WORLD WAR I AND PROHIBITION: HOW THE GREAT WAR INFLUENCED THE ERA
People have been enjoying alcohol since at least 7,000 BC but not everyone has been happy about that and during Prohibition, Americans resented it in full force. At least some of them. The fact is, the era wouldn’t last and when alcohol was banned, it gave way to speakeasies and new markets for organized crime. While there were many reasons Prohibition was successful in its 13-year reign, one of the most important factors remains the outbreak of World War I.
Prohibition Efforts Began Long Before World War I
The Great War helped usher in Prohibition but the efforts to ban alcohol in America came way before World War I.
In fact, it took around 100 years to make Prohibition a reality despite plenty of historical figures in American history, such as James Madison, John Adams, and Abraham Lincoln, all involved with the substance one way or another.
In the early to mid 19th century, whiskey became the drink of choice throughout the U.S. but towards the end of the 1800s, the idea of reform was starting to grow.
The Temperance Movement Begins
WWI would help bring about Prohibition but religion was a strong factor for the ban of alcohol and the beginning of the Temperance Movement.
In 1874, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) came together and rallied against alcohol through demonstrations, including praying publicly and singing hymns outside and inside saloons.
Some activists were even driven to violence, attacking saloons, and declaring alcohol as evil.
In 1893, the Anti-Saloon League (ASL) came to be with a simple goal—outlaw alcohol in the entire United States.
Today, ASL still exists in its newest form, known as the American Council on Addiction and Alcohol Problems (ACAAP), continuing to promote abstaining from alcohol and fighting against advertising practices.
It was clear that many women had had enough; however, saloons were dominated by men gathering for various social reasons. Even as Prohibition sentiments grew, so too did the number of saloons in the United States.
Taxation and Changing Sentiments on Alcohol
As Americans began to turn on alcohol, the government was also facing a budgeting problem. Since breweries were so popular at the beginning of the 20th century, they actually were responsible for 70% of the tax revenue for the federal government.
It was believed by many that Prohibition wouldn’t happen because of this; however, the 16th Amendment in 1913 granted the federal government income tax power and was backed by both progressive reforms and the Anti-Saloon League.
New laws would come into effect limiting the sale of alcohol and with the outbreak of WWI, the opportunity was there for the taking.
World War I and Its Influence on Prohibition’s Success
The push for prohibition at the state level started after the Civil War and by the time the United States entered the Great War, 21 states were already dry.
Beyond just the Progressive Era’s movement to ban alcohol along with other themes aiming to create a better society, even the immoral idea of eugenics, WWI would provide a unique opportunity.
Not only were plenty of the men who loved saloons out fighting a war but there were growing racist overtones against Germans, rationing requirements, and a common enemy against Americans crafting the perfect conditions to ban alcohol.
Anti-German Sentiments
There were over 9 million Americans who spoke German as their first language in 1910, representing 10% of the population.
However, with Germany’s role during WWI came a lot of backlash. Not at first, however, anti-German views came to be by 1917 when celebrations of their culture publicly were banned, and dachshunds were attacked.
Germans are known for their beer but during the time, the beverage was viewed as unpatriotic. All while Prohibition supporters were blaming German brewers for the evils in society.
Propaganda against Germans led to ill-treatment toward German Americans during WWI, ultimately providing the ASL and other groups to gain ground for their cause.
WWI Rationing
Beyond religion and discrimination, if there was an actual reason Prohibition came into play, it was due to the need for rationing during World War I.
Troops needed food, and with Europe struggling to generate produce, North American countries ramped up production.
Grain wasn’t needed for food, not libations. Even troops fighting on the frontlines who were receiving alcohol rations would be provided a rum ration as the spirit comes from the byproduct of molasses.
Besides just limiting supplies stateside, American society also learned it could live without, providing more of the framework Prohibition would operate within.
Patriotic Duty During the Great War
With the ill feelings towards Germany in full effect and the need to ration supplies, there were plenty of ways Americans could seem unpatriotic but none quite like having a drink.
Multiple forms of legislation would come about during the time to ban alcohol, including:
- The Wartime Prohibition Act made the sale of alcohol higher than 1.28% abv illegal.
- The 18th Amendment brought about Prohibition officially in 1920 after it was passed three years prior.
- The Volstead Act passed right before Prohibition and provided guidelines on how to make sure the ban would be implemented.
These laws affected all of society, however, there were also measures aimed at the military community during and after World War I.
This includes the Selective Service Act banning the sale of liquor to service members in uniform along with dry zones put in place around military installations.
Changes During WWI and Prohibition in a Wartime Society
American culture underwent a shift during WWI that helped bring in Prohibition and it went further than simply having a notable portion of the male population overseas fighting in a war.
Women were entering the workforce to help while men were taking on military duties leading to financial freedoms and a growing shift into independence.
The federal government would also receive an increase in power which contributed to the success of Prohibition, as local law enforcement was backed up by national agencies.
WWI Tommy Guns and Prohibition Help Organized Crime Thrive
What ultimately brought about the end of Prohibition was all the hassle it caused. Organized crime thrived as bootleggers and society realized that if you take away booze, people are just going to find ways to get it, even if it’s illegal or dangerous.
However, even in its demise, you can find the influence of World War I in Prohibition thanks to the Thompson submachine gun—more commonly known as the Tommy gun.
Developed for trench warfare, the Great War actually ended before it was used in combat, and manufacturers needed a market.
So, they pitched the use of Chicago typewriters to civilians and law enforcement. The marketing campaign worked, especially, among organized criminals.
Eventually, the feds realized they couldn’t stop jazz clubs, speakeasies, and well, any other social gathering willing to risk having a few libations all at once. There simply weren’t enough agents.
Conservative administrations in the 1920s were unwilling to allocate sufficient funds for enforcement and many officials accepted bribes to keep the liquor flowing and infamous crime figures, such as Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, from taking them out.
Tommy guns make for great shows, video games, and movies but the reality is, that a lot of rising alcohol-related violence and crime would change American minds and lead to an unthinkable repeal.
December 5, 1933: Prohibition Ends
During the end of the 1920s, people were beginning to get over the idea of Prohibition.
The government wanted tax money from alcohol and society was tired of the violence brought on by bootleggers.
The Association Against the Prohibition Amendment (AAPA), founded during the 18th Amendment's ratification, helped rally repeal supporters.
This includes Pauline Sabin, a prominent Republican, who founded the Women’s Organization for National Prohibition Reform (WONPR) in 1929 because Prohibition was a bust.
While Sabin started out supporting the ban on alcohol, she realized that law enforcement was too corrupt and crime was escalating even with Prohibition.
WONPR was the opposite of WCTU and showed a noted shift in supporting repeal across demographics that once supported Prohibition.
Finally, on December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment was ratified ending the ban. World War I and Prohibition were no longer threats to the American way of life—both great reasons to raise a glass.
Suggested reads:
