Outline

Working Thesis: 

La Cosa Nostra, more commonly known as the Sicilian Mafia, was seen as dangerous, manipulative, and in charge since before the word “mafia” was even developed, in the agrarian and feudal Italy. However, the mafia, after an intensive crackdown in the 1990s, has been declining in both influence and reputation both in Italy and in the United States. This loss of relevance has many factors the most relevant of which are the arrest of head bosses, tension within the mafia itself, and resistance by the public.

Who are La Cosa Nostra:

•  Important bosses
•  Relevant trials
• Defectors
• Any other large figures

General History:

• Where did it begin
• How did it begin
• Who began it
• Summary of beginning until 1990s which is where the analysis starts

Reasons for Decline:

• Families turned on each other (mafia wars)
• The assassinations of important magistrates
• Hoarding and buying up of building plans
• Arrest of Toto Riina
• Increased surveillance technology
• Defectors
• Too much influence in politics, public started to notice
• Public holding small rebellion against their rule
• Money
• Drug trafficking (both for and against)
• Violence

Resource Analysis 4

Men of Dishonor by Pino Arlacchi

This is the story of Antonino Calderone, recorded by Pino Arlacchi in Men of Dishonor. He is the younger brother of the late mafia boss Giuseppe “Pippo” Calderone. Antonino is a defector from the Sicilian Cosa Nostra who offers details about the organization of the mafia and dishes all the dirt. Additionally, Calderone warns that the mafia is dangerous to the public, but then closes with a warning to his “family” that the public will have no mercy on them.

It is rare for mafiosi to open up as Calderone did for this book. It is because of the novelty and rarity of the whole thing that draws an audience of readers. There aren’t designated sections to the tale, it is a chronological account of Calderone’s life in the mafia. Although readers often immediately feel the narrator to be a source of truth, we have to take everything Calderone says with a grain of salt. He obviously protected his nuclear family and his close friends, not mentioning their involvement in crimes or declaring their innocence. On the other hand, he also laid out every criminal activity ever committed by his enemies, probably in hopes of having them arrested. No opposing opinions to Calderone’s are offered, so there are no counterpoints or other sources to confirm much of what he says to be true. In general, the big picture seems to have passed a fact checker, but whether or not the details are true is unclear. Antonino Calderone wanted his story to be known, and it is considered one of the most important dialogues about the mafia from a defector. Additionally, it is an overall encapsulating read, full of action and surprises and backstabbing. This book further asserts the danger posed by the mafia.

Resource Analysis 3

Lecture Notes: History of the Mafia by Lorenzo Picchi

Professor Lorenzo Picchi, in his lecture “History of the Mafia,” claims that the Italian Mafia has always been a political entity, even before it was called the mafia, and is now a very powerful political force that has seemingly slipped off the radar of the world. By this, he means, that the mafia has strategically forced many of those in power into an unspoken pact of silence in regard to the mafia. Picchi proves this by referencing a number of newspaper articles printed between the years 2001 and 2008 (aka during Berlusconi’s reign). With the information provided by his lecture, it is easy to believe his thesis, as he does not offer any counter points, but based on his findings, it certainly does seem as though the Italian government has been bending over backward and passing new laws that could potentially aid the Sicilian mafia. For example, the March 21^st, 2001 verdict of the Palermo court decided that making business with La Cosa Nostra is not, in and of itself, a crime. This opens up a whole new market for businessmen who were wary of working with the Cosa Nostra before for fear of being arrested simply for association. Also in 2001, the Rogatorie Law (passed in September 2001) modifies the penal code and makes it difficult for proof to be offered in court in a State trial. This reform is favorable for all criminal organizations operating in Italy. Additionally, in September of 2001, the magistrates of Italy were no longer granted guarded escorts because they were designated as a “status symbol,” and then in March of 2002 two magistrates were assassinated by the mafia, after which the escorts were reinstated. These reforms aided the mafia with their agenda both in making it easier for them to stay out of jail, get to their targets, or simply making their actions legal. Seems quite the coincidence, therefore, it must be planned.

                Unfortunately, I am not positive if Picchi is a reliable source or not. So, even though his findings are interesting and potentially enlightening, they may not be accurate. However, the idea that the Sicilian Mafia, or any mafia for that matter, has infiltrated, threatened, or, at the very least, influenced the political aspects of their country is not new. So there may be truth in Picchi’s statements.

Resource Analysis 2

Italian Organized Crime: Overview by the FBI

On their website, the FBI gives an overview of how the Sicilian mafia infiltrated the United States and established its own separate faction, La Cosa Nostra. Although the article is more of a history lesson, it is obvious that the FBI is attempting to calm any worried readers that they are carefully monitoring the organized crime scene in the United States. Despite their attempts, they manage to paint a picture of La Cosa Nostra in blood. The tangled chain of succession, wrought with murder and backstabbing, is carefully laid out, as is the condensed list of all the criminal activities La Cosa Nostra has been linked to. The FBI’s thesis is simple, “Since their appearance in the 1880s, the Italian criminal societies known as the Mafia have infiltrated the social and economic fabric of Italy and now impact the world. They are some of the most notorious and widespread of all criminal societies” (1). This is fairly self-explanatory warning as well as a statement of fact. As for the information being correct or not, all the information seems to correspond to my own research and I believe it to all be accurate. If it were not accurate, it would not be a very good testament to the FBI, nor to the United States federal government. Back to the point, I agree with their thesis, La Cosa Nostra are dangerous and do, in fact, threaten both social and economic aspects of American life, and, based upon the number of arrests in the 1990s, the FBI is on top of the situation.