Is the mafia a gang, a group, or just a bunch of bandits? Let's try to figure out what exactly this word means.
The term “mafia” today refers to any ethnic criminal group that, in structure and organization, resembles the ancestor of such communities — the Sicilian criminal “family”, highly organized and having its own code of rules.
Where did this concept come from?
But the origin of the term causes heated debate. There are very original versions, for example, the following: “mafia” is an abbreviation for the words Morte Alla Francia, Italia Anela (“Death to all French; Italy, breathe freely!”) - a cry that was born during the uprising against the French in Sicily at the end 13th century.
According to Gabor Gellert, a journalist from Hungary who studied the topic closely (13 years of work on a book about the mafia), this word should be understood in a more global sense than the union of criminals. This is a socio-political-economic phenomenon, the occurrence of which is natural in the world of capital. The meaning of the word "mafia" in the dictionaries in which it first appears (1868) is an action meaning impudence, boasting. Mafioso in the same dictionaries is a person who uses brutal violence, or poverty, scum.
There are also Arabic versions of the origin of the word "mafia." There are many consonant words with meanings: protection, shelter, security, talker, gathering place. Alas, until the researchers got to the truth.
What does the mafia do
Organized illegal activities are very diverse. Mafia crimes:
- Content brothel.
- Arms trade.
- Drug trafficking.
- Making fake money.
- Gambling, casino maintenance, gambling.
- Pimping, content of porn sites.
- Buying stolen goods.
- Usury.
- Extortion, racketeering.
- Debt collection.
- Human trafficking, abduction.
- Contract killings.
- Smuggling, money laundering.
The sphere of interests of the largest and most influential groups is not limited to criminal activity. Their representatives are engaged in ordinary business (hotels, restaurants, etc.), lobbying, politics.
Code of Practice
Any mafia, except perhaps the most low-grade ones, is a code of moral rules. For example, the goat organization code of goat nostra included rules such as:
- always arrive on time for appointments.
- Do not look at the wives of friends (and a member who has family ties with a traitor or a traitor was punished by exclusion from the gang).
- Do not go to bars and clubs.
Below we look at examples of the most famous criminal communities. We’ll immediately clarify that most of the information about such groups is hypotheses based on fragmentary and random information. It is clear that the leaders of such groups do not strive for wide popularity.
Cosa Nostra
Many people who are familiar with the topic firsthand have a strong association: the mafia is a goat nostra. Let's try to figure out what these two words are. The phrase “goat nostra” in Sicilian is “our business”. This term has become widespread and has become associated with any Italian mafia or mafia in general after the publication of the novel The Godfather.
Initially, the goat nostra is a criminal group operating in Sicily since the beginning of the 19th century. In one century, that is, by the beginning of the twentieth, it has become an international organization. A little later strengthened its position in America. It consists of 11 clans (families). It should be clearly distinguished: the goat nostra is a mafia of Sicilian origin, regardless of its modern geographical location.
Italian and Italian-American Mafia
It makes sense to connect them, because the American mafia is mainly immigrants from Italy, or rather - from Naples, Calabria, Sicily. Today, Italian-born mafia operates in at least 26 US cities.
Five families
An influential group within the American mafia. Its skeleton is representatives of five families:
- Bonanno;
- Colombo;
- Gambino
- Genovese;
- Lucchese.
Of these, the most numerous (although according to some sources it is inferior to the Gambino family) and the most influential is the Genovese family. On her example, you can see what the Italian mafia is. The history of the family as a representative of the mafia began in the early 20th century.
Initially, it was an alliance of several medium-sized Sicilian street gangs, extorting and bootlegging. Gradually, the family expanded its activities, subjugating significant parts of the market for gambling, racketeering and usury. About a change in family leadership over the millennium, you can make an exciting multi-part film.
Groupings
As mentioned above, the mafia is a highly organized alliance. Consider examples of groups that are comparable in scope to transnational corporations.
- Camorra and Ndrangheta are the two largest groups of purely Italian mafia, without the admixture of “Americanism,” although both groups have an extensive network around the world. The core of Camorra is located in Naples and its environs, the “head office” of Ndrangheta is in Calabria. Both are extremely rich, influential, are among the ten richest mafia communities in the world, are composed of clans with powerful kinship and marriage ties.
- Bamboo Union . Zone of influence - Asia, Europe, America. This is the largest group in Asia, the main backbone is Taiwan. In addition to being one of the richest criminal organizations in the world (gambling, killing and debt collection) make it stand out, it stands out because it is closely linked to one of the main and most influential parties in China (the Kuomintang), although these ties are actively denied.
- Tai Huen Tea, or Triad . The least information about this group on the Russian Internet. The largest and most influential in China. The modern Triad is a huge underground criminal network about which little is known. Presumably the founder of this organization appeared even before 200 BC under the name “Shadow of the Lotus” and hunted the slave trade and piracy.
- The Tijuana Cartel is one of the two oldest and most influential in Mexico. Given that Mexico is a well-known transshipment point in the US drug market, it can be said that the Tijuana Cartel is one of the largest drug cartels in the world.
- Yamaguchi-gumi (Yamaguchi-gumi) - Japanese Mafia. This is not just one of the richest groups in the world. She is a leader in terms of income and the number of active members (from 55 to 220 thousand).
- Sinaloa is a cartel operating in Mexico and Central America. The network covers some cities in the United States. “Specialization” is the sale of drugs. The organization is considered a leader in this segment of criminal activity. She became famous for the particular cruelty of internal showdowns, shocking shots with severed heads and the dissolution of enemies in acid sometimes get on the Internet.
Organized crime in Russia
It is believed that it appeared in the 60s of the last century, although there cannot be a specific reference point in principle. It is noteworthy that the words “Russian mafia” in the West can mean criminal groups not only from Russia, but from any country in the post-Soviet space.
The mafia of national importance began its activity with small criminal groups of Jews who left the USSR in the 70-90s of the 20th century. Today it makes sense to distinguish between the Russian mafia (its representatives have Russian citizenship and operate on the territory of Russia) and the mafia with Soviet roots.
The most famous group is the Solntsevo Brotherhood. It is considered one of the most dangerous and cruel in the world. The leader is rumored to be Sergei Mikhailov, nicknamed Mikhas.
Famous Mafiosi
A well-organized structure, whether it’s a mafia, group or union, is impossible without the accumulating power of a leader. Of course, most of the current leaders are shadow. Below we look at the names that have become a legend.
- Al Capone (Al 'Capone) - a name by ear, but it is worth noting that it has long and firmly gone down in history, because this man died back in 1947 at the age of 48 years. The boss of the Chicago mafia, famous for the fact that he managed to build a real criminal empire.
- Pablo Escobar is the most famous Colombian drug lord, one of the most outstanding, if such a word can be applied to a criminal, the leaders of the criminal world of the 20th century. By crime, he not only earned, but also administered his own justice, thereby gaining the favor of the poor and youth.
- The Cray brothers - twins from London, Ronnie and Reggie Cray from childhood were uncontrollable. With their fists, aggression and high business abilities, they managed to build an entire empire, and managed to successfully combine both the shadow business and the legal one.
- Mayer Lansky (Belarus) is one of the few figures of the criminal world who have lived to a respectable age of 80 years (he died in 1983). A Jew, a native of Tsarist Russia, for many years was one of the most respected people in the United States. Managed the largest shadow gambling syndicate. He became the prototype of the elderly Jewish mafia Hyman Roth.
- Frank Costello is another distinguished crime boss from the United States, only originally from Italy. For a very long time he was the head of the Genovese family and was extremely successful in business. He was drawn to bloodless types of criminal business, such as the illegal trade in alcohol and gambling. Fundamentally did not engage in drug trafficking, believing that without it there are plenty of opportunities to make money. He was also distinguished by the fact that he was actively establishing ties between the mafia and politics and succeeded more than any of the criminal bosses.
Of course, these are far from all known criminal communities. Suffice it to say that many of them went not only into criminal history, but also into the history of cinema, the activities of famous mafiosi from the point of view of analyzing the nature of man and the reasons for success, albeit in an activity unapproved by most, are so remarkable.