Use to correct a simple origin myth without minimizing Prohibition's contribution to the scale and integration of illicit markets.
The chapter distinguishes origin from expansion and transformation.
Richard F. Hamm shows that organized criminal networks, political corruption, gambling, vice markets, and illicit alcohol activity existed before national Prohibition; the new nationwide illegal market enlarged opportunities, revenues, coordination, and public visibility rather than creating organized crime from nothing.
PDF sheet 108
PDF sheet 105
Myth 6 — Organized crime before and during Prohibition
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