In the long history, the United States once had an extremely puzzling period, which was the famous "prohibition period". This period involved a law that seems inconceivable today but was regarded as a matter of course at that time.
The Repeal of Prohibition: Deep Thoughts Behind the Revelry
Let's first focus on a photo published on the front page of an American newspaper on December 5, 1933. At first glance, the scene might make people mistakenly think that Americans are celebrating their favorite team winning the World Cup. However, Americans are not very enthusiastic about football. They prefer American football more. So this is obviously not a celebration scene for football championship. Or, some people might think it looks like a lively birthday party. But upon closer inspection, the bartender is raising his hands high with excitement on his face, but there is no sign of the birthday person. In fact, the reason for people's celebration is very simple - the wine in their hands. On this day, Americans were immersed in joy because they could finally drink openly and legally.
It's hard to imagine that in the United States, which has always been a symbol of freedom, there was once a nationwide prohibition through strict laws like a country with strict religious control. And this prohibition lasted for a full 14 years.
The Birth of Prohibition: Complex Historical Background
Going back in time to midnight on January 17, 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - the Prohibition Act officially took effect. This act is extremely strict in content: Any act of manufacturing, selling or even transporting beverages with an alcohol content of more than 0.5% is illegal; drinking at home by oneself is not illegal, but drinking with friends or holding banquets is illegal, and the maximum penalty can be a fine of $1,000 and six months in prison; people over 21 years old need to show proof of age when buying alcohol and can only buy it in designated places. From the date of the enactment of the act, the United States largely became a country under prohibition.
The introduction of the Prohibition Act in the United States has complex reasons behind it. Its connotations are so rich that it can even be written into a voluminous work. However, it can be roughly summarized into the following main aspects.
First of all, the powerful religious background - Puritan culture had a profound impact on the mandatory implementation of prohibition. In 1620, the ship "Mayflower" carried 102 passengers and arrived at Plymouth, America and established a colony. A considerable number of these passengers were Puritans who were persecuted in Europe. The "Mayflower Compact" signed by these Puritans during the journey became the blueprint and foundation of the future "Declaration of Independence" of the United States, and Puritan culture thus became the source of American culture. Most native-born white Americans have been influenced by Puritan culture since childhood. Puritans advocate opposing luxury and indulgence and advocate frugality and patience. In their view, alcohol is the biggest source of evil that violates these doctrines. Drunkenness can cause disturbances, damage the body, and lead to impulsive and other bad behaviors. For Puritans, alcohol is as hateful as what the Chinese people call "the source of all evils".
Secondly, the booming feminist movement is also an important force in promoting the introduction of prohibition. At that time, most drinkers were men, and women who were deeply harmed by men's bad behaviors after drinking hated alcohol deeply. Before 1920, American women did not have the right to vote (this situation was later than in Europe). In the process of striving for a series of rights including education rights, property rights, business rights and voting rights, they took prohibition as a powerful entry point. Women believe that men's alcoholism will lead to domestic violence and have a negative impact on children's growth. It is worth mentioning that just eight months after the enactment of prohibition, the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution was passed in the United States, and women finally obtained the right to vote.
In addition, elitist "exclusionary" ideology and "progressive" thought also played a key role. At the beginning of the 20th century, the United States had surpassed the United Kingdom in terms of gross domestic product and comprehensive national strength. However, while immigrant culture promoted the prosperity of the United States, it also brought many social conflicts and contradictions. Traditional white Americans, especially Puritans, have a sense of moral superiority and racial honor as Anglo-Saxons. However, the society in their eyes presents an unharmonious picture. Many of those who run taverns and entertainment venues in the streets and alleys, as well as their consumers, are blacks, Jews, Chinese and other groups. In the eyes of these white Puritans, these groups have low incomes, poor qualities and vulgar behaviors. They feel that they must take action to defend their cultural values. At the same time, with economic prosperity, the American middle class rose. Facing the materialistic society, the influx of a large number of immigrants and the decline in moral standards, they had the aspiration to reform society. This aspiration is summarized as "progressivism", and realizing this ideology through a large number of moral legislations has become a trend. Prohibition is the most representative example.
On January 16, 1920, the day before the Prohibition Act took effect, wine trucks were constantly flowing on the roads of major American cities. People were racing against time to transport wine home and collect it. In the evening, the streets became deserted because people were holding the last legal, alcohol-containing party at home or in other public places. A senator raised his glass and toasted at a dinner party: "Tonight is the eve of the deprivation of personal freedom for Americans." This toast won warm applause from the whole audience.
The Implementation Effect of Prohibition: A Disastrous Backlash
So, what was the implementation effect of the 14-year-long American Prohibition Act? Regrettably, statistics show that during the prohibition period, alcohol consumption in the United States increased by 50% compared to before prohibition. This result may be similar to people's reactions to banned books and banned films. The more something is banned, the more it can stimulate people's curiosity and desire.
Moreover, there are obvious loopholes in the "Prohibition Act" of the United States. It prohibits the sale of alcoholic beverages but does not prohibit the sale of brewing raw materials. As a result, various "edge-ball" phenomena emerge one after another. Beer factories cannot sell beer, but the law does not prohibit the sale of malt and hops. So at that time, many beer factories began to sell these raw materials and indicated that they were for "cooking" or "baking". A kind of beer called "NearBeer" came into being. Its alcohol content is just controlled at 0.5%, which complies with the law. However, the beer factory will attach detailed instructions telling buyers not to perform certain operations, otherwise high-alcohol beer will be brewed and the consequences will be at your own risk. There is an unspoken understanding between the seller and the buyer, and they smile at each other.
In addition, a kind of wine raw material called "VineGlo" began to become popular. This is a blended concentrated grape juice that can ferment into wine on its own after 30 days. There is also "grape brick", which is sold in the form of raisins plus yeast packaging. The manufacturer will attach a "kind reminder" on the packaging: If these things are accidentally added to a gallon of water and then stored in a sealed way, it will become wine after 20 days. These phenomena seem quite interesting, but in fact they hide great harm.
For those alcoholics who are addicted to alcohol, the consequences of prohibition are even more disastrous. Due to prohibition, a large number of inferior wines made of industrial alcohol appeared in the American underground market. Many alcoholics, in order to satisfy their cravings, would rather drink poison to quench their thirst. At that time, there was a medical folk remedy called Jamaican ginger, which users called "Jack". It contains a high alcohol content. Some unscrupulous stores mixed "Jack" with industrial plasticizers, resulting in thousands of victims being paralyzed in their feet and hands. Many people suffered from paralysis of limbs, irreversible damage to the brain, and even direct poisoning and death.
Social Problems Caused by Prohibition: The Rise of Gangs and the Growth of Corruption
Prohibition not only failed to achieve the expected results but also triggered a series of consequences that supporters had not expected and could not accept at the beginning. During these 14 years, the American underworld rose rapidly, and corruption in various government departments, especially the judicial system, became increasingly serious.
When an item is prohibited from being sold in the formal market, a black market often emerges. During the American prohibition period, smuggling and underground trading of alcohol became extremely profitable businesses, which prompted a large number of gangs to participate in the underground illegal wine brewing business. As time passed, gangs formed a complete industrial chain of brewing, transporting (forming truck companies), and selling (operating a large number of underground bars). Fights between gangs for interests became more and more frequent. Before prohibition, the American underworld had almost no source of funds, but the implementation of prohibition made gangs rich.
The rapid expansion of the underworld had a huge impact on the government system, and the judicial system was the first to bear the brunt. There are many people in the police force who like to drink. In this case, they lack the motivation to search for and ban illegal alcohol sales and underground bars. After all, once these places are banned, their own sources of drinking will also be cut off. Moreover, the underworld began to gradually corrupt the judicial system by using the huge profits obtained. More and more judicial personnel colluded with the underworld. They not only satisfied their own drinking needs but also collected protection fees and provided umbrellas for the underworld, forming a bad situation of "police and underworld being in cahoots".
Government officials outside the judicial system were also not spared and began to accelerate their degeneration. Although the United States prohibits alcohol, in order to ensure the use of alcohol for religious activities, small-scale wine production is allowed. However, its supply is centrally managed by the government. However, phenomena such as "embezzlement" and internal government illegal wine trading as the source began to emerge in large numbers.
The medical system was also affected. In hospitals, whiskey can be prescribed to patients by doctors. This regulation was seriously abused during the prohibition period. The number of "patients" who needed whiskey as a prescription increased significantly. Hospitals actually became a good place to buy alcohol, and many doctors also became "wine merchants". Data shows that American hospitals issued prescriptions for 1 million gallons of whiskey in that year. Even President Harding, who ostensibly supported prohibition at that time (he was rated by many Americans as the worst president in American history), always had his private wine cellar full of wine. Almost all members of his cabinet also had dealings with wine dealers. Some American scholars pointed out sharply: Before the prohibition law was enacted, the American government controlled the underworld; after the prohibition law was enacted, the underworld began to manipulate the American government through bribery.
Social Chaos in the Later Period of Prohibition and the Influence of Economic Factors
In the later period of prohibition, the entire American society fell into an absurd state. Originally, it was hoped that prohibition would improve the health level of the nation. However, the result was contrary to expectations. More and more people were frequently sent to hospitals due to drinking inferior or even fake wine. Originally, it was hoped that prohibition would stabilize society and reduce the crime rate. Unexpectedly, it allowed the underworld to develop wantonly, and the social safety factor dropped significantly. Originally, it was hoped that prohibition would improve moral standards and reduce corruption. However, the entire government system quickly degenerated, and the police system was even more riddled with corruption by the underworld.
Prohibition also dealt a devastating blow to the American brewing industry. During prohibition, half of the breweries closed down and did not recover even after the ban was lifted. American beer is still criticized today for lacking individuality and has become an ordinary commodity for mass consumption. In terms of wine, the formal production of wine across the United States (excluding home brewing) plummeted from 55 million gallons (208.2 million liters) before prohibition to 35,000 gallons (132,000 liters). What's more serious is that wine, which was originally an exquisite wine product, became a rough, low-quality product that could only satisfy cravings (mostly home brewed) during prohibition. This situation did not improve for a long time after the ban was lifted.
As time passed, people began to question prohibition, even Americans who had strongly supported this act at the beginning. At this time, the last straw that overwhelmed prohibition appeared - the Great Depression. The Great Depression that began in 1929 and spread throughout the world plunged the United States into an unprecedented predicament. In the context of the entire country's low morale and sluggish economy, people no longer had time to care about whether drinking was moral. From an agricultural perspective, alcohol production can expand grain consumption and stimulate domestic demand. From a business perspective, having one more commodity in circulation can increase the fluidity of the market. From an economic perspective, the American government loses as much as $500 million in alcohol taxes every year due to prohibition. In this case, even putting aside other factors, just to give some comfort to the sad Americans, lifting prohibition seems to be an inevitability.
In 1933, Franklin Roosevelt, as a presidential candidate, included "repealing prohibition" in his election platform and promised that if elected, he would definitely repeal this act. In the end, Roosevelt was successfully elected (of course, his election was not just because of this). And he fulfilled his promise. On December 5, 1933, the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which had been in effect for 14 years, that is, the Prohibition Act, was repealed. This also became the only constitutional amendment in American history that was repealed. After prohibition was lifted, Americans who had been repressed for a long time began to crazily enjoy the freedom of drinking. American society during this period experienced a special "baptism" again. This period of history is like a mirror, showing us the serious consequences that an unreasonable law may bring. It also reminds people to fully consider various factors and respect human nature and the laws of social development when formulating policies.