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Definition: Mafia from Philip's Encyclopedia

(It. 'boldness') Organized groups of Sicilian bandits. Originating in feudal times, the Mafia spread to the USA in the early 20th century and became involved in organized crime during the Prohibition era.


Mafia

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Secret society reputed to control organized crime such as gambling, loansharking, drug traffic, prostitution, and protection; connected with the Camorra of Naples. It originated in Sicily in the late Middle Ages and now operates chiefly there and in countries to which Italians have emigrated, such as the USA and Australia. During the early 1990s many centre and right-wing Italian politicians, such as the former Christian Democrat prime minister Giulio Andreotti, became discredited when it emerged that they had had dealings with the Mafia. It began as a society that avenged wrongs against Sicilian peasants by means of terror and vendetta . In 19th-century Sicily the Mafia was employed by absentee landlords to manage their latifundia (landed estates), and through intimidation it soon became the unofficial ruling group. Despite the expropriation and division of the latifundia after World War II, the Mafia remains powerful in Sicily. The Italian government has waged periodic campaigns of…
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Full text Article The Godfather

From World of Criminal Justice, Gale
Marlon Brando, as Don Vito Corleone, sitting at...
Published in 1969, Mario Puzo’s best-selling novel, The Godfather generated three Hollywood films on the Mafia. The title character, Don Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando, is known for being friendly, just, and above all, a reasonable man. However, he is also the most feared leader in the Cosa…
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Full text Article Mafia

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(mä'fēä), name given to a number of organized groups of Sicilian brigands in the 19th and 20th cent. Unlike the Camorra in Naples, the Mafia had no hierarchic organization; each group operated on its own. The Mafia originated in feudal times, when lords hired brigands to guard their estates in…
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Full text Article Mafia

From Encyclopedia of American Studies
Detective Lt. Joseph Petrosiino (left), Inspector...
Although organized crime groups existed throughout American history, at first they were mostly local groups whose reach rarely extended beyond local neighborhoods. Most criminal organizations were ethnically based, such as the It... …
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Full text Article Mafia

From Encyclopedia of North American Immigration
The Mafia, a loose collection of Italian crime organizations, entered the United States from Italy during the last half of the 19th century. Though it is still hotly debated whether Italian-American groups were ever linked directly to the Mafia in Italy, they did serve as power brokers in many…
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Full text Article Mafia

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Society of criminals of primarily Italian or Sicilian origin. The Mafia arose in Sicily in the late Middle Ages, possibly as a secret organization to overthrow the rule of foreign conquerors. It drew its members from the small private armies, or mafie , hired by landlords to protect their estates. …
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Full text Article Mafia

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Secret society reputed to control organized crime such as gambling, loansharking, drug traffic, prostitution, and protection; connected with the Camorra of Naples. It originated in Sicily in the late Middle Ages and now operates chiefly there and in countries to which Italians have emigrated, such…
| 454 words
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Full text Article Mafia

From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
A network of Sicilian criminal organizations, which became increasingly powerful during the 19th century. ‘Protection’ by blackmail, boycotting, terrorization and the vendetta are characteristic, and Sicilian politics came to be dominated by the mafiosi . Its power was largely broken under Mussolini…
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Full text Article MAFIA

From The Encyclopedia of Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories
Deliberate mystery surrounds the origin and operations of the crime syndicate known as the Mafia. No two sources agree on the term Mafia's ethnic roots or definition, and estimated dates of the group's foundation range from the 13th to the 19th century. In any case the Mafia as recognized today is…
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Full text Article RUSSIAN Mafia

From The Encyclopedia of Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories
This generic name is commonly applied to various gangs of organized criminals operating from Russia since the fall of communism with outposts all over the world. Comparison with the Italian mafia is habitual but not entirely accurate. While the Russian syndicates are hierarchical and ruthless in…
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Full text Article TRENCHCOAT Mafia

From The Encyclopedia of Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories
The original Trenchcoat Mafia–completely unrelated to the mafia crime syndicate–was a group of disaffected students at columbine High school in Littleton, colorado, self-named for their favorite style of clothing. Two fringe members of the outcast clique, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, invaded the…
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