Prohibition and Organised Crime

Prohibition was the period from 1920 to 1933 when the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages was banned in the United States. It was introduced by the 18th Amendment to the Constitution and enforced through the Volstead Act. This lesson explores why Prohibition was introduced, how it was enforced, why it failed, and the rise of organised crime that accompanied it.

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Why Was Prohibition Introduced?

The campaign to ban alcohol had been growing since the late nineteenth century. Several groups and factors pushed for its introduction.