangheta The Sicilian Mafia, also known as Cosa Nostra ("our thing"), is a criminal syndicate in Sicily , Italy . It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organisational structure and code of conduct . The basic group is known as a "family", "clan", or " cosca " or "cosche" in Sicilian.

[1] Each family claims sovereignty over a territory, usually a town or village or a neighbourhood (borgata) of a larger city, in which it operates its rackets . Its members call themselves "men of honour", although the public often refers to them as "mafiosi". The Mafia 's core activities are protection racketeering , the arbitration of disputes between criminals, and the organizing and oversight of illegal agreements and transactions. Following waves of emigration, the Mafia has spread to other countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. Contents Edit The word "mafia" originated in Sicily, though its origins are uncertain. The Sicilian adjective mafiusu (in Italian: mafioso) roughly translates to mean " swagger ," but can also be translated as "boldness, bravado ". In reference to a man, mafiusu in 19th century Sicily was ambiguous, signifying a bully, arrogant but also fearless, enterprising and proud, according to scholar Diego Gambetta . [2] In reference to a woman, however, the feminine-form adjective "mafiusa" means beautiful and attractive.

The Sicilian word mafie refers to the caves near Trapani and Marsala, which were often used as hiding places for refugees and criminals. Sicily was once an Islamic emirate, therefore "mafia" might have Arabic roots. Possible Arabic roots of the word include: mahyas (مهياص) = aggressive boasting, bragging marfud (مرفوض) = rejected mu'afa = safety, protection [3] Ma àfir = the name of an Arab tribe [4] that ruled Palermo [5] The public's association of the word with the criminal secret society was perhaps inspired by the 1863 play "I mafiusi di la Vicaria" ("The Mafiosi of the Vicaria") by Giuseppe Rizzotto and Gaetano Mosca . The words Mafia and mafiusi are never mentioned in the play; they were probably put in the title to add a local flair. The play is about a Palermo prison gang with traits similar to the Mafia: a boss, an initiation ritual, and talk of "umirtà" ( omertà or code of silence) and " pizzu " (a codeword for extortion money).

[6] The play had great success throughout Italy. Soon after, the use of the term "mafia" began appearing in the Italian state's early reports on the phenomenon. The word made its first official appearance in 1865 in a report by the prefect of Palermo Filippo Antonio Gualterio . [7] The term "mafia" has become a generic term for any organized criminal network with similar structure, methods, and interests. Giovanni Falcone , the anti-Mafia judge murdered by the Mafia in 1992, however, objected to the conflation of the term "Mafia" with organized crime in general: "Cosa Nostra" and other names Edit According to Mafia turncoats (pentiti), the real name of the Mafia is "Cosa Nostra" ("Our Thing"). Italian-American mafioso Joseph Valachi testified before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate Committee on Government Operations in 1963 (known as the Valachi hearings). He revealed that American mafiosi referred to their organization by the term cosa nostra ("our thing" or "this thing of ours" or simply "our cause" / "our interest").

At the time, it was understood as a proper name, fostered by the FBI and disseminated by the media. The FBI even added the article la to the term, calling it La Cosa Nostra (in Italy, the article la is not used when referring to Cosa Nostra). In 1984, Mafia turncoat Tommaso Buscetta revealed to anti-mafia magistrate Giovanni Falcone that the term was used by the Sicilian Mafia, as well. Buscetta dismissed the word "mafia" as a mere literary creation. Other defectors such as Antonino Calderone and Salvatore Contorno confirmed the use of Cosa Nostra to describe the Mafia. Mafiosi introduce known members to each other as belonging to cosa nostra ("our thing") or la stessa cosa ("the same thing"), meaning "he is the same thing as you — a Mafioso." The Sicilian Mafia has used other names to describe itself throughout its history, such as "The Honoured Society". Mafiosi are known among themselves as "men of honour" or "men of respect".

Cosa Nostra should not be confused with other mafia-type organisations in Italy, such as the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria, the Camorra in Campania, or the Sacra Corona Unita in Apulia. References Origins of the Sicilian Mafia - Sicilian Organized Crime - Best of Sicily Magazine ... Best of Sicily presents... Best of Sicily Magazine. ... Dedicated to Sicilian art, culture, history, people, places and all things Sicilian. Origins of the Sicilian Mafia by Filippo Spadafora Map of Sicily While much is published - both fact and fiction - regarding the Sicilian Mafia , there is a great deal of misunderstanding about the historical origins of this form of organised crime. Even the etymology of the word mafia is hotly debated. The word itself probably has Arabic roots. Into the early decades of the eighteenth century one might hear the Sicilian word as an adjective describing something of high quality, for example un cavallo mafioso (a good horse), with no intended reference to organised crime. Not until the nineteenth century did the word connote criminality.

(Here, whenever the word "Mafia" is used it refers to Sicily's Mafia unless otherwise indicated, and we are talking about the organisation as it existed during its infancy, long before 1900.) Whatever the root of the word, it is ridiculous to associate the Mafia directly with Sicily's Arab period or indeed with any medieval phenomenon. As an organisation, the Mafia originated sometime after 1700. The (retrospective) tales of its establishment during the War of the Sicilian Vespers , or as a "revolutionary" reaction against "foreign" domination, are fanciful at best, lacking in any historical foundation. That said, several social developments may have fostered the development of the Mafia, perhaps influencing popular attitudes and even a few of its practices (especially its secrecy) to some extent. One was the Inquisition , formally abolished in Sicily only in 1782. The Beati Paoli are the best-known example of a secret society active - to some limited degree - against the Inquisition. Even if the Beati Paoli existed more in fantasy than in reality, their legend might have encouraged the development of other secret societies, such as the Mafia.

Freemasonry was never very powerful in Sicily, though freemasons (even aristocratic ones such as the counts Federico) were instrumental in aiding Garibaldi 's invasion of Sicily in 1860. Though the Mafia had no direct links to freemasonry, the movement may have served as an indirect influence, even if it was not a model. The Sicilian Vespers probably involved a pro- Swabian (and anti- Angevin ) conspiracy planned by John of Procida. Although a few early Mafiosi of the eighteenth century may have known of this historical event (which occurred in 1282) there is no evidence of any direct continuity leading from thirteenth century politics to anything like the Mafia. Sicily's social culture itself fed the Mafia. Political favours were normal and corruption was commonplace. So was extortion and perjury. To this day, raccomandazioni (preferments) are the norm for anybody seeking a job in the public sector or, more often than not, the private one. The Mafia was not a cause of Sicily's social problems so much as a reflection or symptom of them.

It is often observed that other regions in southern Italy have criminal organisations similar to the Mafia. The Camorra of Naples is the best-known and, like the Mafia, was formerly organised along geographical lines rather than, strictly speaking, familial ones. However, the Ndrangheta of nearby Calabria differs from the Mafia in that its organisation is primarily familial (more about this later). Only early the nineteenth century did the Mafia become a loose network of criminal clans covering the entire island; before then it was a localised, if widespread, phenomenon - more a kind of rustic criminality rather than a specific organisation having a highly-sophisticated structure and hierarchy. The "Cupola" was a centralised concept based on the Americans' "commission" and introduced following the Second World War . Before Calogero Vizzini, who emerged as something akin to its leader only following the war and died in 1954, the Mafia did not have a distinct apex of power overseeing the numerous local mafias. Then came the Cupola, a kind of governing council. Compared to organised crime elsewhere, such as Japan's Yakuza, the Mafia was never very ritualistic.

The quaint practice of an inductee bleeding from a finger onto a burning holy card while reciting a simplified "oath" is neither universal nor very old. Unlike members of the Yakuza, Mafiosi do not tattoo themselves or manifest any outward signs of their association. In fact, contrary to popular belief, many live without much ostentation or conspicuous consumption. Even before the 1980s, when Italy finally began to rein them in, Mafiosi and their associates were unlikely to be seen driving Ferraris or living in palatial homes; that lifestyle was preferred by the politicians who dealt with the Mafia but were not formally part of it as "made men" (called uomini d'onore in Italy). This is not to suggest a quasi-monastic asceticism, just practical discretion. Calogero Vizzini oversaw the Sicilian Mafia's commission for a number of years but lived quite simply despite his corpulence (he was short and stout, residing in the interior where people consumed much meat and cheese). Two myths should be dispelled. The first concerns the Sicilian Mafia purely as a form of gangsterism.

In the United States the Mafia, Comorra and "Black Hand" evolved during Prohibition into the organisation exemplified by the leadership of Al Capone and immigrants such as Charles "Lucky" Luciano. In Italy the Mafia, at least initially, was more subtle than its American incarnation, though no less inclined toward murder. Given its historical roots, it enjoyed more intimate links to politics and the very fabric of society. Then there's the "Mafia Family" myth. Cinematic depictions present the Mafia as a family-based organisation because it was largely so in America and because - even in Sicily - it is not too unusual for the son of a Mafioso to follow in his father's criminal footsteps. In general, however, the Sicilian Mafia cosche (clans) are geographical rather than familial, based on localities (Corleone), quasi-urban districts (San Lorenzo and Villabate bordering Palermo) or specific urban ones (Porta Nuova and Brancaccio within Palermo). Zones of influence rarely overlap geographically as they might in New York or Chicago.

True, a certain father-and-son team, such as the Lo Piccolos of San Lorenzo, may operate at the summit of their clan for a while, but their geographical area of influence is not a hereditary fiefdom. It was fiefdoms, and more specifically feudalism , that spawned the Mafia, albeit gradually and indirectly. By 1700, most of the more important noble families who controlled "urban" fiefs (including towns as well as land) were spending ever more time in the larger cities (Palermo, Catania, Messina, Siracusa, Agrigento, Marsala) where political power was centred - particularly Palermo, which was the capital. In doing so, they left the day-to-day administration of their estates to others. There were several practical problems with this, apart from the obvious one of estate managers stealing from the "absentee landlords" who employed them. Chief among the drawbacks was the question of justice. Not only did feudatories enjoy specific feudal rights (abolished with feudalism in 1812), some also had the authority to mete out justice for certain petty crimes (such as theft of sheep, poaching of game or encroachment of property).

In delegating the everyday exercise of such authority to others (who may have been dishonest), the landholders were, in effect, permitting the local social landscape to change. Feudalism itself was already oppressive. Under corrupt local opportunists it became even more so. Even the Church, which owned much territory, entrusted certain tasks to these estate managers, known colloquially as gabelloti (a gabella was a tax on produce sometimes correlated to a unit of farmland and some gabelloti were actually leaseholders). The gabelloto would hire farm workers (or foresters or cattlemen) and collect the taxes due the feudatory, typically a prince, duke, marquis or count; in Sicily barons were usually holders of smaller territories which did not include towns or villages. Banditry was endemic, but in the gabelloti the bandits found willing accomplices. Lax law enforcement, along with Sicilians' natural distrust of authority, facilitated development of this parallel power structure. As the criminals enjoyed the cooperation of the corrupt gabelloti, who legally represented the landholders, there was little to be done. Most people accepted the status quo, being poor, illiterate and disenfranchised (they could not vote).

By way of example, let's say that a band of bandits stole a hundred sheep, perhaps at night (tying up the shepherd or whoever was tending the flock). Ransom might be more profitable than trying to resell the sheep to other shepherds or - over time - to various butchers (or dairymen or wool merchants) in neighbouring localities. While the sheep may belong to a smallholder, the pasturage was obviously owned by the feudatory and the sheep taxed as an asset (hence his indirect involvement in any transaction). Law enforcement was virtually absent (there were few constables or police) and the sheep owner might lack the funds to pay the ransom, so the gabelloti became involved by necessity. In another scenario, cattle rustlers controlling their trade in a specific area might demand "protection money" from a shepherd who otherwise (if he did not pay) would have his sheep stolen. As the nobles were not present, having abdicated their responsibility to enforce the law, any response would have to come from the gabelloto, who more often than not was complicit in the crime, from which he expected a cash commission.

Moreover, the gabelloto himself probably had his own band of hired thugs who could bully the local peasants (typically over 70% of the local population) into compliance if need be, though this was rare in practice. For example, the gabelotto could discourage demands for wage increases. The Church did little to oppose such practices because it too benefited from the peasantry's hard work at miserable wages. Bad as this situation was, one particular aspect of feudalism made it worse. In the decades before the abolition of feudalism, certain gabelloti purchased feudal land, and with it feudal rights, authority and nobiliary titles. To this day, Sicilians - and aristocrats in particular - are understandably suspicious of barons ennobled in the decades immediately prior to 1812, when this practice ceased.

(This is an academic issue today when titles of nobility are not recognised, but it was more important until 1948.) In the 1860s it was the gabelloti and rich bandits who bought much Church land (including that of monasteries) confiscated by the new regime installed under the King of Italy, and these estates entailed considerable power in the agrarian economy of the day even though their owners were not thereby ennobled. Bandits and Mafiosi didn't dress too differently from anybody else. The ubiquitous coppola cap (shown here), which some people identify with Mafiosi or compliant peasants willing to collaborate with them, was introduced into Sicily only around 1800. A play, I Mafiusi della Vicaria, first performed in 1863, which described the Mafia as an organization complete with initiation rites, was one of the earliest literary references. The interpretation of Mafia history advocated by folk historian Giuseppe Pitré has been discounted as mere fantasy. In the end, it was the nobility that created the conditions necessary for organised crime to flourish.

At the national level, had tax revenue been invested in roads, police and schools, the bandits and gabelloti might have been brought under control. Into the twentieth century, it was convenient for both Church and State to ignore these deplorable conditions, and poor social conditions often breed crime. By then, the idea of omertà (literally "manhood") had become a collective code of silence; not until the 1960s did ordinary citizens even begin to think of reporting Mafia crimes. They simply could not trust the legal authorities to protect them from reprisals, and in some cases the police themselves were bought off. Within a few decades of unification (1860) many of Sicily's small towns had four local power centres: the Church, the local nobleman (who might still be a prominent landholder entitled to collect rents but not taxes), the official political structure (the mayor and town council), the local "patriarch" or galantuomo (gentleman mafioso). In fact, the galantuomo was a Mafioso or the prototype of one. He might not threaten or kill anybody himself, but he had a private "army" of thugs to do it for him.

Ostensibly, his minions might themselves be land managers, performing other duties (murder or extortion) as needs be. The Mafia had been born. The phrase "cosa nostra" (literally "our thing") is an Americanism. Its partial suppression came about only during the Fascist era, under Mussolini's "Iron Prefect," Cesare Mori. By then, however, the Mafia was effectively part of Sicilian culture and society. As the police and judges were unreliable - while the Mafia per se was not considered illegal or even recognised in law - organised crime gripped most of the economy. Fortunately, times have changed. Our overview of the Mafia presents more current information. About the Author: Filippo Spadafora is a Sicilian historian based in Rome. This article (like most of those in this online magazine) was translated from the Italian by our staff.

Mafia Mob - History of The Mob - HISTORY OF THE MAFIA ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The Godfather, Goodfellas, Casino...You've seen all the movies, you know all the characters, you love how they "tawk", you laugh at their comebacks.ï¿½ Whenever anyone says, "Hey, you're funny", you instinctively reply, "Funny how? Am I a clown? Am I here to amuse you?"ï¿½ You're intrigued by the drama, the action, the blood, and the humor.ï¿½ Italian mob movies undoubtedly have a certain allure. But, how much of it is real?ï¿½ Do they accurately portray the organized crime syndicate?ï¿½ How and when did all the craziness begin?ï¿½ To answer those questions and more, you must explore the true, factual history of Italian organized crime and how it came to be..........THE TRUE STORY!!!

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Let's begin with the word itself.ï¿½ Although the exact origin of the word "mafia" is uncertain, some believe it originated in 1282 during the French invasion of Sicily and the saying, "Morte Alla Francia Italia Anela" (Death to the French is Italy's Cry), or MAFIA.ï¿½ Then, eventually the word "mafia" came to mean "manly", in Sicily.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Another theory of the origin of "mafia" begins as early as the 9th century.ï¿½ During that period, Sicily was ruled by Arab forces.ï¿½ The original inhabitants were oppressed, and desperately tried to escape and find refuge.ï¿½ In Arabic, the word "mafia" means, "refuge."ï¿½ Sicily was invaded by the Normans in the 11th century and its people were forced into labor and oppression once again.ï¿½ Every invasion of Sicily, thereafter, (French invasion in the 12th century, Spanish in the 13th century, then Germans, Austrians, and Greeks) resulted in native tribes seeking refuge in the hills of the island.ï¿½ The refugees eventually developed a secret society of unification intended to create a sense of family, based on Sicilian heritage.ï¿½ The structure of the organization was built on the idea of family and had a strong hierarchical make up.ï¿½ The "dons" were the family heads, in charge of the mafia in every village.ï¿½ They had to report to the "don of dons",

 who lived in Palermo, the capital of Sicily.ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Members of the unified organization were required to take an initiation oath.ï¿½ The oath included five basic principles, upon which the mafia was (and still is) based: 1.

A code of silence - Never to "rat out" any mafia member.ï¿½ Never to divulge any mafiaï¿½secrets.ï¿½ Even if they were threatened by torture or death. 2. Complete obedience to the boss - Obey the boss's orders, no matter what. 3. Assistance - To provide any necessary assistance to any other respected or befriended mafiaï¿½faction. 4. Vengeance - Any attacks on family members must be avenged. "An attack on one is an attack on all." 5. Avoid contact with the authorities.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The mafia grew large and strong by the 19th century.ï¿½ By then it had become a vast criminally oriented society.ï¿½ They followed their own authority and rules and ignored any other form of order.ï¿½ Joining the mafia was like joining a religion.ï¿½ It was a commitment for life.ï¿½ You could not retire from it (and this still holds true today.)ï¿½ This was a serious "religion", even for the very young mafia members.ï¿½ They were taught basic uses of the sword, knife, and rope, in order to be able to murder their victims. It would be a very violent death to anyone who became an informant.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The American branch of the mafia, named "La Costra Nostra" (LCN), is believed to have begun in 1893 when Don Vito Cascio Ferro fled to New York after the murder of banker Emanuele Notarbartolo, in Sicily.ï¿½ More Mafioso fled to America during the 1920's, when Mussolini attempted to exterminate the mafia in Sicily.ï¿½ The mafia saw lucrative opportunities in the United States.ï¿½ Thousands of gunmen and thieves came over.ï¿½ They were joined by thousands of Italians and Sicilians who were looking for a better life in America.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ By the early 1900's every large city in the United States had its own mafia sanction.ï¿½ They concentrated on protection rackets.ï¿½ Soon they expanded by racketeering in other areas, such as gambling, prostitution, and bootlegging.ï¿½ The Prohibition era (in the 20's) is probably the most legendary era in gangster history.ï¿½ Mafia members basically declared their power and wealth openly.ï¿½ The mob flourished.ï¿½ This began Al Capone's reign, (as portrayed in the movie, The Untouchables.)ï¿½ Alphonso Capone, "Scarface", was a gangster in Chicago who amassed a fortune by selling alcohol and women.ï¿½ He also controlled every possible aspect of crime.ï¿½ Capone was sent to Alcatraz in 1931, not for various killings and breaking the 18th amendment, but for income tax evasion.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ When Capone was sent away, Chicago's "gangster" image began to fade.ï¿½ New York became the next big mafia city - the city for the next generation of gangsters.ï¿½ Once prohibition ended, gangsters reorganized themselves in "syndicates" or organizations which controlled gambling and prostitution, the distribution of drugs and new forms of "business." ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ After Capone's time a new gangster surfaced, Salvatore Lucania, better known as, Charlie 'Lucky" Luciano, or "Boss of the Bosses" (Cappo di tutti cappi.)ï¿½ Unlike Capone, who only associated with Italians and Sicilians, Lucky Luciano was ethnically liberal.ï¿½ He began to recruit Jews in his organization.ï¿½ (Similar to the movie, Casino.)ï¿½ Luciano was close to his partners Benjamin "Bugsey" Siegel and Meyer Lansky.ï¿½ Bugsey Siegel built a super-casino in Las Vegas, but was murdered before it became profitable.ï¿½ Within ten years of his

 death, Las Vegas became the major powerhouse for gangster dealings, investments, and skimmings.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Luciano's gangs were always in conflict with the "pure Sicilian" gangs of Giuseppe Masseria, "Joe the Boss" (the first boss of what is now known as the Genovese family) and Salvatore Maranzano (head of the now Bonanno family), from the other side of New York.ï¿½ Luciano finally defeated Masseria after many "mafia wars" known as the Castellamarse Wars.ï¿½ Luciano took over Masseria's organization and became a powerful boss.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Before Masseria died, he took a man named Carlo Gambino into his group.ï¿½ When Masseria was killed, Gambino shifted power under Salvatore Maranzano.ï¿½ However, it was a short stay for him.ï¿½ Maranzano died, Joe Bonanno succeeded him, and Carlo Gambino decided to join a new commission, the "Young Turks."ï¿½ Gambino, along with his brothers-in-law Peter and Paul Castellano, became united with Vincent Mangano.ï¿½ When Mangano mysteriously disappeared, Gambino pushed for an alliance (peace agreement) with Charlie Luciano and his associate Frank Costello.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ After Mangano's disappearance, Albert Anastasia became the boss and appointed Carlo Gambino a boss, but no one took this seriously.ï¿½ Gambino was, at that time, considered weak, taking put downs and ridicule from Anastasia.ï¿½ No other mafia member would have taken the abuse.ï¿½ Nobody thought of Gambino as a threat, at that time, which made it very easy for him to do unexpected things.ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ In 1957, a man named Vito Genovese approached Gambino about getting rid of Anastasia.ï¿½ This would give Gambino top spot.ï¿½ Fed up with Anastasia, Gambino did away with him.ï¿½ However, he could not stop there.ï¿½ Genovese was power hungry.ï¿½ He wanted to rule all the families.ï¿½ He became ruthless and over-zealous.ï¿½ Gambino knew he had to put a stop to him before he got totally out of hand.ï¿½ Together with his new allies, Luciano and Cost

ello, Gambino set up Genovese in a narcotics scheme that landed him in prison, sentenced to fifteen years.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Gambino continued to avoid the F.B.I. and C.I.A.ï¿½ Every time they tried to deport him or put him on trial he would have a heart attack or somehow end up in the hospital.ï¿½ It was an ingenious plan!ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ On the other side of New York, the Bonanno family didn't have much luck avoiding the authorities.ï¿½ Bonanno member Philip "Rusty" Rastelli succeeded Carmine Galanto as boss.ï¿½ Two of Rastelli's top men were Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano and Benjamin "Lefty Guns" Ruggiero.ï¿½ They were portrayed in the movie, Donnie Brasco, which was based on the true story of undercover F.B.I. agent, Joe Pistone ("Donnie Brasco".)ï¿½ Crimes committed by "Sonny Black" and "Lefty Guns" were exposed.ï¿½ "Sonny Black" disappeared and "Lefty" went to prison.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ During the early 1970's, Joseph Colombo, head of the Profaci family, began bringing unwanted national attention to the mob and those associated with it, by starting the Italian American Civil Rights League (IACRL).ï¿½ Carlo Gambino confronted Colombo and asked him to stop the rallies because of the media attention it was developing.ï¿½ Colombo refused.ï¿½ As the story goes, Colombo actually spit in Gambino's face.ï¿½ This infuriated Gambino.ï¿½ He approached the Gallo brothers (Joe and Larry) to do away with Colombo.ï¿½ He wanted them to kill him at a nationally covered IACRL rally, in order to express what will happen if you cross Gambino, and to ironically exhibit the association of violence and the Italian-American heritage - the very heritage that Colombo was supporting through rallies. It was vengeance and punishment for disrespecting a don.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ At the end of his life, Gambino appointed Paul Castellano as the new head of the family.ï¿½ Castellano was greedy and was disliked. ï¿½This caused conflict amongst Gambino's men. Castellano walked around more like a banker than a mobster.ï¿½ Gambino thought it was a good idea to move the family into legitimate business, away from the streets.ï¿½ In 1985, Castellano was killed by another young Turk, John Gotti, (a disciple of Dellacrose, boss under Anastasia who was skipped over when Anastasia was ousted by Gambino.)ï¿½ Gotti was as loud and media exposed as anyone the mafia had seen since Albert Anastasia. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ John Gotti was known as the "Teflon Don" for his three separate trial acquittals in the late 80's.ï¿½ Finally, in 1991, the F.B.I.

indicted Gotti, his underboss - Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, and Frankie Locascio on racketeering and murder conspiracy charges.ï¿½ Gravano shocked everyone when he broke the omerta and testified against Gotti.ï¿½ Gravano was placed into witness protection and served less than five years.ï¿½ John Gotti is serving a life sentence in a federal prison in Illinois.ï¿½ His son, John Gotti Jr., is currently acting as boss of the Gambino crime family.ï¿½ However, a RICO case has been developed against him. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ So, there you have the true story of the mafia.ï¿½ Still a little confused?ï¿½ Maybe this will clear things up:ï¿½ There are currently five families in the New York City outfit of La Costra Nostra (LCN).ï¿½ They are:ï¿½ Gambino , Genovese , Colombo , Bonanno , and Luchese .

GAMBINO FAMILY Frank Scalise (boss until 1931) Vincent Mangano (through 1951) Mafia: An Overview - How the Mafia Works | HowStuffWorks How the Mafia Works Prev Next Today, the word "mafia" is used to refer to almost any organized crime group, and in some cases is even used to describe groups completely unrelated to crime. In this article, we will focus on the traditional meaning of "mafia": org­anized criminal organizations of Italian or Sicilian heritage. ­In organized crime there is a hierarchy, with higher-ranking members making decisions that trickle down to the other members of the family. The Mafia is not a single group or gang -- it is made up of many families that have, at times, fought each other in bitter, bloody ga­ng wars. At other times, they have cooperated in the interest of greater profits, sometimes even serving on a "Commission" that made major decisions affecting all the families (more on the Commission later). Most of the time, though, they simply agree to stay out of each other's way. Mafia Life How the Mafia Works ­ Mafia-dom is neither a political nor a religious affiliation.

Because of their Italian roots, many Mafioso are Catholic, but part of the oath a mobster takes when he becomes a "made man" -- a member of a Mafia family -- is that the Mafia comes before birth family and God. ­ Mafia Jargon La Cosa Nostra - The term cosa nostra, which is sometimes translated from Italian to mean "our thing," originally referred to the general lifestyle of organized criminals in Sicily. When the Mafia moved to the United States, FBI agents listening in on wiretaps heard the term. They began using the term La Cosa Nostra (which is grammatically incorrect) to refer to the Mafia. In time, La Cosa Nostra referred specifically to American Mafioso, differentiating them from "old world" mobsters. Omerta - Omerta is the Mafia code of silence. Made man - This is a man who has been officially inducted into a Mafia family. Capo - The capo was originally the head of a family in Sicily. Now, the capo is more like a lieutenant who serves the family boss. Family - Each individual gang within the Mafia is known as a family.

Not everyone within a family is actually related to one and other, although it is common for relatives of mobsters to be inducted into the same family as their brothers or fathers. Wiseguy - This is someone who is involved with the Mafia.

Question: Which word is used for the traditional Mafia code of silence in Sicily?
Answer: Omertà