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Summary
Corruption was quite rampant in the progressive era. Due to a more active and more oppressive legislature, which led to widespread bribery and the mass production of alcohol, which was no longer regulated due to the Prohibition in 1920. Several large gangs originated in this time, leading to a large amount of organized crime, with many of the leaders having ties to people in the local and national government. While many advancements in the stabilizing of the national government where made, many lower levels of government where left susceptible due to prohibition and the increase pressure on average people, leading some to turn to crime.
A main objective of the Progressive Era movement was to eliminate corruption within the government on a large scale, like how they exposed several local officials for their taking of bribes, from both corporations and criminals. For many, prohibition of alcoholic beverages was key to eliminating corruption in politics as well as improving social conditions, leading to prohibition. The corruption of the gilded age was one of the biggest reasons for this, with the gilded age having multiple scandals per president. The progressive age slowly filtered out the worst from the upper layers of government, caused mainly Teddy Roosevelt, and Woodrow Warren.
In 1927, there were an estimated 30,000 illegal speakeasies--twice the number of legal bars before Prohibition.Bootleggers, moonshine, bathtub gin, and rum runners smuggling supplies of alcohol across state lines and started brewing alcohol at home.Mobs started to appear, headed by people like Al Capone, who where seen as hero's to the common man, due to the unpopular regulation of alcohol. Many people made beer and wine at home and all of which was allowed by police officers and officials due to high amounts of bribery and the wage of most police being very low. This caused a mass influx of corruption, leading to those who took bribes surviving, and those who didn't being targeted by not just criminals, but society as a whole.
Overall score - 7/10
While the crack down on corruption in the progressive era was quite impactful in the higher levels of government, city and county level government started to become more corrupt which while is an overall success, is still not good. Where Teddy Roosevelt and other presidents focused on the corruption of the government, they overextended with certain laws, causing police and local officials to grow corrupt. The insufficiency of the government where in full effect when these problems arose, and caused for major criminal organizations to get away with murder.
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