They had what it took to build an empire, they just built it on the wrong side of the law. Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegal, and Meyer Lansky, were three notorious mobsters involved in organized crime, racketeering, drugs, and most of all power. They were a society of crime, within a society. These cunning mobsters lived day by day knowing that each day might be their last. These names marked the beginning and fundamental structure of organized crime. Power was one major source, used to turn this small partisan organization, into a large criminally oriented society. Luciano and his contemporaries ignored all forms of authority except their own. The founding leaders and members of the Mafia grew and developed in a special medium. The Mafia became a subculture in that they had their own concepts of life, and were a product of their own prepared substance. To assimilate into this culture one had to have special training, refining of mind, manners, and taste.
The Mafia began as an opposition movement against the Spanish rule. It was during the ninth century when the island of Sicily was occupied by Arab forces. This secret society, known as the Mafia was intended to unify the natives against their enemies. Their intention was to create a family based organization on Sicilian heritage. However, during the mid 1920's the power and wealth of the Mafia began to flourish in some major U.S cities such as New York. It was in this city where Luciano, Siegal, and Lansky began "Murder Inc."
Charles Luciano was born in Sicily in 1897. His family had moved to the East Side of New York in 1906. Luciano became good friends with Al Capone and many other celebrity's of organized crime. He began his own prostitution business in 1920, and by 1925 had gained full control of prostitution all over Manhattan. The Mafia had a great effect on society and surrounding businesses. Their dominant force was for the well being of la familia. During the late 20's Luciano turned his clever ideas of national crime into reality with the help of his friends Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegal.
Benjamin Siegal was born in Brooklyn in 1906. He grew up with a capricious temper, already on his path to organized crime. Throughout his later years as a teenager, Siegal joined friend Meyer Lansky to form a gang dealing with stolen cars and gambling. Lansky was a clever, and law abiding teen. He was born to Jewish parents, however he grew up in the East Side of New York.
How did these three gangsters meet to start a new era of organized crime throughout society? As Meyer Lansky was walking down the streets, he heard women screaming in a building, so he ran towards the scene. As he came closer, he noticed 14-year old Benjamin fighting Charles Luciano over what appeared to be a prostitution related incident. Not knowing Siegal or Luciano, he came to the aid of Benjamin and together they badly beat Luciano. After this incident, the three would become close friends and business partners.
This is where it all began. These three Mafioso's worked for secret organizations, that were headed by the Don, otherwise known as "sir." These Dons or chiefs, were in charge of the mafia chapters in every village. Members of each organization were required to take an oath upon initiation. The oath involved five basic principles; 1)code of silence, 2)obedience to the boss, 3)assistance to and befriended Mafia faction, 4)avenge any attack on members of the family, 5)avoid any all contact with the authorities. Even family members and relatives were disclosed from the secrecy taken place in the mafia. As the young little Mafioso's grew older they moved up the ladder, and learned how to control emotions.
When Luciano's syndicate became reality in the late 20's, he appointed Lansky a position on the board of directors. By this time, Meyer already had an enormous amount of mob enforcers, along with Siegal. Lansky was in charge of the financial status, counting the millions of dollars to be laundered. Siegal on the other hand carried out murders for Luciano, which angered many bosses. Luciano decide that Ben should leave for the west coast to clear him of any problems. Although Siegal was half way across the country he was still called up to handle business. After Luciano was sent to prison for a long term, Lansky was left in charge of Charley's empire. During this period, Siegal got himself in great trouble wasting syndicate money during his stay in Las Vegas. Although Lansky considered Siegal to be one of his best friends, he agreed to Benjamin's elimination. They had no second thoughts about going to church in the morning and killing at night.
The trademark attire of the Mafia coinsides with their reputation of intimidation. Luciano, Siegal, Lansky and many other members of an organized crime family, dressed in very nice and clean suits. This style of attire represented to society an understanding of how high in rank they are. Dressing up in a suit, slicking the hair back, gave one an impression of respectability. Their appearance on the street , let people know they should not get involved.
Months later after Siegal had been killed, Luciano was indignant with the way his business was being run in the U.S.. U.S authorities were soon able to capture Luciano in Havana, and forced him back to Italy where he retired. In January 1962, he died of a heart attack.
By the mid 60's Lansky's gambling businesses had spread halfway across the world. He soon had been charged with tax evasion and fled to Israel where he had gotten his Visa taken away. He managed to escape being convicted by the U.S government because his "power" had topped that of the government. Months later, he settled in Miami Florida where he died of a heat attack in 1983.
These three ingenious mobsters built an empire of their own, that will never be forgotten. This empire was a society intended to create a family based organization of crime. The mafia is a subculture, in the way they instituted their own dress code, language, and lifestyle. They have created a society within a society focused on crime.