- For other uses, see Mafia (disambiguation).
The Mafia (or sometimes incorrectly written Maffia), also referred to in Italian as Cosa Nostra (lit. Our Thing), is the name for a secret criminal organization which evolved in mid-19th century Sicily, and led to an offshoot on the East Coast of the United States, emerging during the late 19th century with the waves of Italian immigration to that country.
Contents
- 1 Background
- 1.1 The Mafia in Italy
- 1.2 Prominent Sicilian Mafiosi
- 1.3 Other Criminal Organisations in Italy
- 2 Mafia in the United States
- 3 Law enforcement and the Mafia
- 4 Mafia structure
- 5 Media portrayal of the Mafia
- 6 References
- 7 See also
- 8 External links
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Background
The term "mafia" describes a specific secret society in Sicily and their descendants in the USA, yet the word itself has no pin-pointed historical birthplace. In the original Palermo dialect the word mafioso once meant 'beautiful', 'charismatic'- 'bold' or 'self-confident'. Anyone who was worthy of being described as a mafioso therefore had a certain something, an intangible attribute called 'mafia'. 'Cool' is about the closest modern English equivalent; a mafioso was someone who fancied himself. In fact it was the early Italian government which attached specific criminal connotations to the word and turned it into a subject of national debate. It was following the Prefect of Palermo, Filippo Gualterio's report to Rome in 1865, citing that "the so-called Mafia or criminal associations" had become more daring, that the word rapidly entered general usage connoting criminal activity. This ties in with the theory that the word 'mafia' in Palermo dialect, came from an Arabic word adopted during the Arab occupation of Sicily, "maafeyya" meaning exempted. Sometimes it's also been thought that it's an acronym - Morte Alla Francia Italia Anelia. Roughly translated means Death To France Italy Cries
Today, a member of the Mafia is a "mafioso", a "manfias", or, Anglified, a "man of honor".
The Mafia spread to the United States through immigration by the 20th century.
Mafia power peaked in the United States in the mid-20th century, until a series of FBI investigations in the 1970s and 1980s somewhat curtailed the Mafia's influence. Despite the decline, the Mafia and its reputation have become entrenched in American popular culture, portrayed in movies, TV shows, and even product commercials.
Today the Italian-American Mafia remains the most powerful criminal organization operating in the USA and uses this status to maintain control over the majority of both Chicago's and New York City's criminal enterprises. It also has links to the more established organization from which it sprung, the original Sicilian Mafia.
Mafia power in Sicily is much more well established and complete. Corruption is widespread, and local government is almost an offshoot of the organization itself. Mafia influence in the national legislature has long been suspected, but never proven outright.
The term "mafia" is often extended to refer to any large group of people engaged in organized crime (such as the Russian Mafia, the Polish Mafia, the Mexican Mafia, the Japanese Yakuza, the Chinese Triads, and the allegedly extinct Indian Thuggee). When unqualified, however, 'Mafia' still usually refers to the original Sicilian and offshoot American organizations.
The Mafia in Italy
Contrary to popular legend, the Sicilian Mafia actually originated during the mid 19th century, at around the same time as the emergence of the new Italian state. Italy did not actually become a sovereign country until this time, and it was the industrialisation and trade that this event brought about that was the main driving force behind the development of the Sicilian Mafia. The Sicilian Mafia has always been at its strongest in the west of the island, and especially around the city of Palermo, its birthplace. Palermo was, and still is, the centre of trade, commerce and politics for the island of Sicily, and thus the Mafia made its base here, as opposed to the rural interior of the island which was backward and underdeveloped in economic terms. The main source of exports, and thus wealth of the island from which the Mafia sprung was the large estates of lemon and orange groves that rise from the walls of Palermo up into the hills surrounding the city.
The Mafia was initially involved in the protection of these estates, the landowners needing the Mafia for protection, and the Mafia needing the landowners' political connections to operate freely. Indeed, according to some sources, members of the ruling aristocracy were also members of the 'Sect' (as the Mafia was known in the 19th century) Baron Turrisi Colonna among them, who wrote the first ever account of the organised criminality that was going on in Sicily during this time in 1864.
During the Fascist period in Italy, Cesare Mori, prefect of Palermo, used special powers granted to him to prosecute the Mafia, forcing many Mafiosi to flee abroad or risk being jailed. Many of the Mafiosi who escaped fled to the United States, among them Joseph Bonanno, nicknamed Joe Bananas, who came to dominate the US branch of the Mafia.
The Americans cynically took advantage of the circumstances and they utilised the Italian connection of the American Mafiosi during the invasion of Italy and Sicily in 1943. Lucky Luciano and other members of Mafia, who had been imprisoned during this time in USA, suddenly become valuable patriots and US military intelligence used Luciano's influence to ease the way for advancing American troops.
An alleged additional benefit (from the American perspective) was that many of the Sicilian-Italian Mafiosi were hardline anti-communists, as the Mafia could not bear any other form of social organisation in its heartland of Sicily, being the monopolist of power and violence on the island. They were therefore seen as valuable allies by the anti-Communist Americans, who allegedly used them to root out socialist and communist elements in the American shipping industry, the wartime resistance movements, and in many postwar local and regional governments in areas where the Mafia held sway.
According to drug trade expert Dr Alfred W. McCoy, Luciano was permitted to run his crime network from his jail cell in exchange for his assistance. After the war Luciano was rewarded by being deported to Italy, where he was able to continue his criminal career unhindered. He went to Sicily in 1946 to continue his activities and according to McCoy's landmark 1972 book The Politics of Heroin in South-East Asia, Luciano went on to forge a crucial alliance with the Corsican Mafia, leading to the development of a vast international heroin trafficking network, initially supplied from Turkey and based in Marseille — the so-called "French Connection".
Later, when Turkey began to eliminate its opium production, he used his connections with the Corsicans to open a dialogue with expatriate Corsican mafiosi in South Vietnam. In collaboration with leading American mob bosses including Santo Trafficante Jr., Luciano and his successors, took advantage of the chaotic conditions of the Vietnam War to establish an unassailable supply and distribution base in the "Golden Triangle", which was soon funnelling huge amounts of Asian heroin into the United States, Australia and other countries via the U.S. military.
Benito Mussolini ruthlessly suppressed the Mafia, imprisoning many men on mere suspicion of being a mafioso. The Mafia did not become powerful in Italy again until after the country's surrender in the Second World War. In the 1980s and 1990s, however, a series of internecine "gang wars" led to many prominent Mafia members being murdered, and a new generation of mafiosi has placed more emphasis on "white-collar" criminal activity as opposed to more traditional racketeering enterprises. In reaction to these developments, the Italian press has come up with the phrase La Cosa Nuova ("the new thing", a play on La Cosa Nostra) to refer to the revamped organization.
The main split in the Sicilian Mafia at present is between those bosses who have been convicted and are now in jail, chiefly Salvatore 'Toto' Riina and Leoluca Bagarella, the capo di tutti capi from 1993 to 1995, and those such as Bernardo Provenzano, who are on the run, or who have not been indicted. The incarcerated bosses are currently subjected to harsh controls on their contact with the outside world, limiting their ability to run their operations from behind bars under the Italian law 41 bis. Antonio Giuffrè, a close confidant of Provenzano, turned Pentiti shortly after his capture in 2002. He now alleges that in 1993, Cosa Nostra had direct contact with representatives of Silvio Berlusconi while he was planning the birth of Forza Italia. The deal that was alleged to have been made was a repeal of 41 bis, among other anti-Mafia laws in return for electoral deliverances in Sicily. While Forza Italia currently holds all 61 Sicilian seats in Parliament, no one openly suggests a link between Berlusconi and Cosa Nostra directly. Even if the allegations are proved to be baseless, Cosa Nostra feels let down by a Government it imagines, rightly or wrongly, to contain elements sympathetic towards it. A banner was recently unfurled at a Palermo football match which read "We are united against 41 bis. Berlusconi has forgotten Sicily". These are worrying days for the Mafia's enemies, but whether Provenzano's restructuring efforts will succeed in appeasing or isolating the interned bosses, and thus uniting Cosa Nostra once again, remains to be seen.
Prominent Sicilian Mafiosi
- Salvatore 'Toto' Riina, former 'Superboss' of the Corleonesi and thus the entire Sicilian Mafia, now in jail. Succeeded by Bernardo Provenzano (see below).
- Tommaso Buscetta, the first Sicilian Mafioso to become an informant during the 1970s. Generally known as the 'Supergrass' whose evidence was used to great effect during the Maxi-Trials.
- Bernardo Provenzano, Current 'capo di tutti capi' or Boss of Bosses of the Sicilian Mafia, a fugitive from justice for over 40 years. He is said to have been recently spotted in a medical clinic in the south of France. The authorities have reportedly been 'close' to capturing him for the past 10 years, since he took over from Salvatore Riina.
- Giovanni 'lo scannacristiani' Brusca, who personally murdered Giovanni Falcone, the investigating judge who started the first and only real fightback against the Sicilian Mafia.
Other Criminal Organisations in Italy
The Sicilian Mafia is organized into cosche (clans) in Sicily; in other regions there exist other similar organisations: 'Ndrangheta in Calabria, Sacra corona unita in Apulia, Camorra in Naples and the Mala del Brenta in Veneto (an organisation whose members come from Southern Italy). Although the different crime empires do business with each other, these are separate and distinct organisations from the Sicilian Mafia, which is by far the most powerful.
There are currently more clans from other countries who are trying to follow Italian Mafia's path
Mafia in the United States
Mafia groups in the United States first became influential in the Chicago area, gradually progressing from small neighborhood operations to citywide and eventually international organizations.
After many turf wars, five families ended up dominating New York, named after prominent early members: the Bonanno family, the Colombo crime family, the Gambino family, the Genovese family, and the Lucchese family.
Each family was ultimately controlled by a Don, who was insulated from actual operations by several layers of authority. According to popular belief, the Don's closest and most trusted advisor was referred to as the consigliere ("counselor" in Italian). In reality, the consigliere was meant to be something of a "hearing officer" who was charged with mediating intra-family disputes. He also takes care of the economic side of the "business". An underboss was possible as well. There were then a number of regimes with a varying number of soldati (lit. "soldiers"), or made-men, who conducted actual operations.
Each regime was headed by a caporegime, who reported to the boss. When the boss made a decision, he never issued orders directly to the soldiers who would carry it out, but instead passed instructions down through the chain of command. In this way, the higher levels of the organization were effectively insulated from incrimination if a lower level member should be captured by law enforcement. This structure is immortalized in Mario Puzo's famous novel The Godfather.
The Initiation ritual emerged in Sicily in the mid-19th century and has hardly changed to this day. The Chief of Police of Palermo in 1875 reported that the man of honour to be initiated would be led into the presence of a group of bosses and underbosses. One of these men would prick the initiate's arm or hand and tell him to smear the blood onto a sacred image, usually a saint. The oath of loyalty would be taken as the image was burned and scattered, thus symbolising the annihilation of traitors.
A hit, or assassination, of a made man had to be preapproved by the leadership of his family, or retaliatory hits would be made, possibly inciting a war. In a state of war, families would go to the mattresses - rent vacant apartments and have a number of soldiers sleeping on mattresses on the floor in shifts, with the others ready at the windows to fire at members of rival families.
The American Mafia eventually became more accommodating of non-Sicilian Italians among the sworn-in membership of 'made-men' and forged closer associations with gangsters of other nationalities, thus becoming distinct from the original organisation in Sicily.
Law enforcement and the Mafia
In Italy in particular, there has been a long history of police prosecutors and judges being murdered by the Mafia in an attempt to discourage vigorous policing. In the United States, murders of state authorities have been rare, largely out of fear of the backlash that would result. The mobster Dutch Schultz was reportedly killed by his peers out of fear that he would carry out a plan to kill New York City prosecutor Thomas Dewey.
In the United States, the Mafia began a steep decline in the late-1970s and early 1980s due in part to laws such as the RICO Act, which made it a crime to belong to an organization that performed illegal acts, and to programs such as the witness protection program. These factors combined with the gradual dissolution of the distinct Italian-American community through death, intermarriage, the lack of continued Italian migration, and cultural assimilation.
In the mid-20th century, the Mafia was reputed to have infiltrated many labor unions in the United States, notably the Teamsters, whose president Jimmy Hoffa disappeared and is widely believed to have been killed by the Mafia. In the 1980s, the United States federal government made a determined effort to remove Mafia influence from labor unions.
There is some evidence that in Italy law enforcement seems to be finally gaining the upper hand over the Mafia organisations, through stronger laws and the breaking down of the "code of silence". A huge help in fighting the military side of Mafia has been provided by many so-called pentiti (Mafia members who dissociated for a milder judicial treatment), like Tommaso Buscetta. The Mafia allegedly retains strong financial influence. Thus, recent investigations usually research the economic movements of suspected members.
In recent decades, one of the most famous figures in Italy in the context of Mafia has been Toto Riina, who supposedly ordered the murder of the judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.
Recently, former Italian Prime Minister, Giulio Andreotti (Democrazia Cristiana) stood judicially accused of relationships with Mafia, but was finally cleared because the trial was out of the prescription period. Suspicions, however, still remain.
According to Selwyn Raab, author of "Five Families : The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires", after 9/11 the FBI has redirected most of its attention to finding terrorists, which led to a resurgence of Mafia in the U.S.
Mafia structure
Known as the Honored Society among Mafiosi, the chain of command is organized in a pyramid similar to a modern corporate structure.
- Capo di Tutti Capi (The "Boss of Bosses", currently Bernardo "il trattore" Provenzano for the Sicilian Mafia; N/A for the National Crime Syndicate)
- Capo di Capi Re (a title of respect given to a senior or retired member, equivalent to being a chairman emeritus.)
- Capo Crimini (A "Super Boss" known as a Don or "Godfather" of a crime family)
- Capo Bastone (Known as the "Underboss" is second in command to the Capo Crimini)
- Consigliere (Advisor)
- Contabile (Financial advisor)
- Caporegime' or Capodecina (A Lieutenant who commands a "crew" of around ten Sgarrista or "soldiers")
- Sgarrista or Soldati ("Made" members of the Mafia who serve primarily as foot soldiers)
- Picciotto (A low ranking member of the Mafia who serve as "Enforcers" or "button men")
- Giovane D'Onore (An associate member of the Mafia, usually a non-Italian or Sicilian)
Media portrayal of the Mafia
Marlon Brando as 'The Godfather'.
- The Godfather, novel by Mario Puzo; later made into films by Francis Ford Coppola which are probably the most influential depictions of the Mafia in American popular culture. The Corleone family is an amalgamation of several real life Mafia families.
- La Piovra, Italian TV series by Luigi Perelli after stories by Sandro Petraglia is the most vast and dramatic Italian series on the Mafia spawning over 9 series and 60 hours.
- Goodfellas, a film directed by Martin Scorsese based on the life of Henry Hill.
- Bugsy, a film about Bugsy Siegel starring Warren Beatty.
- Donnie Brasco, a film about the first FBI agent to infiltrate the Mafia.
- Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag, a comedy about a Mafia hit-man (Joe Pesci), who accidentally exchanges his duffel bag with eight gangsters' heads inside with one that belonged to a family of tourists.
- Mafia! is a humorous spoof film of Mario Puzo's The Godfather.
- Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven, a video game by Gathering of Developers and Illusion, portraying 8 years in the life of a gangster during the 30's. The game is set in the fictious city of Lost Heaven (amalgamation of several real cities) and follows Tommy Angelo, a taxi driver who through certain circumstances becomes a part of the Salieri mafia family.
- The Untouchables, film portrayal of Eliot Ness and the Untouchables, a group of law enforcers organized to fight Al Capone's organization.
- Carlito’s Way, 1993. Starring Al Pacino, Sean Penn and Penelope Ann Miller. A Brian De Palma film. A film about Carlito Brigante (Pacino), a gangster who is saved from a possible heavy sentence by his lawyer Dave (Penn) to try and repent and leave criminal life, but unfortunately he is too immersed in it to easily get out.
- Hoodlum, a film about a little known Black gangster named Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson starring Lawrence Fishburne and Tim Roth.
- Casino, film portrayal of "Lefty" Rosenthal, general manager of a Las Vegas casino starring Robert De Niro and directed by Scorsese. "Lefty" was renamed as Sam "Ace" Rothstein in the film.
- Gotti, an HBO feature on the recently deceased former Gambino family chieftain.
- Road to Perdition, a film about a mob hitman (Tom Hanks) whose family is killed. Hanks flees the city with his only surviving son, and tries to get revenge.
- The Sopranos, an HBO series featuring a Mafioso and his two families--his wife and kids and his crime family--starring James Gandolfini.
- General Hospital, a long-running hit ABC Daytime soap opera which as its title suggests, was originally a medical drama. However, the show began incorporating mafia characters into its storylines in the late 1970s and in 1993, the character of mafioso Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Bernard) was introduced. In recent years, the vast majority of the shows storylines have centred around Sonny Corinthos, his right hand man Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) and his mafia dealings to the point where some fans have dubbed the show daytime television's answer to The Sopranos (This is both a praise and criticism of the series as many fans wish the show would return to its roots as a medical drama).
- A Bronx Tale, story about a mob boss (Chazz Palminteri) in the Bronx who befriends the son of a working class Italian father (Robert De Niro).
- Raging Bull, true story about boxing great Jake LaMotta amidst an atmosphere of Mob influence, also starring Robert De Niro.
- Once Upon a Time in America, a film about the Jewish Mafia in America, from Italian director Sergio Leone.
- Analyze This, comedy starring Robert De Niro, and its sequel Analyze That also with Robert De Niro.
- The Whole Nine Yards and its sequel, The Whole Ten Yards, comedies with Bruce Willis.
- Ghost Dog, director Jim Jarmusch late 90's film on American mafia and 'button men'.
- A History of Violence is about an owner of a diner in Indiana who encounters mafia members who say he is an old "friend."
- Grand Theft Auto III (VG), takes place in a city similar to New York. The main character must work for various mafia bosses as he works his way up the ladder and eventually takes over the city.
See also: List of Mafia movies
References
