The Italian Mafia vs. Russian Mafia in the United States - Research Paper Example

They are known to exist in Europe, Asia, and America. Most of these mafias have targeted America. They may have considered the country as a strategic location to extend their operation. Italian, Russian and Asian mafias are considered to be present in the United States. The Italian and Russian mafias are the ones to have developed a strong alliance with its American members. They have successfully penetrated almost all parts of U.S. territory. According to Frank Shanty (2008), the Italian mafias became known to the U.S. in 1880.

During that period, over five million Italians migrated to the country (Woetzel, 2004). There were various reasons for the immigration. Some were brought to America for their talent. Others were political refugees and escapees from legal issues (Woetzel, 2004). As a consequence, one could find many Italian Americans roaming around the cities (Shanty, 2008). These people of dual citizenship have formed gangs which alarmed the American society. A gang was perceived as a criminal organization. It can be inferred then that the Italians were the pioneer of gangs in America.

In 1900, an issue came out that “a monolithic and corporate-like crime” group was preying on America (Shanty, 2008). This organization was allegedly composed of Italian American members. Nonetheless, investigators have not found any group of such kind. The controversy was then labeled as a misconception. The idea was just brought up due to anti-immigrant sentiment and sensation journalism (Shanty, 2008). In the following years, the thinking developed further. Crime fighters have theorized that Italy was behind the organized criminal organization.

They specifically described it as an Italian conspiracy (Shanty, 2008). Several articles then were released digging up the history of Italians. An Italian man named Lucky Luciano even came up and made a revelation. He stated that in 1931, an association of younger Italians had murdered almost one hundred Mafioso leaders across the world (as cited in Shanty, 2008). This event gave rise to the idea of a national crime organization known as the mafia. The legendary mafia became a big issue in America. A committee (Kefauver Committee) was given the responsibility to investigate the controversy (Shanty, 2008).