Sicily is the homeland of the mafia. It is a beautiful island in the Mediterranean sea infested with an endless series of vendettas, crimes and murders. The Sicilian mafia is a loose confederation of about a hundred mafia families. Each mafia family claims sovereignty over a territory, usually a town or village or a neighborhood of a larger city, though they never fully conquered and legitimized their monopoly on violence by completely eradicating all other mafia families. . For many years, individual mafia families were the sole governing bodies and have remained the true centers of power even after the creation of subordinate bodies in the 1950s, such as the Sicilian Mafia Commission.
Many Sicilians did not consider these men as criminal mothers, but as role models and imitated by the people; and as protectors, since the ruling government seemed to offer no protection to the downtrodden, poor, and weak. Even in the 1950s, many people still believed that the mob was not criminal, but stood for respect for the law, defense of all rights, and greatness of character. In Sicily, “Mafia” once meant something like pride, honor and even social responsibility. It was like an attitude-cum-organization. Being a gangster also meant being honorable, noble and generous.
After the Revolution of 1848 and the Revolution of 1860, Sicily had fallen prey to disorder, chaos, and anarchy. Early Mafia families which at the time were small bands of outlaws volunteered to fight in the revolt. The main reasons for this were believed to be the possibility of burning police records and evidence and killing police officers and witnesses in the mayhem. Unfortunately, a new government was established in Rome and it became impossible for the mafia to carry out these actions without prosecution and reprisals from the state. As a result, they began to refine their methods and techniques during the second half of the 19th century. Protecting the large lemon groves and the vast estates of the local nobility became a lucrative but dangerous business. Palermo, the capital of Sicily, was initially the main area for these activities, but the rule of the Sicilian Mafia soon spread throughout Sicily. In order to strengthen the bond between the estranged Mafia families and ensure higher profits and a safer working environment for all, it is possible that the Mafia, as it is today, was formed in the mid-19th century.
In 1860, the new unified Italian state took over both Sicily and the Papal States. As a result, the Popes were hostile to the state. In 1870, the Pope declared himself besieged by the Italian state and strongly encouraged the Catholic faithful to refuse to cooperate with the state. However, this did not result in violence in Sicily. Friction and resentment between Church and state gave a great advantage and opportunity to the Sicilian mafia who told ordinary people that cooperating with the police working for the state was anti-Catholic activity. Protection rackets, cattle rustling, and bribery of state officials were the main sources of income and protection for the early mob. The mob also borrowed Masonic oaths and rituals, such as the famous initiation ceremony.
During the fascist period in Italy, Cesare Mori, the prefect of Palermo, used the special powers given to him to prosecute mafia families, forcing many mobsters to flee abroad or risk imprisonment. Many of the mobsters emigrated to the United States. The fascist authorities declared that the mafia had been defeated. Although the mob had been severely weakened, it had not been defeated as claimed. Many mobsters were arrested and many died in the violence. People suspected of being involved with the mafia were arrested and imprisoned without fair trials. The mafia was in an extremely dire situation and most of its activities were at a standstill.
After fascism, the mafia did not become powerful again in Italy until after the country’s surrender in World War II and the US occupation of Italy. The United States used the Italian connections of the American Mafia families during the invasion of Italy and Sicily in 1943. The American Mafia families provided information for American military intelligence and used their influence to facilitate the advance of troops. As a result, the arrested comrades and the brothers were released. In addition, the mob’s control of the ports prevented sabotage by any of the enemy agents.
Some say the US deliberately allowed the Mafia to regain its social and economic position as the “anti-state” in Sicily, and with the US-Mafia alliance forged in the 1943 invasion, this became the turning point in the history of the Mafia. Others believe that the mafia exploited the chaos of post-fascist Sicily to reconquer its social base as had been done on previous occasions and there was no US-Mafia alliance.
After the invasion of Italy, the Americans were looking for governors and state administrators. They were mistakenly told by their Sicilian Mafia comrades who had assisted in the invasion that the arrested mobsters were hardline anti-fascists who had refused to relent even under torture. Thus, they were seen as potential governors and were appointed by the Americans as mayors of cities and important government posts.
There was a serious internal conflict within the mafia in the early 1980s which resulted in large scale fighting between the mafia families and also in the assassination of several politicians, police chiefs and magistrates. The new generation of Mafia Families placed much more emphasis on “white collar” criminal activities compared to traditional organized crime enterprises.
A pentito is a captured mobster who collaborated with the judicial system to save himself from torture, prison, or capital punishment. the first great pentito was tommaso buscetta who had lost several allies in the war. This led to the Maxi Trial (1986-1987) which resulted in several hundred convictions of top mobsters. When the Italian Supreme Court upheld the convictions in 1992, the mafia retaliated. Politician Salvatore Lima was assassinated in March 1992. He had been the Mafia’s main government connection, and the Mafia was clearly displeased with his services. Giovanni Falcone and his fellow anti-mafia prosecutor Paolo Borsellino, who were the main people behind the Maxi Trial were assassinated a few months later. This sparked a public outcry and a massive government crackdown in January 1993. More and more pentitos began to emerge. Many would have to pay a heavy price for their cooperation with the government through the murder of family members.
Some of the Mafia families, notably the Corleonesi, retaliated with a campaign of terrorism through a series of bombings against various tourist spots on the Italian mainland that left 10 dead and 93 injured and caused extensive damage to heritage. cultural. Bernardo Provenzano took over as head of the Corleonesi and stopped this campaign and replaced it with a campaign of tranquility. This campaign has allowed the mob to slowly regain the power it once had. He was arrested in 2006, after 43 years on the run.
In the late 1990s, the weakened Sicilian mafia had to cede most of the illegal drug trade to the Ndrangheta criminal organization. In 2006, it was estimated that the latter controlled 80% of cocaine imports into Europe. However, the remaining mafia activities have remained the same and as strong as before. He now has a strong business extorting both large and small businesses. It is estimated that the mafia filters 7% of Italy’s production. The mafia has become one of the largest business enterprises in Italy with a turnover of more than 120 billion US dollars ($120,000,000,000) a year.