The mob’s history and structure set the groundwork that made the mob incredibly loyal and effective as they rose to power. The mob’s history reflects their foundation of secrecy and national unity as one family, which allowed them to remain unopposed by law enforcement throughout the early 20th century. The mob, known to its members as “La Cosa Nostra,” which translates literally to “this thing of ours,” began to first pop up independently in a number of cities at the turn of the 20th century, although there was no overarching unity among the cities (“Italian Organized Crime”). In New York, a number of “families,” or groups, began to grapple for power, which sparked the “Castellammarese War” between the city’s two most powerful mobsters, Joseph Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano (“Italian Organized Crime”). Maranzano eventually won and set up “five separate criminal groups,” or five families, in New York City (“Italian Organized Crime”). Following Maranzano’s death, Charles Luciano became the new leader of the Italian Mob, and set up the code of conduct and established procedures for resolving disputes between families (“Italian Organized Crime”). He also set up the “Commission,” in which each mafia family from
The mob’s history and structure set the groundwork that made the mob incredibly loyal and effective as they rose to power. The mob’s history reflects their foundation of secrecy and national unity as one family, which allowed them to remain unopposed by law enforcement throughout the early 20th century. The mob, known to its members as “La Cosa Nostra,” which translates literally to “this thing of ours,” began to first pop up independently in a number of cities at the turn of the 20th century, although there was no overarching unity among the cities (“Italian Organized Crime”). In New York, a number of “families,” or groups, began to grapple for power, which sparked the “Castellammarese War” between the city’s two most powerful mobsters, Joseph Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano (“Italian Organized Crime”). Maranzano eventually won and set up “five separate criminal groups,” or five families, in New York City (“Italian Organized Crime”). Following Maranzano’s death, Charles Luciano became the new leader of the Italian Mob, and set up the code of conduct and established procedures for resolving disputes between families (“Italian Organized Crime”). He also set up the “Commission,” in which each mafia family from