1. Failure of Prohibition The St Valentine’s Day Massacre Banning alcohol made it more attractive Moonshine was dangerous Organised Crime was becoming rife It was inconsistent Prohibition failed for several reasons:

2. The St Valentine’s Day Massacre Most people broke the law by entering a speakeasy Many tolerated, though were not happy with, gangsters when they were low-key. Machine-gunning unarmed men was a step too far.

3. The banning of alcohol had made it seem more attractive Consumption of alcohol rose substantially from 1928 onwards This was helped by the Depression from 1929. In 1929 there were more illegal speakeasies than there had been bars.

4. The Volstead Act simply removed the means of getting alcohol, not the desire to drink it Many people suffered and died from incorrectly prepared drinks. So alcohol DID kill people, but not in the way the WCTU claimed. Moonshine was known to cause blindness and / or death

5. Organised Crime was becoming rife Rivalry was turning into warfare. People no longer knew if they could trust the police or judges They were forced to pay protection money in many large US cities They risked accidentally offending a gang by simply buying from a shop controlled by another. The situation was getting out of control!

6. It seemed inconsistent – wine was often served at government functions Al Capone said – “when I serve people alcohol, it’s bootlegging. When politicians do it, it’s hospitality”. He did have a point. It appeared that there was one rule for the citizens of America and another for the politicians.

7. There was also a further reason. When the Boom ended and America entered the Depression, legalising alcohol would create more jobs and help America recover. Prohibition was called the ‘noble experiment’. It’s easy to see why some people supported it – and equally easy to see why some people opposed it. In the end, it was probably the right thing to do to end prohibition. It created jobs, helped bring crime down, and even those who originally wanted it banned could see that these were two important reasons.