The Italian-American Mafia began in the early 20th century. He grew up due to probation and illegal activities. It is especially in New York and Chicago that, after the end of probation, they entered illegal gambling, drug trafficking, and even labor unions and construction companies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Mafia committed violent crimes, famous members such as John Gotti and Al Capone fascinated the public and became part of pop culture. During the latter part of the 20th century the government used laws to convict high-ranking mobsters and weaken the mafia. However, it is still in business today. In the 1920s, when the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution banned the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, American gangs entered the bootleg liquor trade and transformed into criminal enterprises, skilled at smuggling, money laundering of money and in the corruption of the police and other public officials. During this period, the Mafia in Italy, which had flourished since at least the mid-19th century, was under attack from leader Benito Mussolini. Some Sicilian mafiosi fled to the United States, where they became involved in smuggling and became part of the American mafia. The Mafia in the United States and Sicily were separate entities, although the Americans adopted some old-school traditions, a very important code of conduct and secrecy that prohibited any cooperation with any federal or state law. The American Mafia crime family was organized around a group led by a boss, who ruled with authority and received a percentage of every money-making transaction undertaken by any member of his family. The second in command was the sub-chief and below him were the captains, each of whom controlled a crew of 10 or more soldiers. At the base of the chain were the associates, people who worked or did business with the family but were not actual members. Becoming an official member of a mafia family traditionally involved an initiation ceremony in which a person performed rituals such as pricking their finger. drawing blood and holding a fiery image of a patron saint as he takes the oath of allegiance. Italian heritage was a prerequisite for all, and men often, though not always, had to kill before they could become members. Becoming a member of the Mafia was supposed to be a lifelong commitment, and every Mafioso swore to obey the all-important code of loyalty and silence. Mobsters were also expected to follow other rules, including never assaulting each other and never cheating with another member's girlfriend or wife. Charles "Lucky" Luciano and his allies, including crime boss Meyer Lansky, were on top of the New York crime scene. They were the winners of a New York City gangster war between old Italian and Sicilian mafia bosses who had moved to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Older bosses focused on resolving old grievances and not on making money. The winning Luciano-Lansky faction focused entirely on making money and killed anyone who got in their way. Luciano was also responsible for energizing the nine-member commission. This change of course and the activation of the commission is defined as the American Mafia. New York City was divided between five crime families with approximately nineteen additional family units across the country. The five New York families became famous, and each was named after their Godfather. The legendary families were Bonino,.