The Sack of Palermo and the First Mafia War

 

 

The Causes of the Sack of Palermo

1) American bombs (1943)

2) The (failed) Agrarian Reform (Oct 1950)

 

The 1950 Agrarian Reform

-          > 150 h.

-          Obligation to cultivate > 20 h.

-          obligation to drainage of al lands

-          ERAS + Cassa per il Mezzogiorno

 

What happened?

Gabelloti changed their status and became owners

The landowners sold the worst lands to the State that paid them indemnities; then the State sold these lands to the peasants. The land Reform was a failure (not creating a sufficient redistribution of the land)

Many abandoned the land and moved either to the North to work in factories, or to the closest city

 

n  The Sack of Palermo

 

               MAFIA-POL-EC

 

LIMA – GIOIA – CIANCIMINO were the most important politician involved in it, they belonged to the DCI (Italian Christian democracy)

Silent complicity of the DCI in Rome, due to the fact that they needed the Sicilian Vote to keep the Left (PCI and PSI) out of power 1950s: The mafia is submerged

Informal pact with DCI: silence on the mafia

1956: Narcotics Control Act: up to 40 years of prison for drug traders

1957: International meeting of Mafiosi, Hotel Des Palmes (Palermo): the American Cosa Nostra franchises the Drug trade to the Sicilian imposing it a more hierarchical structure based on:

 

1)      FAMIGLIA organized in:

-          Capofamiglia

-          Consiglieri (Counselors)

-          Capodecina (head of 10)

-          Soldiers

2)      MANDAMENTO (District)

Mandamento is a group of 3 (or more) territorially contiguous families

The three families nominate a capomandamento (head of district) that is not a capofamiglia (head of family), to not concentrate too much power in the hands of a single person

3)      COMMISSIONE or CUPOLA

The various capomandamenti (called within the Commissione secretaries) elect a capo that has to be a sort of primus inter pares

 

The structure of Cosa Nostra:

 

The businesses of the mafia in the 50’s:

-          Concrete (the “sack of Palermo”)

-          Tourism

-          Trade of drugs and weapons

-          Smuggling

 

1962-3: I Mafia War. Most important aspects:

1963: Ciaculli Bomb

Antimafia

1969: Bari Trial – all acquitted

1969: V. le Lazio

+ The creation of the Antimafia Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry