Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia

Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia PDF Author: John Dickie
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1466893052
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
The Italian-American mafia has its roots in a mysterious and powerful criminal network in Sicily. While the mythology of the mafia has been widely celebrated in American culture, the true origins of its rituals, laws, and methods have never actually been revealed. John Dickie uses startling new research to expose the secrets of the Sicilian mafia, providing a fascinating account that is more violent, frightening, and darkly comic than anything conceived in popular movies and novels. How did the Sicilian mafia begin? How did it achieve its powerful grip in Italy and America? How does it operate today? From the mafia's origins in the 1860s to its current tense relationship with the Berlusconi government, Cosa Nostra takes us to the inner sanctum where few have dared to go before. This is an important work of history and a revelation for anyone who ever wondered what it means to be "made" in the mob.

Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia

Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia PDF Author: John Dickie
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1466893052
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 400

Get Book

Book Description
The Italian-American mafia has its roots in a mysterious and powerful criminal network in Sicily. While the mythology of the mafia has been widely celebrated in American culture, the true origins of its rituals, laws, and methods have never actually been revealed. John Dickie uses startling new research to expose the secrets of the Sicilian mafia, providing a fascinating account that is more violent, frightening, and darkly comic than anything conceived in popular movies and novels. How did the Sicilian mafia begin? How did it achieve its powerful grip in Italy and America? How does it operate today? From the mafia's origins in the 1860s to its current tense relationship with the Berlusconi government, Cosa Nostra takes us to the inner sanctum where few have dared to go before. This is an important work of history and a revelation for anyone who ever wondered what it means to be "made" in the mob.

Cosa Nostra

Cosa Nostra PDF Author: Massimo Picozzi
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 0393341968
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Stunning photographs illuminate the bloody story of the first 150 years. This is the story of the Cosa Nostra: from its origins in Sicily in 1863, through the great wave of Italian immigration to America, to prohibition and the formation of the first mafia families, and to the harsh realities of fascism and the postwar years in Italy where the Cosa Nostra thrived. The image of the mafioso as a “man of honor”—good to the weak, above the laws of the state but subject to a precise code—was firmly rooted in the collective imagination until the 1980s when light was shed on the structure of the vast organization, its unsavory objectives, and the cold-blooded strategies behind its actions. Culled from thousands of archival images, more than 250 photographs and detailed captions tell the story not only of the criminals who have entered popular legend but also of the people who have been victims of the mafia: the judges, police officers, and private citizens who fought back.

History of the Mafia

History of the Mafia PDF Author: Salvatore Lupo
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231505396
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 347

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Book Description
When we think of the Italian Mafia, we think of Marlon Brando, Tony Soprano, and the Corleones iconic actors and characters who give shady dealings a mythical pop presence. Yet these sensational depictions take us only so far. The true story of the Mafia reveals both an organization and mindset dedicated to the preservation of tradition. It is no accident that the rise of the Mafia coincided with the unification of Italy and the influx of immigrants into America. The Mafia means more than a horse head under the sheets it functions as an alternative to the state, providing its own social and political justice. Combining a nuanced history with a unique counternarrative concerning stereotypes of the immigrant, Salvatore Lupo, a leading historian of modern Italy and a major authority on its criminal history, has written the definitive account of the Sicilian Mafia from 1860 to the present. Consulting rare archival sources, he traces the web of associations, both illicit and legitimate, that have defined Cosa Nostra during its various incarnations. He focuses on several crucial periods of transition: the Italian unification of 1860 to 1861, the murder of noted politician Notarbartolo, fascist repression of the Mafia, the Allied invasion of 1943, social conflicts after each world war, and the major murders and trials of the 1980s. Lupo identifies the internal cultural codes that define the Mafia and places these codes within the context of social groups and communities. He also challenges the belief that the Mafia has grown more ruthless in recent decades. Rather than representing a shift from "honorable" crime to immoral drug trafficking and violence, Lupo argues the terroristic activities of the modern Mafia signify a new desire for visibility and a distinct break from the state. Where these pursuits will take the family adds a fascinating coda to Lupo's work.

Mafia

Mafia PDF Author: A.G.D. Maran
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1780572360
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 311

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Book Description
The pre-dawn arrests of the last remaining mafiosi in December 2008 signalled the end of the Sicilian Mafia as we know it. In Mafia: Inside the Dark Heart, A.G.D. Maran charts the complete history of the world's most infamous criminal organisation, from its first incarnation as an alternative form of local government in the Sicilian countryside and arguable force for 'good' to the more familiar form that has been immortalised in films such as The Godfather, and its final defeat after a long-awaited change of attitude by the Italian government. The author has used his many Italian contacts and a decade of exhaustive research to bring to life the story of the Sicilian Mafia while also exploring the links to the Cosa Nostra in America. Along the way, he asks many provocative questions, including: Why was Lucky Luciano, the father of modern organised crime, freed from a life sentence in America and deported to Italy, allowing him to organise the international drug trade? Was the Mafia involved in the death of Pope John Paul I? Why did the Mafia murder Roberto Calvi, known as God's Banker? What is the relationship between the Mafia and Freemasonry? Why did successive Italian governments fail to tackle the Mafia? Why did it take 40 years to find the Last Godfathers? These and many other riveting issues are covered in Maran's refreshing new take on a perennially enthralling subject.

Midnight In Sicily

Midnight In Sicily PDF Author: Peter Robb
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 1466861290
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 484

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Book Description
A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year From the author of M and A Death in Brazil comes Midnight in Sicily. South of mainland Italy lies the island of Sicily, home to an ancient culture that--with its stark landscapes, glorious coastlines, and extraordinary treasure troves of art and archeology--has seduced travelers for centuries. But at the heart of the island's rare beauty is a network of violence and corruption that reaches into every corner of Sicilian life: Cosa Nostra, the Mafia. Peter Robb lived in southern Italy for over fourteen years and recounts its sensuous pleasures, its literature, politics, art, and crimes.

History of Italian Mafia

History of Italian Mafia PDF Author: David Anversa
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Book Description
Uncover the origin, development, and spread of the most famous criminal organization in the world. The Italian Mafia (Cosa nostra) and affiliated organizations changed and influenced the history of modern society from 1800 up to the present day and History of italian Mafia will talk about all aspects of this story. After an accurate and in-depth analysis in collaboration with professionals in this sector, the author decides to create this quick book with the object to spread an easy-to-read and objective vision of this world phenomenon. This book is the definitive guide to uncover and understand how, when, and why this organization have influenced our society from an economic, social and historical point of view. ✔ We are going to talk about all the most important aspects concerning the origin and history of this organization and how it conquest every corner of our society in a great part of the world. ✔ If you read this book, you're going to learn everything you need to know to understand this phenomenon. ✔ You will increase your historic culture and will learn useful and updated information and notions. Each of the topics listed in this book is treated professionally, every information is the result of accurate studies and analysis. The purpose of this book is to offer a vision of this delicate topic in the most objective way possible, without any kind of prejudice to ensure a work of excellent quality. Very simple reading recommended for everyone. Scroll to the top and get your copy today! Thanks and happy reading!

Challenging the Mafia Mystique

Challenging the Mafia Mystique PDF Author: Rino Coluccello
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137280506
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
The Sicilian Mafia, or Cosa Nostra, is one of the most intriguing criminal phenomena in the world. It is an unparalleled organised criminal grouping that over almost two centuries has been able not only to successfully permeate licit and illicit economy, politics and civil society, but also to influence and exercise authoritative power over both the underworld and the upper-world. This criminal phenomenon has been a captivating conundrum for scholars of different disciplines who have tried to explain with various paradigms the reasons behind the emergence and consolidation of the mafia. Challenging the Mafia Mystique provides an analysis of the changes the Sicilian mafia has undergone, from legitimisation to denunciation. Rino Coluccello highlights how, from the very emergence of the organised criminal groups in Sicily, a culture existed that was protective and tolerant of the mafia. He argues that the various conceptualisations of the mafia that dominated the public and scientific debate in the nineteenth and more than half of the twentieth century created a mystique, which legitimised the mafia and contributed to their success. This book will be of great interest to scholars and students of organised crime, Italian politics and Italian literature.

Excellent Cadavers

Excellent Cadavers PDF Author: Alexander Stille
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0679768637
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 482

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Book Description
In 1992 Italy was convulsed by two brazen Mafia assassinations of high-ranking officials. The latest "excellent cadavers" were Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, the Sicilian magistrates who had been the Cosa Nostra's most implacable enemies. Yet in the aftermath of the murders, hundreds of "men of honor" were arrested and the government that ad protected them for nearly half a century was at last driven from office. This is the story that Stille tells with such insight and immediacy in Excellent Cadavers. Combining a profound understanding of his doomed heroes with and unprecedented look into the Mafia's stringent codes and murderous rivalries, he gives us a book that has the power of a great work of history and the suspense of a true thriller. "Riveting...a well-paced and highly informative account stocked with well-drawn characters."--Philadelphia Inquirer "Masterful...[Stille] delivers a stiletto-sharp portrait of the bloodthirsty Sicilian mafia."--Business Week

Mafia Republic: Italy's Criminal Curse. Cosa Nostra, 'Ndrangheta and Camorra from 1946 to the Present

Mafia Republic: Italy's Criminal Curse. Cosa Nostra, 'Ndrangheta and Camorra from 1946 to the Present PDF Author: John Dickie
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1444726439
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 541

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Book Description
In MAFIA REPUBLIC, John Dickie, Professor of Italian Studies at University College, London and author of the international bestsellers COSA NOSTRA and MAFIA BROTHERHOODS, shows how the Italian mafias have grown in power and become more and more interconnected, with terrifying consequences. In 1946, Italy became a democratic Republic, thereby entering the family of modern western nations. But deep within Italy there lurked a forgotten curse: three major criminal brotherhoods, whose methods had been honed over a century of experience. As Italy grew, so did the mafias. Sicily's Cosa Nostra, the camorra from Naples, and the mysterious 'ndrangheta from Calabria stood ready to enter the wealthiest and bloodiest period of their long history. Italy made itself rich by making scooters, cars and handbags. The mafias carved out their own route to wealth through tobacco smuggling, construction, kidnapping and narcotics. And as criminal business grew exponentially, the mafias grew not just more powerful, but became more interconnected. By the 1980s, Southern Italy was on the edge of becoming a narco-state. The scene was set for a titanic confrontation between heroic representatives of the law, and mafiosi who could no longer tolerate any obstacle to their ambitions. This was a war for Italy's future as a civilized country. At its peak in 1992-93, the 'ndrangheta was beheading people in the street, and the Sicilian mafia murdered its greatest enemies, investigating magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, before embarking on a major terrorist bombing campaign on the Italian mainland. Today, the long shadow of mafia history still hangs over a nation wracked by debt, political paralysis, and widespread corruption. While police put their lives on the line every day, one of Silvio Berlusconi's ministers said that Italy had to 'learn to live with the mafia'; suspicions of mafia involvement still surround some of the country's most powerful media moguls and politicians. The latest investigations show that its reach is astonishing: it controls much of Europe's wholesale cocaine trade, and representatives from as far away as Germany, Canada and Australia come to Calabria to seek authorisation for their affairs. Just when it thought it had finally contained the mafia threat, Italy is now discovering that it harbours the most global criminal network of them all.

Men of Dishonor

Men of Dishonor PDF Author: Antonino Calderone
Publisher: William Morrow
ISBN:
Category : Mafia
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
A Sicilian mafia boss for 20 years, Don Antonio Calderone's sensational confessions in 1992 brought about the 1993 capture of Toto Riina, the Sicilian "boss of all bosses". Calderone's revelations are the first behind-the-scenes glimpse of the Cosa Nostra--the real Mafia. Photos.