'Prohibition's successes outweigh its failures in the years 1920-33' How far do you agree?

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'Prohibition's successes outweigh its failures in the years 1920-33' How far do you agree?

Advantages

  • Growth of soft drinks industry, output 182 million crates during prohibition. Coca Cola- National Temperance Drink
  • Less... drunk driving, workplace accidents, alcohol related deaths
  • Decline in domestic abuse
  • Intake of Alcohol per person per year, fell from 2.6 gallons to 1 gallon
  • Improved productivity
  • Increase in sales of fire arms and boating
  • There is still support for Prohibition- 7 southern states still kept it- enforced by KKK
  • Women more likely to go to a speakeasy than they would have if it was still a saloon
  • Provided jobs for African Americans, playing jazz music- helped the spread of jazz

Disadvantages

  • Harding had alcohol delivered to the White House
  • Prohibition officer- Ned Green- North California, held cocktail parties
  • Mayor 'Big Bill' Thompson paid gangsters with $1 million of public funds
  • John Torrio retired with $30 million in 1925- gangster
  • St Valentine's day Massecre- 1929- 7 died
  • 1927-30- 300 killed
  • Gangsters became celebs
  • New York- 32,000 establishments- twice pre-prohibition
  • Only 5% of alcohol entering US was intercepted, 1924=$40 million
  • Agents easy to bribe, one earning $7 million
  • Speakeasies paid $400 a month= $150 million a year in bribes to police
  • 'King of the Bootleggers' George Remus earned $5 million- in 5 years with 300 gansters intercepting his medicinal alcohol
  • No quality controls- anything was added
  • Legal alcohol used for things such as paint thinner, often was sold by bootleggers to be consumed

Evaluation

No the successes do not outweigh the failures

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