In 1899, in the Italian-American community of Brooklyn, New York, a boy named Al Capone was born in the last year of the 19th century. His mother, Teresina Raola, was an ordinary female worker, working to mend other people's clothes. His father, Gabriel Capone, was a barber. In this extremely ordinary minority family, they lived a hard-working and frugal life. In addition to Capone, the couple had 7 other children in their lives. They came from Naples, Italy, on the third wave of immigration to the United States. During the third immigration boom in the United States (1881-1920), the number of immigrants to the United States reached as many as 23.5 million. During this period, the United States had repeatedly legislated to restrict European immigration and exclude Asian immigrants. Immigrants from countries in Southeast Europe, such as Russia, have grown rapidly. Many of these immigrants settled in Brooklyn, forming large and small ethnic communities. Most of these immigrant communities maintained their original customs and were relatively closed compared to the open American society. At the same time, Catholic immigrant groups were unwelcome to mainstream American society at the time. Many factors make it difficult for the next generation of these immigrants to integrate into traditional American society. And for many of them, perhaps engaging in criminal activity is the only way to break through the barrier of fate. The Brooklyn area has been a high place for the activities of the American underworld since the mid-19th century. For the residents living here, life would be boring without gangs, drugs, guns and violence around them. Capone, who has lived here since he was a child, has to endure prejudice and rejection from the outside world and overcome the harsh real life environment. Various factors prompted Capone to choose the same life path as other troubled youths, so joining the gang and getting ahead became a dream buried in his heart. Although there were many gangs in Brooklyn at this time, there were only a handful of really powerful gangs. Most of the gangs' income mainly depended on collecting protection fees, so these gangs were often seen fighting for territory. Where the strong eat the weak, gangsters are born and die every day. In 1913, Capone was expelled from the school for beating up teachers for disobedience at school. At this point, Capone began to appear on the streets of Brooklyn. At the beginning, he mixed with different gangs, just acting as a leftover errand. He then joined the Italian gang in the Pentagon, New York, where he met his Bole, Johnny. torio. Torrio saw Capone's potential and cultivated him as a successor. A few years later, Colosimo, known as "Big Jim", the most successful gang leader in Chicago at the time, invited Torio to help with the local gang problem, and Torio realized it was a huge deal for him as well. Opportunity, before leaving, entrust Capone to Frankie Yell, who runs the tavern. So far, Capone has been working here as a bartender until he waits for Torrio to summon him again. One In Chicago, Torrio, a former army lieutenant, with his outstanding ability, operated hundreds of brothels and casinos for Colosimo, and soon became "Big Jim" Colosimo's right-hand man. At this time in the United States, the prohibition movement in the society intensified, and Torrio had a hunch that the implementation of the "Prohibition Order" would be an irreversible social trend. With a business sense, Torrio decided to take a gamble. 1919, Before the implementation of "Prohibition", Torrio invited Capone to Chicago to assist him in smuggling alcohol. This year, Torrio also became the "godfather" of Capone's children. The two plan to secretly acquire brewers before the implementation of the "Prohibition Order" to prepare for the smuggling of alcohol after the "Prohibition Order" is promulgated. But the big boss, Colosimo, forbade Torio from taking part in it, arguing that the smuggling wine industry was too risky for him, and refused to participate. And noticed the plot of Torrio and Capone to smuggle wine, in order to fear Colosimo's retaliation, they decided to strike first. In 1920, a major event occurred that caused a sensation in the whole of Chicago. Cosimo was shot and killed in a cafe, and the real mastermind behind the assassination was Torrio. Chicago created a huge power vacuum. To avoid chaos, Torrio defused the crisis by seeking to form alliances with other gangs to share profits with other gangs, politicians and law enforcement. As if, with his excellent coordination ability, Torrio began to become the talker of Chicago. Capone also relied on Torrio's absolute trust and experience in dealing with problems, and became a powerful assistant and bodyguard around Torrio. With the implementation of the "Prohibition Order", a profit center based on the production and sales of illegal alcohol and through the infiltration relationship between alcohol, gambling and prostitution has gradually formed. Capone's power and income within the organization has been greatly increased. During this period, the "Torio-Capone" group with Torio as the center gradually took shape. 3 In October 1923, they chose to come to Cicero, but Chicago had always been their command center. After occupying Cicero, Torrio began to lose his strength and began to gradually transfer power to Capenca. By the fall of 1924, with the help of Torrio and other members of the main organization, Capone had become Cicero's "true master". In February 1925, Torrio was sentenced to nine months in prison for violating Prohibition. Meanwhile, Torrio's mediation efforts between the smuggling groups went bankrupt, and Torrio, feeling powerless, handed over all organizational power to Capone. After taking office, Capone led the market competition with other gangs, and at the same time used money to corrupt government officials. Through violence and bribery, Capone took control of Cicero's bars and casinos and monopolized the local liquor supply. Under Capone's leadership, Cicero changed dramatically. Between 1925 and 1926, pubs and gambling establishments filled the streets, and the local government had become a vassal of the Cato group. Compared with Torrio, Capone has greater ambition and courage. In order to expand the territory of the smuggling wine empire, he aims at cross-state and cross-border alcohol smuggling. The second year of Prohibition, New York lifted Prohibition, and Capone's former employer, Frank Yell's, had no sales in Brooklyn's whisky. After Capone learned about it, it reached an agreement with Yale, and the Capone Group was responsible for transporting the wine from Brooklyn to its home base - Chicago. The deal was meant to lay the groundwork for intercontinental transportation of alcohol during Prohibition. Since then, bootleg alcohol began to flood into Chicago like a flood, and was monopolized by the Capone Group. Subsequently, the Capone Group's smuggling network stretched from Long Island, New York to Lake Michigan, and also controlled the flow of illegal alcohol from other foreign territories. Since Capone became a Chicago gang leader, the only worry was the threat of rival gangs, especially Irish gangs who posed a threat to his safety and his career. Irish gangsters often hijack Capone's goods and counterparties, and even blow up several pubs that buy beer from Capone's establishment, which Capone can't stand, so he decides to remove the Irish gang leader Moran. Likewise, the Irish gang didn't give up trying to overthrow the Capone Group. At the time of yet another attack on the Capone Group. McGahn, one of Capone's most loyal bodyguards, narrowly escaped, and in revenge he organized the Valentine's Day massacre. On February 14, 1929, on a holiday with a special meaning in the West, McGahn lured Moran and his gang to buy a shipment of whiskey from Detroit to Chicago. On the way, they encountered several police officers After checking and interrogating, the police motioned them to get out of the car. Just after they got out of the car, the group of policemen took out their machine guns and shot them collectively. The seven people fell to the ground, but Moran himself was not among them. The real identity of the fake police officer is McGahn's accomplice. The failed assassination of "Bug" Moran by "Machine Gun" Jack McGahn became one of the most significant events in Chicago in the 1920s. The Irish Gang also withdrew from the competition with the Capone Group for their turf. So far, Capone and his criminal empire of smuggling wine dominated the Chicago market. However, just like the cycle of the economic cycle, the Capone Group, which is at the peak of its prosperity, will also face the turning point of the empire, and this turning point comes so quickly. In the late 1920s, the social problems brought about by prohibition became more and more prominent. On the one hand, the prohibition of alcohol and the increasing number of illegal and criminal incidents caused popular dissatisfaction. On the other hand, the federal government's funding for prohibition has also increased year after year, and the federal government is overwhelmed. In October 1929, the economic prosperity of the United States came to an abrupt end, and the "Great Depression" that swept the world began. The United States was also the most serious economic crisis in history. As the "Great Depression" spread from New York to the entire United States, people's income and consumption levels also fell. Those who spent their money carefree in the jazz age no longer have the extra purchasing power to consume alcohol. That same year, Hoover became the 31st President of the United States. In his inaugural address, he talked about restoring law and order in America, and the FBI began an undercover investigation of Capone and his organization. In fact, as early as 1928, Chicago established a "Secret Six" composed of six business leaders led by Robert Randolph. Together with the previously established Chicago Crime Commission, they formed the "Untouchables" special work The group is tasked with fighting "the most corrupt and depraved municipality ever created". The biggest funder of this municipality is the Capone Group. With the support of many anti-Capone group forces, it seems that the instability of the empire established by the Capone group has been foreseen. In 1929, Prohibition Bureau law enforcement officers smashed Capone-controlled More than 20, seized or destroyed millions of dollars of alcohol and other equipment. At this time, IRS agents also began to collect evidence of tax crimes against Capone's group, and an investigation into Capone's criminal activities began. However, even if everyone knew that Capone was a smuggler, Prohibition only prohibited the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol in the United States. As the man behind the scenes, Capone himself has never personally participated in the whole process of smuggling wine manufacturing, transportation and production, and Capone never discusses matters about alcohol over the phone. The legal loopholes make it difficult to use the "Prohibition Order" to deal with alcohol. Capone was convicted. The FBI, therefore, took a dual approach to investigating Capone's tax issues while continuing to crack down on Capone's alcohol-smuggling crime. In June 1931, the court finally indicted Al Capone on 22 counts of income tax evasion. The following week, Capone was charged again with more than 5,000 crimes, nearly 4,000 of which were for transporting alcohol in violation of Prohibition. However, due to a loophole in the law, Capone escaped charges of violating Prohibition. In the end, the court sentenced Capone, then the nation's largest liquor smuggler, to 11 years in prison for tax evasion alone. After Capone was jailed, the Capone Group continued to operate in secret until Prohibition was repealed. However, with the arrival of the repeal of the "Prohibition Order", the Capone Group's smuggling alcohol business has become worthless, and the Capone Group has quickly fallen from the altar. After his release from prison in 1939, Capone settled in Miami and lived with his illness until his death from a stroke in 1947. Although the Capone Group has disintegrated, the gangster legend who once appeared on the cover of Time magazine, 30 years after his death, Chicago gangsters still adhere to the territorial division of the Capone era. 4,000 were transporting alcohol in violation of Prohibition. However, due to a loophole in the law, Capone escaped charges of violating Prohibition. In the end, the court sentenced Capone, then the nation's largest liquor smuggler, to 11 years in prison for tax evasion alone. After Capone was jailed, the Capone Group continued to operate in secret until Prohibition was repealed. However, with the arrival of the repeal of the "Prohibition Order", the Capone Group's smuggling alcohol business has become worthless, and the Capone Group has quickly fallen from the altar. After his release from prison in 1939, Capone settled in Miami and lived with his illness until his death from a stroke in 1947. Although the Capone Group has disintegrated, the gangster legend who once appeared on the cover of Time magazine, 30 years after his death, Chicago gangsters still adhere to the territorial division of the Capone era. 4,000 were transporting alcohol in violation of Prohibition. However, due to a loophole in the law, Capone escaped charges of violating Prohibition. In the end, the court sentenced Capone, then the nation's largest liquor smuggler, to 11 years in prison for tax evasion alone. After Capone was jailed, the Capone Group continued to operate in secret until Prohibition was repealed. However, with the arrival of the repeal of the "Prohibition Order", the Capone Group's smuggling alcohol business has become worthless, and the Capone Group has quickly fallen from the altar. After his release from prison in 1939, Capone settled in Miami and lived with his illness until his death from a stroke in 1947. Although the Capone Group has disintegrated, the gangster legend who once appeared on the cover of Time magazine, 30 years after his death, Chicago gangsters still adhere to the territorial division of the Capone era.
View more about Boardwalk Empire reviews
