Is there a mafia in Sicily? Camorra: the most ancient and bloodthirsty mafia in Italy

"The police most likely won," one Sicilian told me and told me about the current situation of the mafia in Italy. There is hardly a region in Italy where there is no mafia. It exists both in the south and in the north of the Apennine Peninsula, mafia clans just come from the south, and they prefer to do business in the north of the country, where big money is spinning and it is easier to launder it. Theoretically, the mafia has several regional names, such as "camorra" in Naples, but the essence is the same everywhere. In recent years, most mafia leaders have been imprisoned, they have been imprisoned before, but this did not differ in efficiency. The prison in Naples, where they were previously kept, was called the "Hotel 5 stars" - everything was possible there for money. Now the situation has changed.

Mafia bosses are trying to be kept in prisons in the north, for example, in Milan, where they are not so strong. The conditions of detention have also become much tougher - this is solitary confinement without any connection with the outside world, it is harsh, but effective, Don can no longer manage the clan from here. But the mafia itself has been greatly transformed in recent years, brutal and armed mafiosi are a thing of the past, the mafia's destiny is the economy. But here they, rather, even gained strength. For example, in the Sicilian resort of Trapani, the local mafia is very strong and firmly holds the economy of the commune in its hands. In the very north of Italy, in the Trentino-Alto Adige region, mafiosi from Calabria are actively buying up cafes and restaurants. It's simple, this is how money is laundered - in the tax office, the owner of the bar claims that he sold 100 cups of coffee, but in fact 10. Money from 90 unsold cups becomes clean. Another popular business of the mafia is the big supermarkets on the outskirts of the city, where a lot of money passes and it is easy to launder dirty cash. On the same Sicily, most of the stores of large retail chains belong to mafia clans. That is, the mafia itself is practically invisible, it has been transformed into a criminal financial institution.

In Sicily, the mafia is strongest in large cities - Palermo, Catania, and so on. But there are areas where there is no mafia - these are Ragusa and Syracuse. At the same time, the main income of mafia clans or families remained drug trafficking, weapons and racketeering. True, as I was told, the business is not very aggressive. That is, it is quite possible to ask permission and conduct a similar business in the neighboring area. You can pay with the mafia in any currency and in the regions, for example, by selling drugs in Germany (an active partner of the Sicilian mafia), you can get paid with weapons on the spot and vice versa. A kind of exchange.

Emigrants are also likely to be involved in this business - whether the visitor sells trinkets or sells drugs - his activities are connected and partially controlled by the mafia. The local communities of the same Sri Lankans pay the mafia. Racket hasn't gone away either, if you want to run a business without problems, pay. Not everyone experiences this, but they can. Cafe and shop owners form associations and support each other if one of their members is threatened or their property is damaged. For example, a tourist office in Palermo or a cafe-bar in Terrasini, with this sticker they inform that they do not pay extortionists.

Another type of business, the results of which I was able to see personally, is theft during the construction of roads. There are really bad roads in Sicily, there, of course, the situation is not like ours - somewhere there is a beautiful highway, but somewhere there is a track, no, it’s just that the level of roads throughout the island is about the same and it’s bad, for Europe, at least. A lot of road sections are being repaired, that is, they are fenced, there are a lot of signs, but no work is being done. It is believed that the mafia steals about 50% of the cost of the road and it is in its interests to constantly maintain the condition of the roads in a bad, pre-repair condition. Related to this are the problems with railway communication in Sicily - there are few railways, trains rarely run. The mafia simply does not allow the development of railway transport, since there is not much to steal here or it is difficult to control transportation.

But murders still happen, although their number has dropped dramatically. If in the 70s the mafia in Sicily killed about 300 people a year, now it is 6-7 people over the same period. The police, however, also act harshly. I was told a case when one of the mafiosi was found tied up on the railway tracks, the police took advantage of the situation and accused him of preparing to undermine the railway track.

The Sicilian and Italian mafia is not a fairy tale and the fate of filmmakers, it really exists, and although its clans are not as strong as before, and many have switched to a semi-legal position, it is still dangerous and is constantly being fought against.

on Palermo street

So, the promised ... today I will talk about what excites the mind of a person as soon as the word Sicily is pronounced - about the famous Sicilian mafia. However, fans of The Godfather will be disappointed: thanks to the tireless struggle of the prosecutor Falcone, the capital of Sicily today has become almost the quietest and most peaceful city in all of Italy. They say that the mafia is even more than that - it is very interested in the fact that tourists come to Sicily and to Palermo as well, because tourism makes up a significant part of the income for this island.

"Mafia" is an exclusively Sicilian concept. In other regions of Italy, similar organizations bore and bear different names ("Ndrangetta" - in Calabria, "Sacra Crown Unit" - in Apulia, "Camorra" - in Naples).

It is generally accepted that the mafia is a fairly complex branched criminal organization with its own strict laws and traditions, whose history goes back to the Middle Ages. In those distant times, people armed with swords and lances, hiding their faces under hoods, were hiding in the underground galleries of Palermo - members of the mysterious religious sect "Beati Paoli". The very name "mafia" appeared in the XVII century. It is assumed that the word is based on an Arabic root meaning "protection"; there are also other interpretations of it. - "refuge", "poverty", "secret murder", "witch" ... In the 19th century, the mafia was a brotherhood that protected "unfortunate Sicilians from foreign exploiters", in particular, the time of the Bourbons. The struggle ended with a revolution in 1860, but the peasants, instead of their former oppressors, found new ones in the person of their compatriots. Moreover, the latter managed to introduce into the life of Sicilian society the relations and code of conduct that had developed in the bowels of a secret terrorist organization. The criminal orientation quickly became the cornerstone of the “brotherhood”, the corruption with which it supposedly fought was in fact the basis of its existence, mutual assistance turned into mutual responsibility.

In general, after the death of Falcone and Borsellino, the most severe repressions were carried out on the island, aimed at destroying the mafia bosses, or at least ensuring that they were in prison. And they say that now the mafia has a female face, which means that the clans are controlled by the wives of mafiosi who are in prison, carrying out all activities at their direction.

For those who are interested, a bit of history... Today, Palermo Airport bears the names of Falcone and Borsellino, who have become a legend in today's Italy.

In the 1950s and 60s of the last century, the Italian government, under pressure from democratic forces, began an official fight against mafia crime. A special body was created - "Antimafia", a number of major leaders of this organization were arrested. The next wave of the fight against the mafia swept across the country in the late 70s and early 80s. Prosecutor Giovanni Falcone and his successor Paolo Borsellino, like no other, worked hard to clear Sicily of the mafia. Falcone, who became the prototype of the famous Commissioner of Catania, announced in 1980 that he was starting to fight the "curse of Sicily." For the first time, he ensured that the arrested criminal violated the omerta law - a conspiracy of silence that makes the mafia invulnerable - and testified against other mafiosi. Departure from the "omerta" according to the laws of the underworld is punishable by death. And Falcone convinced the state that people who testify against the mafia and their families need to be protected. By this, he somewhat dispelled the fear of the revenge of the powerful clans of Sicily. In addition, Falcone achieved the adoption of an article in the criminal code, according to which the mafiosi who ended up in prison must be kept in absolute isolation. Thus, the offender could not direct the actions of his family from imprisonment. In just one of the many trials against the mafia, Falcone sent 342 criminals to jail for a total of 2,665 years. Naturally, the activities of Falcone could not please the mafia, accustomed to considering itself the only real power in Sicily. And the criminal community has taken retaliatory steps. In 1992, Giovanni Falcone, along with his wife, was blown up in a car on their way from the airport to the city.

Today, mafia members aren't as flashy as we had the pleasure of seeing in The Godfather or Once Upon a Time in America, they don't roam the city in smart suits and polished shoes. Rather, all these attributes of wealth, of course, are present in the current members, but the mafia has firmly established itself in politics and business, having completely lost its former gloss. Today in Sicily there are no companies, either small or large, that do not deduct their percentage of the mafia, no matter who writes about this and what.

It is reliably known that small shops pay from 500 to 1000 euros per quarter, jewelry stores and others selling expensive goods - 2500-3000 euros, large shops pay 5000 euros. Shopkeepers whose family members are in prison are exempted from fees, as are those merchants whose relatives serve in the police. Store owners who have lost a loved one are exempted from payments for one quarter. If a person decides to open a new store in Sicily, then he has to pay a large amount of money in order to get permission from the mafia. Mafiosi who come to Sicily from other regions must give 3% of their income to local mafia bosses.

No one would ever dare, living on this island, to do something like this ... this is not my opinion, but heard from various people with whom we managed to talk on this topic. They all began to speak rather reluctantly, trying to keep quiet, but the husband knows how to chat with anyone, and people began to tell him their stories and how everything really is.

Mafia is alive! And there's nothing you can do about it!

A little history of the mafia
Each business has its own development, and each development is determined by the people involved in this business, especially if it is “Our business”. And the origins Italian mafia go back to the 9th century, when "robin hood" detachments protected the Sicilian peasants from the oppression and extortion of feudal lords, foreign raiders and pirates. The authorities did not help their poor, so they only called for help mafia and trusted in her. In return, a considerable bribe was paid, the unspoken laws put forward by members of the "security" groups were carried out, but, on the other hand, the poor were given guaranteed protection.

Why did crime families become known as "mafia"
There are two versions origin of the word "mafia". According to the first, under the influence of the Arab flair (either military or trade relations Sicily with representatives of the Arab countries), the root of the word means "refuge", "protection". According to the second version, suffering Sicily foreign invaders trampled along and across, and in 1282 there was an uprising, the motto of which became: “Death to France! Take a breath, Italy! (Morte alla Francia Italia Anelia). Anyway, mafia- a primordially Sicilian phenomenon, and identical criminal groups in other parts of Italy and the world were called differently, for example, "Ndragetta" in Calabria, "Sacra Corona Unita" in Apulia, "Camorra" in Naples. But, the “mafia” today, like the “jacuzzi”, “jeep” and “copier”, has become a household name, so any criminal organization is called it.

How did the mafia get into power?
As an organization, the mafia crystallized only in the 19th century, when the peasants, who did not want to obey the exploitative Bourbon regime ruling at that time, “blessed” mafia for political exploits. Thus, in 1861, the mafia officially took over the status of a ruling force. Having made their way into the Italian parliament, they got a chance to influence the formation of the political and economic course of the country, and the mafiosi themselves were transformed into the so-called aristocracy.
Beginning in the 20th century, members of criminal organizations began to promote "their senators" to parliament, secretaries to city councils, for which they were generously thanked. The carefree "bathing in money" might have continued further if the Nazis had not come to power. Head of Italy Benito Mussolini did not endure mafia in power, and indiscriminately began to imprison by the thousands. The rigidity of the dictator, of course, has borne fruit, Italian mafiosi sunk to the bottom.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the mafia perked up again, and the Italian government had to start an official fight against crime by creating a special body, the Antimafia.
And the mafiosi dressed in expensive suits of businessmen, building their work on the principle of "iceberg" where the official chain of sporting goods could be engaged in the underground trade in drugs or weapons, prostitution, "protection" of other business. But, even today, nothing has changed, this is happening in some areas of Italy to this day. Over time, some "businessmen" have seriously promoted their restaurant and hotel business, food production.
In the 80s, a fierce bloody struggle began between criminal clans, where such a huge number of people died that most of the survivors prefer to work only in the field of legal business, preserving omerta, "mutual responsibility", and other signs of a valid mafia organization.
But, the mafia has not left the stage to this day. In southern Italy, 80% of firms pay bribes to their "roof", just as it is impossible to start a business without enlisting the support of local authorities. Carrying out "cleansings", the Italian government regularly sends city, regional and national officials from key posts accused of collaborating with the mafia to prisons.

How Italian mafiosi moved to America
Beginning in 1872, as a result of extreme impoverishment, the Sicilians, in search of a better life, emigrated to America in armies. And, lo and behold, the introduced “dry law” worked into their hands. They began to sell illegal liquor, having accumulated capital, they bought up enterprises in other areas of activity. Yes, for short term, the money turnover of the Sicilians in America began to exceed the turnover of the largest American corporations. The American, originating from Sicily, the mafia is called "Cosa Nostra / Cosa Nostra", which means "Our business". This name is also used by those who returned from America to their homeland Sicilian crime family.

The structure of the Italian mafia
boss or godfather- the head of the family, a criminal clan. Information about all the affairs of his family and the plans of enemies flocks to him, he is elected by voting.
Henchman or underboss- the first assistant to the boss or godfather. Appointed solely by the boss himself and is responsible for the actions of all caporegime.
Consigliere- the chief adviser of the clan, whom the boss fully trusts.
Caporegime or capo- the head of the "team", which works in a single area controlled by the family-clan.
Soldier- the younger member of the clan, who was recently "introduced" into the mafia. Teams of up to 10 people are formed from the soldiers, controlled by a kapo.
Partner in crime- a person who has a certain status in mafia circles, but is not yet considered a member of the family. Can act, for example, as an intermediary in the sale of drugs.

Laws and traditions honored by mafiosi
In 2007, the famous godfather of Salvador Lo Piccolo was arrested, who was found to have "The Ten Commandments of Cosa Nostra", which describes the traditions and laws of members of the mafia clan.

Ten Commandments of Cosa Nostra
Each group "works" in a certain area and other families do not interfere with their participation.
Novice Initiation Ritual: a finger is wounded and the icon is poured with its blood. He takes the icon in his hand, they set it on fire. The beginner must endure the pain until the icon burns. At the same time, he says: "Let my flesh burn, like this saint, if I break the laws of the mafia."
The family cannot include: policemen and those who have policemen among their relatives.
Family members respect their wives, do not cheat on them, and never look at the wives of their friends.
Omerta- Mutual responsibility of all members of the clan. Joining the organization is for life, no one can get out of business. At the same time, the organization is responsible for each of its members, if someone offended him, she and only she will administer justice.
For an insult, it is supposed to kill the offender.
Death of a family member- an insult that is washed away with blood. Bloody revenge for a loved one is called "vendetta".
The kiss of death- a special signal given by mafia bosses or capos and meaning that this family member has become a traitor and must be killed.
Code of Silence- a ban on disclosing the secrets of the organization.
Betrayal is punishable by the murder of the traitor and all his relatives.

Thinking about this topic, I conclude:
Despite the untold treasures found, only the poor of the Italian south coast dream of such a career development. Indeed, with a simple calculation, it turns out that it is not so profitable: members of a criminal group have to calculate the costs of protecting themselves and their families, unfastening bribes, constant confiscation of goods, and this at a constant risk to their lives and all family members. A halo of mystery, supported by heartbreaking rumors for many decades, was shrouded in the whole secret mafia system. Is it really worth it?

Svetlana Conobella, from Italy with love.

About konobella

He was known as the Godfather of Sicily, one of the most powerful people in Italy, a brutal mafia boss who received 26 life sentences and excommunication
Below is a brief biography of this powerful Italian crime boss:

In Italy, Toto Riina was buried - the head of Cosa Nostra, the "boss of all bosses", one of the most influential mafiosi in the world. Providing the "roof" of his empire, he promoted friends to the main posts in the country and in fact brought the entire government under control. His life is an example of how vulnerable politics is to organized crime.

Salvatore (Toto) Riina died in the Parma prison hospital at the age of 87. On account of this man, who headed Cosa Nostra in the 1970s and 90s, dozens of political assassinations, ruthless reprisals against businessmen and competitors, several terrorist attacks. The total number of his victims goes to many hundreds. The world media write about him today as one of the most brutal criminals of our day.

Wife and son Salvatore Riina at his funeral

The paradox is that at the same time Toto Riina was one of the most influential politicians in Italy. Of course, he did not participate in the elections. But he ensured the election of his "friends" and financed their promotion to the highest positions, and "friends" helped him to do business and hide from the law.

Like the protagonist of Mario Puzo's novel and Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, Toto Riina was born in the small Italian town of Corleone. When Toto was 19 years old, his father ordered him to strangle a businessman whom he took hostage, but failed to obtain a ransom. After the first murder, Riina served six years, after which he made a resounding career in the Corleone clan of the Sicilian mafia.

In the 1960s, his mentor was the then "boss of all bosses" Luciano Leggio. Then the mafia took an active part in the political struggle and the mountain stood for the far right.
In 1969, a convinced fascist, a friend of Mussolini and Prince Valerio Borghese (it is in his Roman villa that admiring tourists crowd today) started a full-fledged coup. According to its results, ultra-rightists were supposed to come to power, and all communists in parliament were supposed to be physically destroyed. One of the first people contacted by Prince Borghese was Leggio. The prince needed three thousand militants to seize power in Sicily. Legjo doubted the plan's feasibility and dragged his feet with a final answer. Soon the conspirators were arrested, Borghese fled to Spain, the putsch failed. And Leggio, until the end of his days, boasted that he did not give his brothers to the putschists and "saved democracy in Italy."

Another thing is that mafiosi understood democracy in their own way. Possessing almost absolute power on the island, they controlled the outcome of any election. “The orientation of Cosa Nostra was to vote for the Christian Democratic Party,” one of the clan members recalled at the trial in 1995. “Cosa Nostra did not vote for either the communists or the fascists.” (quote from Letizia Paoli's Mafia Brotherhoods: Organized Crime Italian Style).

Not surprisingly, the Christian Democrats regularly won majorities in Sicily. Party members - usually natives of Palermo or the same Corleone - held posts in the government of the island. And then they paid their mafia sponsors with contracts for the construction of housing and roads. Another native of Corleone, Vito Ciancimino, an oligarch, Christian Democrat and good friend of Toto Riina, worked in the mayor's office of Palermo and argued that "since the Christian Democrats get 40% of the vote in Sicily, they are also entitled to 40% of all contracts."

However, there were also honest people among the members of the party. Once in Sicily, they tried to curb local corruption. Toto Riina invariably shot such dissidents.

The mafia economy worked well. In the 1960s, generally poor Sicily experienced a building boom. “When Riina was here, everyone in Corleone had a job,” complained a local old-timer to The Guardian journalist who visited Corleone immediately after the death of the godfather. “These people gave everyone a job.”

An even more promising business in Sicily was the drug trade. After the defeat of the Americans in Vietnam, the island became the main transport hub for the transportation of heroin to the United States. In order to seize control of this business, Riina cleared all of Sicily from competitors in the mid-1970s. In just a few years, his militants killed several hundred people from other "families".

Relying on fear, the “godfather” organized exponentially brutal reprisals. So, he ordered the 13-year-old son of one of the mafiosi to be kidnapped, strangled and dissolved in acid.

In the late 1970s, Riina was recognized as the "boss of all bosses". By this time, the political influence of the Sicilian mafia had reached its peak, and the Christian Democrats had effectively become the pocket party of Cosa Nostra. “According to the testimony of members of criminal gangs, between 40 and 75 percent of Christian Democrat MPs were mafia-paid."- Letizia Paoli writes in her investigation. That is, Riina put under control the largest political force in Italy. The Christian Democrats were in power for about forty years. Party leader Giulio Andreotti became prime minister seven times.

Stills from the 2008 Italian film Il Divo about Giulio Andreotti

The connection between the bosses of Cosa Nostra and Giulio Andreotti was carried out by one of the representatives of the party elite, Salvatore Lima. In the Sicilian mafia, he was considered "their white collar". His father himself was an authoritative mafioso in Palermo, but Lima received a good education and, with the help of his parent's "friends", made a party career. Becoming the right hand of Andreotti, at one time he worked in the cabinet, and at the time of his death in 1992 he was a member of the European Parliament.

Witnesses claimed that the Italian prime minister was well acquainted with Toto Riina and once even kissed the godfather on the cheek - as a sign of friendship and respect. Giulio Andreotti was repeatedly brought to trial for connections with the mafia and for organizing the murder of journalist Mino Pecorelli, who revealed these connections, but each time he got away with it. But the kiss story always pissed him off - especially when director Paolo Sorrentino re-told it in his movie hit Il Divo. “Yes, they invented it all,” the politician explained to The Times correspondent. - I would kiss my wife, but not Toto Riina!
With such high-ranking patrons, the "godfather" could organize high-profile murders and clean up competitors without fear of anything. On March 31, 1980, the first secretary of the Communist Party in Sicily, Pio La Torre, proposed to the Italian parliament a draft law to combat the mafia. It was the first to formulate the concept of organized crime, contained a demand for the confiscation of the property of mafia members, and provided for the possibility of prosecuting "godfathers".

However, the Christian Democrats, who controlled parliament, bombarded the draft with amendments in order to delay its adoption as much as possible. And two years later, the car of the indefatigable Pio La Torre was blocked in a narrow alley of Palermo near the entrance to the headquarters of the Communist Party. The militants, led by Toto Riina's favorite killer Pino Greco, shot the communist from machine guns.

The next day, General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa was appointed prefect of Palermo. He was called upon to investigate Mafia activities in Sicily and the godfathers' connections with politicians in Rome. But on September 3, Chiesa was killed by the killers of Toto Riina.

These demonstrative murders shocked all of Italy. Under pressure from the indignant public, Parliament nevertheless passed the La Torre law. However, it was not easy to apply it.

The amazing thing: the "boss of all bosses" Toto Riina was wanted since 1970, but the police just shrugged. In fact, she always did. In 1977, Riina ordered the assassination of the chief of the Carabinieri of Sicily. In March 1979, on his orders, the head of the Christian Democrats in Palermo, Michele Reina, was killed (he tried to break the corrupt system of power on the island). Four months later, Boris Giuliano, the police officer who caught Riina's men with a suitcase of heroin, is killed. In September, a member of the Commission for the Investigation of Mafia Crimes was shot dead.

Subsequently, when the “godfather” was nevertheless handcuffed, it turned out that all this time he lived in his Sicilian villa. During this time, he had four children, each of whom was registered in accordance with all the rules. That is, the authorities of the island knew perfectly well where one of the country's most wanted criminals was located.
In the 1980s, Riina unleashes a campaign of large-scale terror. The corrupt government is so weak that it cannot resist the "godfather". Another series of political assassinations is followed by a large-scale terrorist attack, a train bombing that killed 17 people. But that wasn't what killed him.


Toto Riina's empire collapsed from within. Mafioso Tommaso Buscetta, whose sons and grandsons died during the intra-clan war, decided to hand over his accomplices. His testimony was taken by magistrate Giovanni Falcone. With his active participation in 1986, a large-scale trial of members of Cosa Nostra was organized, during which 360 members of the criminal community were convicted, another 114 were acquitted.

The results could have been better, but even here Riina had her own people. Presiding over the trial was Corrado Carnevale, a native of Palermo, nicknamed "The Killer of Sentences". Carnevale dismissed every accusation he could, picking on minutiae like a missing seal. He also did everything to commute the sentences of the convicts. Thanks to his connivance, most of Riino's soldiers were soon released.

In 1992, Giovanni Falcone and his fellow magistrate Paolo Borsalino were blown up in their own cars.

A riot almost broke out in Sicily. The newly elected president, Luigi Scalfaro, was pushed out of the Palermo Cathedral by an angry mob and was about to be lynched. Scalfaro was also a member of the Christian Democratic Party, whose ties to Toto Riina had long been an open secret.

On January 15, 1993, the "godfather" was finally arrested in Palermo and has since experienced many trials. In total, he was given 26 life sentences, and at the same time was excommunicated from the church.

Simultaneously with the career of Riina, the history of the Christian Democratic Party of Italy also ended. All its leaders, including Giulio Andreotti, went to court, many went to prison.

Andreotti

Andreotti himself was sentenced to 24 years in prison, but the sentence was later overturned.
In 1993, the party suffered a crushing defeat in the elections, in 1994 it disintegrated.

Toto Riina survived his empire by 23 years, becoming the main symbol not only of the entire Italian mafia, but also of a system in which one bandit can subjugate the government of a European country to his interests.

Hardly anyone today has not heard of the mafia. In the middle of the nineteenth century, this word entered the dictionary of the Italian language. It is known that in 1866 the authorities knew about the mafia, or at least what was called by this word. The British consul in Silicia reported to his homeland that he was constantly witnessing the activities of the mafia, which maintains links with criminals and owns large sums of money...

The word "mafia" most likely has Arabic roots and comes from the word: mu`afah. It has many meanings, but none of them comes close to the phenomenon that soon came to be called the "mafia". But there is another hypothesis for the spread of this word in Italy. Allegedly, this happened during the uprisings of 1282. There were civil unrest in Sicily. They went down in history as the Sicilian Vespers. During the protests, one cry was born, which was quickly picked up by the protesters, it sounded like this: “Death to France! Die, Italy! If you make an abbreviation in Italian from the first letters of the words, it will sound like "MAFIA".

The first mafia organization in Italy

Determining the origins of this phenomenon is much more difficult than the etymology of the word. Many historians who have studied the mafia say that the first organization was created in the seventeenth century. In those days, secret societies were popular, which were created to fight the Holy Roman Empire. Others believe that the sources of the mafia as a mass phenomenon should be sought at the throne of the Bourbons. Because it was they who used the services of unreliable persons and robbers, who did not require large remuneration for their work, in order to patrol parts of the city that were distinguished by increased criminal activity. The reason that the criminal elements in the service of the government were content with little and did not have large salaries was that they took bribes so that the violation of the laws did not become known to the king.

Or maybe the Gabelloti were the first?

The third, but no less popular hypothesis of the emergence of the mafia points to the Gabelloti organization, which acted as a kind of intermediary between the peasants and the people who owned the land. The Gabelloti representatives were also obliged to collect tribute. History is silent about how people were selected for this organization. But all those who ended up in the bosom of Gabelloti were dishonest. Soon they created a separate caste with their own laws and codes. The structure was unofficial, but it had a tremendous influence in Italian society.

None of the theories described above have been proven. But each is built on one common element - a huge distance between the Sicilians and the government, which they considered imposed, unjust and alien, and, naturally, they wanted to remove.

How did the mafia originate?

In those days, the Sicilian peasant had absolutely no rights. He felt humiliated in his own state. Most ordinary people worked on latifundia - enterprises owned by large feudal lords. Work on the latifundia was hard and poorly paid physical labor.

Dissatisfaction with power spun like a spiral that one day had to go off. And so it happened: the authorities ceased to cope with their duties. And the people chose a new government. Positions such as amici (friend) and uomini d`onore (people of honor) became popular, becoming local judges and kings.

Honest Bandits

An interesting fact about the Italian mafia is found in Brydon Patrick's book Journey to Sicily and Malta, which was written in 1773. The author writes: “The bandits have become the most respected people on the whole island. They had noble and even romantic goals. These bandits had their own code of honor, and those who violated it died instantly. They were loyal and unscrupulous. To kill a person for a Sicilian bandit does not mean anything if the person had guilt behind his soul.

Patrick's words are relevant to this day. However, not everyone knows that once Italy almost got rid of the mafia once and for all. This happened during the reign of Mussolini. The head of the police fought the mafia with its own weapons. The government knew no mercy. And just like the mafiosi, she did not hesitate before the shot.

World War II and the rise of the mafia

Perhaps if the Second World War had not begun, we would not be talking about such a phenomenon as the mafia now. But, ironically, the landing of the Americans in Sicily equalized the forces. For the Americans, the mafia became the only source of information about the location and strength of Mussolini's troops. For the mafiosi themselves, cooperation with the Americans practically guaranteed freedom of action on the island after the end of the war.

We read about similar arguments in the book “The Great Godfather” by Vito Bruschini: “The Mafia had the support of allies, therefore it was in her hands that the distribution of humanitarian aid - a variety of food products. For example, in Palermo, food was transported on the basis that five hundred thousand people live there. But, since the majority of the population moved to a quieter countryside near the city, the mafia had every opportunity to bring the remaining humanitarian aid after the distribution to the black market.”

Help the mafia in the war

Since the mafia practiced a variety of sabotage against the authorities in peacetime, with the outbreak of war, it continued such activities more actively. History knows at least one documented case of sabotage, when the Goering tank brigade, which was stationed at the Nazi base, refueled with water and oil. As a result, the engines of the tanks burned out, and the vehicles ended up in the workshops instead of the front.

post-war period

After the allies occupied the island, the influence of the mafia only increased. "Intelligent criminals" were often appointed to the military government. In order not to be unfounded, here are the statistics: out of 66 towns, the main ones in 62 were people from the underworld. The further flourishing of the mafia was associated with the investment of previously laundered money in business and its increase in connection with the sale of drugs.

Individual style of the Italian mafia

Each member of the mafia understood that his activity was fraught with risk, so he made sure that his family did not live in poverty in the event of the death of the "breadwinner".

In society, mafiosi are very severely punished for ties with the police, and even more so for cooperation. A person was not accepted into the mafia circle if he had a relative from the police. And for appearing in public places with a representative of law and order, they could be killed. Interestingly, both alcoholism and drug addiction were not welcomed in the family. Despite this, many mafiosi were fond of both, the temptation was very great.

The Italian mafia is very punctual. Being late is considered bad manners and disrespectful to colleagues. During meetings with enemies, it is forbidden to kill anyone. They say about the Italian mafia that even if families are at war with each other, they do not seek cruel reprisals against competitors and often sign peace agreements.

Italian mafia laws

Another law that the Italian mafia honors is family above all, no lies among their own. If a lie was uttered in response to a question, it was believed that the person had betrayed the family. The rule, of course, is not without meaning, because it made cooperation within the mafia safer. But not everyone adhered to it. And where a lot of money was spinning, betrayal was an almost obligatory attribute of a relationship.

Only the boss of the Italian mafia could allow members of his group (family) to rob, kill or loot. Visiting bars without an urgent need was not welcomed. After all, a drunk mafioso could blurt out too much about the family.

Vendetta: for the family

Vendetta is revenge for a transgression or betrayal. Each group had its own ritual, some of them are striking in their cruelty. It did not manifest itself in torture or terrible murder weapons, as a rule, the victim was killed quickly. But after death, they could do anything with the body of the offender. And they usually did.

It is curious that information about the laws of the mafia as a whole became public only in 2007, when the father of the Italian mafia, Salvatore La Piccola, fell into the hands of the police. Among the financial documents, the boss also found the charter of the family.

Italian mafia: names and surnames that went down in history

How not to remember which is associated with drug trafficking and a network of brothels? Or, for example, who had the nickname "Prime Minister"? Italian mafia surnames are known all over the world. Especially after Hollywood filmed several stories about gangsters at once. It is not known which of what is shown on the big screens is true and which is fiction, but it is thanks to films that these days it has become almost possible to romanticize the image of the Italian mafia. By the way, the Italian mafia likes to give nicknames to all its members. Some choose their own. But the nickname is always associated with the history or character traits of the mafiosi.

The names of the Italian mafia are, as a rule, bosses who dominated the whole family, that is, they achieved the greatest success in this hard work. Most of the gangsters who did the dirty work, the stories are unknown. The Italian mafia exists to this day, although most Italians turn a blind eye to this. Fighting it now, when the twenty-first century is in the yard, is practically pointless. Sometimes the police still manage to catch the "big fish" on the hook, but most mafiosi die of natural causes in old age or are killed by a gun in their youth.

New "star" among the mafiosi

The Italian mafia operates under cover of obscurity. Interesting facts about her are very rare, because Italian law enforcement agencies are already experiencing problems in order to learn at least something about the actions of the mafia. Sometimes they are lucky, and unexpected or even sensational information becomes public knowledge.

Despite the fact that most people, having heard the words "Italian mafia", remember the famous Cosa Nostra or, for example, the Camorra, the most influential and cruel clan is the 'Ndrangentha. Back in the fifties, the group expanded beyond its own area, but until recently remained in the shadow of its larger competitors. How it happened that 80% of the drug trafficking of the entire European Union was in the hands of the 'Ndrangenta - the gangsters themselves are surprised. The Italian mafia "Ndrangenta" has an annual income of 53 billion.

There is a myth very popular among gangsters that the 'Ndrangentha has aristocratic roots. Allegedly, the syndicate was founded by the Spanish knights, who had the goal of avenging the honor of their sister. Legend has it that the knights punished the culprit, while they themselves were imprisoned for 30 years. In it they spent 29 years 11 months and 29 days. One of the knights, once free, founded the mafia. Some continue the story with the assertion that the other two brothers are just the bosses of Cosa Nostra and Camorra. Everyone understands that this is just a legend, but it is a symbol of the fact that the Italian mafia appreciates and recognizes the connection between families and adheres to the rules.

mafia hierarchy

The most revered and authoritative title sounds something like "boss of all Bosses." It is known that at least one mafioso had such a title - his name was Matteo Denaro. The second in the hierarchy of the mafia is the title of "king - boss of all bosses." It is awarded to the boss of all families when he retires. This title does not carry privileges, it is a tribute. In third place is the title of the head of a single family - don. The Don's first advisor, his right-hand man, bears the title "Counsellor". He does not have the authority to influence the state of affairs, but the don listens to his opinion.

Next comes the deputy don - formally the second person in the group. In fact, he comes after the adviser. Kapo - a man of honor, or rather, the captain of such people. They are mafia soldiers. As a rule, one family has up to fifty soldiers.

And finally, the little man is the last title. These people are not yet part of the mafia, but they want to become one, so they carry out small tasks for the family. Youths of honor are those who are friends for the mafia. For example, those who take bribes, dependent bankers, corrupt police officers and the like.