To date, the Italian mafia is listed as a big whale on the map of the cultural heritage of Italy and the USA. The writers, directors and other artists who were romanticized and built up to the heroism of the main representatives of the criminal organization are to blame. Many fans of the Italian mafia still dream of becoming bosses, flaunting the underworld on the red carpet in an expensive suit and with a purse stuffed with banknotes, the thicker of which is only the conceit of its owner. A cold, confident gentleman, a sort of Robin Hood, taking away from the rich and helping the poor - this image is formed by the average man, after watching the classic movie “The Godfather”. And what kind of boy did not dream of being like Don Corleone?
Origin
At all times, people were attracted by everything that is hidden under multilayer secrets, something that is almost impossible to solve. So the story of the Italian mafia is distinguished by its mystery. Until now, there is no exact data on the origin of this criminal community, and there is also no clear analysis of the etymology of the word “mafia” itself. It would seem that how much has been said, how many books have been written, but even in Italian documents, according to official data, it was not possible to establish a concrete trace of the origin of the mafia. There are only theories, of which there are many enough to come to a logical conclusion for everyone, but they are not enough weight to fully trust them.
It can be said with accuracy that initially the mafia is a kind of secret community, a secretive criminal organization that strictly abides by “omerta” - a kind of code of honor that has been passed down from generation to generation. It is known that the mafia was engaged in the robbery of the rich and the settlement of conflicts between merchants.
The homeland of the mafia is Sicily. It was on this island that a criminal organization was formed for the first time. The mafia was born during the reign of the Bourbon dynasty, when complete lawlessness reigned. A little later, Italians began to move in whole groups to America and organize their illegal associations.
Later, Sicilians began to migrate en masse to the United States of America and organize their mafia associations in this country.
Italian Mafia in America
Representatives of the Italian mafia began to immigrate to the United States in the second half of the 19th century. They perceived this country as an unplowed field for criminal acts. The first point of the mafia leaders was New York, which was organized by the "Gang of Five Points" - the most influential criminal group in the city. Later, the Italians, teaming up with the Neapolitans and Calabrians, took control of the gambling business, the smuggling of drugs, weapons and alcohol, dictating their rules to the streets of New York.
At that time, there were two of the most influential mafia organizations that belonged to Giuseppe Masseria and Salvatore Maransana. They included the most influential families of the criminal world. However, subsequently, the criminal clans could not peacefully share their power, which led to a fierce confrontation, which lasted three years. The Maransana family prevailed and gained supremacy in New York. Later, with the help of a conspiracy, its leader was ousted by the new leader of the Italian mafia, Laki Luciano.
Five families
In 1931, Lucky Luciano first formed a special mafia commission uniting five families. All dons came to the meetings and jointly resolved the problems associated with their illegal activities. Luciano tried in every possible way to eliminate misunderstandings in relations between families and always strove for a compromise approach. Which families were part of the association:
Genovese family. Vito Genovese was chosen as the head of the family, who jokingly called himself the leader of the Ivy League of the Mafia Kingdom. The criminal organization was engaged in racketeering, usury and drug trafficking.
Gambino family. Don Carlo Gambino for a long time led all the affairs of the family. At that time, he quickly removed his American competitors and expanded the influence territory of his association by an order of magnitude. The clan was engaged in contract killings, robberies, fraud with construction contracts and prostitution.
The Lucchese family. In the mid-30s, Gaetano Galliano became the head of the Italian clan, but a little later he was replaced by Tommy Lucchese, in whose honor the family got its name. The clan distributed the influence of the mafia in the labor market, led the organization of gambling.
Colombo family. The association was named after the influential don Joseph Colombo, who many times fell into skirmishes with his enemies, but almost always came out of them absolutely whole and healthy. However, during his last battle in 1971, the don still could not survive under the onslaught of the enemy and was seriously injured, because of which he fell into a coma until the end of his days. His family was engaged in robbery and fabrication of documents.
The Bonanno family. The family leader was John Bonanno, who came to the mafia world thanks to Lucky Luciano, whom he had known since childhood. The association was engaged in large-scale fraud in the financial markets of Italy and the United States. All these families exist today, but they no longer have former power. Nevertheless, their sphere of influence is still palpable, they occupy quite large territories on the map of New York.
Mafia structure
The Italian mafia refers to itself as “goat nostra”, which means “our business”. The criminal community consists of hotel structures called “families”. At the head of the family is the godfather - don. The godfather must have an adviser - “concilieri”, as a rule, a loyal and well-educated person in the field of family affairs was selected for this position. He acts as a mediator in resolving important issues, and is also a loyal adviser to the don. Such an assistant must have possessed aristocratic manners, know the history of the mafia, the names of the famous mafiosi, the whereabouts of the godfathers and wives of Italian bandits included in the association.
Then in the hierarchy follows the “younger boss” - the deputy don. His position implies the control of all “capos, ” that is, captains. In the event of the death of the godfather, the younger boss becomes the head of the family. The captain is responsible for the control of a certain area that belongs to the family, monthly pays to the Don part of the income.
The lowest in the hierarchy of the family is the “soldier” or “performer”, his duties include the complete submission of kapo. To become a member of the family you need to prove your usefulness to her, and you also need to enlist the support of one of the captains.
It is also worth noting the role of women in the structure of the Italian mafia. She had to sew elegant clothes for the mafia, to keep the secrets of the organization and above all else in her life to put the will of the Don.
Code of Honor of the Italian Mafia
The Mafia’s code of honor is called omerta. This is a set of rules that members of the mafia world should obey throughout their criminal activities. Violation of any of the rules is punishable by death. Omerth can also be translated as the "law of silence." With the help of Omerta, control over participants in a criminal group is carried out. The code includes the following principles:
- Impossible to leave the family
- Only family administers justice
- Constant submission to the Don
- Treason is punishable by murder
It should be noted that this “code of honor" was violated quite a large number of times. Clan showdowns, conspiracies and betrayals took place in almost every clan.
