Mafia. Reality is scarier than 'The Godfather'

It seemed that the powerful mafia families, united in a criminal syndicate — Cosa Nostra — were indestructible. Five all-powerful New York families controlled not only drugs and prostitution for many years but also construction, restaurants, and much more. Moreover, they exerted tremendous efforts to convince the authorities and the public that the very idea of the mafia was a myth. It took many years and painstaking work by lawyers to develop a law that could imprison not only the perpetrators but also the heads of the New York Mafia. But does this mean that the mafia has been defeated? Why then do we watch movies about the mafia with great interest, know all the rules of mafia life, and quote Don Corleone? Perhaps there is something about mafia life that attracts us? Something is not right here. 00:00:00 Introduction. Lecture topic 00:01:40 Announcement of Tamara Eidelman's lectures in Canada and the USA 00:02:49 The novel "The Godfather" and its film adaptation 00:08:18 Who opposed the filming of the movie? 00:13:31 The success of "The Godfather" 00:15:36 Does the film "The Godfather" romanticize the mafia? 00:19:30 The "Sopranos" series 00:22:52 Etymology of the word "mafia" 00:24:56 Sicily — the birthplace of the mafia 00:30:07 How and why did the mafia appear in the USA? 00:32:56 The "Black Hand" organization in the USA 00:34:17 Prohibition and the rise of organized crime 00:38:16 Benito Mussolini's conflict with the mafia 00:40:59 Cesare Mori and his fight against the mafia 00:43:16 The rise of Al Capone 00:46:18 The empire of Al Capone 00:50:16 How was Al Capone caught? 00:52:54 Arrest and last years of Al Capone 00:54:46 The Castellammarese War 01:00:01 Charles Luciano and cooperation with other groups 01:01:30 The rise of Charles Luciano 01:02:53 Formation of the Mafia Commission 01:06:36 The prosperity of the mafia in the 1930s 01:07:54 The mafia and unions 01:13:19 The mafia and casinos 01:14:13 Thomas Edmund Dewey and his attempts to catch the mafia 01:17:00 Arrest and imprisonment of Charles Luciano 01:21:21 Life of Charles Luciano after imprisonment 01:22:37 Speculations about the existence of the mafia commission 01:23:30 Congressional commission and the hearing of Frank Costello 01:25:35 The Mafia summit in Apalachin 01:27:54 Vito Genovese's assassination attempt on Frank Costello 01:28:50 The mafia and the distribution of illegal substances 01:30:35 The mafia in Las Vegas 01:32:38 Robert Blakey and the RICO Act 01:37:47 FBI Special Agent Joseph Pistone 01:42:59 The FBI's acquaintance with the RICO Act 01:45:40 Using wiretapping in the fight against the mafia 01:48:54 Rudolph Giuliani and the fight against the mafia 01:50:34 Arrest of the heads of the 5 New York families 01:52:27 Can the mafia be defeated?