Mafia

What is the Mafia? Some believe the word Mafia was the battle cry of an Italian rebellious group- this battle of cry was the following: "Morte all Francia Italia anelia!" (Italian for "death to the French is Italy's cry!"). Others defined the Mafia as, name for loose association of criminal groups, sometimes bound by blood oath and sworn to secrecy. Despite both of these definitions the Mafia has evolved into a very complex and organized society of crime. Present time it doesn't represent Italian gangs, it also includes Russian, Japanese and Chinese gangs just to mention a few. The purpose of this work is to describe some of the aspects of the Mafia.

the reason of naming Mafia in this way was that a member of this group who was riding a motorcyle snatched a carried daughter from a woman kidnapping her; however, such a woman hurried following him crying “Ma figlia! Ma figlia! “ which means in English "My daughter! My daughter!"

many believe that the Mafia was born in order to protect and help the less fortunate. The methods used to help and protect were, and still remain illegal. Today, the organization still continues to practice these acts or "rituals." The difference between early Mafia and modern Mafia, is that during late 1800's to early 1900's, the Mafia used these illicit crimes to help their families and the noble good less fortunate, now they abuse their power and distribute the "dirty money" in abundance amongst themselves.

In order for an individual to join the Mafia he would pledge the following: "I Khatuna Basilashvili want to enter this secret organization to protect my family and to protect my brothers. "Morte alla Francia Italia Anelia!." With my blood (a knife is used to place a cut in the index finger or band) and the blood of all the saints and the soul of my children. (the sign of the cross is made) I swear not to divulge this secret and obey with love and amerta. I enter alive in this organization and leave only in death!”

The Mafia also has a very organized family tree. Each group is made up of several gangs, known as families. The number of families can range from fewer than 10 to more than 100. The leader of each family is known as the boss, or don. All major decisions are made by the boss, and money made by the family ultimately flows to him. Just below the boss is the underboss. The underboss is the second in command. Some underbosses resolve disputes without involving the boss. Some are groomed to replace the boss if he is old or in danger of going to jail. Beneath the underboss are several capos. The number of capos varies depending on the overall size of the family. A capo acts like a lieutenant, leading his own section of the family. He has specific activities that he operates. The "dirty work" is done by the soldiers. A soldier is the lowest rank among made men. They're part of the family, but they hold little power and make relatively little money. There is one other position within the family that is somewhat legendary -- the consigliere. The consigliere is not supposed to be part of the family's hierarchy. He is supposed to act as an advisor. Omertà is a code of silence that forbids members from cooperating at all with the police or prosecutors should they be arrested. The penalty for transgression is death, and relatives of the turncoat may also be murdered. To a degree, Cosa Nostra also imposes this code on the general population, persecuting any citizen who aids the authorities.

In broad terms, there are five Mafia groups, defined mainly by the regions they operate in or the regions they originated in. The Sicilian Mafia originated on the island of Sicily. The Camorra Mafia began in Naples, and the Calabrian Mafia originated in Italy's Calabrian region. The Sacra Corona Unita is a more recent group based in the Puglia region of Italy. Finally, La Cosa Nostra is the American Mafia, although this group can trace its history back to Sicilian families as well as some of the other Italian groups.

A person who belongs to the Mafia, or Mafioso is a very secretive person. This is because if any information is revealed which may harm another Mafioso, they be punished by death. The value of silence is a requirement of any Mafiosi, it is a norm of those who participate in criminal activities and those who violate it will be punished according to the grade of the offense. Depending on the offense he may have to prove himself to his boss, may be "out on the street" or if it was extremely important information, he would be killed. This information is kept within their own families and is discussed amongst themselves despite the fact that there are several other families within the same are or state. The reason for this is mainly concerned with financial situation.

The murder, if done, may be completed using several methods. One method is by hiring someone, usually from another family, to kill the individual. This is the method most commonly used when the individual knows most of the Mafioso's in his family. Another way may be to be "set up". In this case the individual may be set up by fellow gangsters he trusts. Many times these "trusty" individuals are required to kill their "friend" because of a "big favor" owed to the boss. The final way the individual may be murdered is purely by favor. This means that a member may kill the individual with the intentions of moving up in rank within his family. Violence is the primary use of the Mafia, but at times it is in the Mafia's interest to use nonviolent means. For example, when dealing with small offenses, Mafia bosses may use debt as means of punishing the individual. This is accomplished through secrecy and cheating during gambling bets. Another way used to punishing individuals is by taking their right to take part in any profiting activity. Any enterprise, like gambling, or any way to receive money is either crippled or taken from the individual. Non-violent means are also put through violent means. For example, if an individual borrows money and refuses to pay he will be punished but not killed. They will often scar the individual in order to warn others of what could happen if they refuse to pay. Th. final way of punishing an individual is by making him work for free until his debt is completely paid.

Today's Mafia is different from Sicilian Mafia than it was in the beginning of the 20 th century. This European Mafia was built upon a sense of respect, loyalty, culture, family, and heritage (Sicilian heritage) They only chose people of Sicilian background and followed their beliefs very closely. This belief was that justice, honor, and vengeance are for a man to manage, not for the government. They were also loyal to the norm of the Mafia which was secrecy. Today's Mafia, on the other hand, include a large group of thieves, murderers, and a unloyal individuals. Despite the fact that it inherited some of the basic norms, these are often broken and abused. For instance, one norm no longer followed (in respect to Italian Mafia) is their selection of only Sicilian individuals. The main purpose of today's Mafia is to use any illegal means to get money. These means include, gambling, murder, bootlegging, prostitution, and kidnapping.
In November 2007 Sicilian police reported to have found a list of "Ten Commandments" in the hideout of mafia boss Salvatore Lo Piccolo. Similar to the Biblical Ten Commandments, they are thought to be a guideline on how to be a good, respectful honourable mafioso. The commandments are as follows:[23] 1. No one can present himself directly to another of our friends. There must be a third person to do it. 2. Never look at the wives of friends. 3. Never be seen with cops. 4. Don't go to pubs and clubs. 5. Always being available for Cosa Nostra is a duty - even if your wife is about to give birth. 6. Appointments must absolutely be respected. 7. Wives must be treated with respect. 8. When asked for any information, the answer must be the truth. 9. Money cannot be appropriated if it belongs to others or to other families. 10. People who can't be part of Cosa Nostra: anyone who has a close relative in the police, anyone with a two-timing relative in the family, anyone who behaves badly and doesn't hold to moral values.

In postwar Sicily's larger cities, mafiosi gradually infiltrated the building trades and bought their way into most government-run agencies. Why are the newer districts of Palermo full of ugly buildings but lacking in green parks and efficient parking areas? Because the urban planning was undertaken by criminals. The Mafia built nearly half of the "new" city of Palermo, where the notoriously corrupt mayor Salvo Lima and his successor, Vito Ciancimino, literally sold building permits to Mafia front-men. The Mafia even controlled the local beef market. And the Mafia built (and still operates) a few of Sicily's largest hotels. Mafia also influenced culture. Many films are taken about it and some of them are very popular. For example : The Godfather.