The Mafia: Helping Drive Capitalism

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the role of the Italian mafia as a business like any other, and its long history in the United States. The author discuses how the mafia's illegal and legal enterprises help propel our capitalist society, and how their ties with major labor unions enable them to dominate major industries. The paper also looks at how the Italian mafia works with other ethnic crime organizations, such as the Russian mafia, and Colombian drug cartels.

From the Paper:

"The mafia is a loose term in our country, as we as Americans are fascinated by the mysteriousness of it. Movies, books, plays, and now even a television series have been made depicting different real life stories regarding the mafia. The television show The Sopranos gives a great rendition about life in New Jersey as a mobster. This show allows viewers to see both sides of the story when thinking about gangsters. One is able to see their ruthless side in some situations, and then also the way they conduct business. Much of the business they conduct is with people who know what situation they are in, and are willing to accept the terms, based on a mutual agreement. In recent years, there have been several cases where a mafia member would go against their former family in order to lighten their jail sentence, breaking their code of conduct known as Omerta. The United States is a capitalist and free market society. The mafia helps in the expansion and existence of this capitalist society by their influences in legal and illegal businesses, with the help of political parties and leaders that are best placed to help them."

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