al capone2
TRANSCRIPT
Al CaponeBy Rachel Protter
The Business of Al Capone
• “Al Capone was to crime what J.P. Morgan was toWall Street: the first man to exert national influenceover his trade.” (Pasley, 4)
• He used many of the same tactics as businessmenused,
Established an oligopoly in Chicago, whichexpanded to all of Illinois.
Later, started a national convention of crime gangsin Atlantic City (in 1929).
At the convention, he divided up the U.S. intoterritories for each gang, making a nationaloligopoly.
Capone’s Innovations
Capone made use of trucks,telephones and tommy guns toeliminate competition.
His organized lines of successionallowed his “crime outfit” to flourishwithout him.
He improved efficiency of bootlegging(on-time deliveries and quality control).
Innovations Continued…
Always paid his debts, paid bookiesfairly; this led to a good “credit rating”with other gangsters and customers.
Showed foresight: he created “frontbusinesses” right away.
First front business: an antiques shop. Used bribery on police and government
officials.
“Caponeville”
Businesses try to establish a securebase of operations.
Al Capone did this in Cicero (a Chicagosuburb).
He bribed all politicians and police inCicero, and was untouchable whilethere (basically owned Cicero).
“The Legend of Scarface”
The public had mixed emotions. Capone was liked for distributing
alcohol, but feared for being anotorious gangster and murderer(Public Enemy No. 1).
For decades, Chicagoans were tornbetween pride and embarrassment.
Capone indirectly helped to endprohibition.
Works Cited
Theodore J. Karamanski. “The Legend of Scarface.” ChicagoHistory Spring 2006: 4-19. SIRS Researcher. Web. 22September, 2009.
Pasley, Fred D. Al Capone The Biography of a Self-Made Man(Kessinger Publishing’s Rare Reprints). Grand Rapids:Kessinger, LLc, 2004. Print.
Iorizzo, Luciano. Al Capone A Biography (GreenwoodBiographies). New York: Greenwood, 2003. Print.
Unknown. “The FBI and the American Gangster, 1924-1938.”THE FBI: A Centennial History, 1908-2008 2008: 16-32. SIRSGovernment Reporter. Web. 22 September, 2009.