Prohibition
A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick
Prohibition, a three-part documentary series, is the fascinating story of American idealism, folly, and above all, unintended consequences. In 1920, after a century of debate, the country bans the manufacture and sale of alcohol, and a society founded on individual freedom becomes a nation of scofflaws - and hypocrites.
Here are the stories of small-time whiskey-jobbers, big-time bootleggers, and brutal gangsters; flappers dancing the Charleston in elegant speakeasies; and immigrant families stomping grapes in their backyards, as millions of law-abiding citizens become lawbreakers overnight. But beyond the cocktails, this is also a darker tale of fear-mongering, smear campaigns, intolerance and polarization that raises profound questions about the proper role of government, individual rights and responsibilities, and who is and who is not a real American.
By the early 1930s, few can deny that Prohibition is a disaster, and with the country in the throes of the Great Depression, Americans have finally had enough. In 1933, they come to their senses and repeal the 18th Amendment, putting an end to the "Noble Experiment."
Member Reviews
Prohibtion - Eklektik67
An interesting series by Ken Burns that I found covered the history and the various players that led to prohibiting alcohol to be used legally in the U.S. during the 20's. It follows the normal Burns way of doing series which works most of the time, but can get bogged down also.
What I found the most interesting is that there were good intentions on behalf of the mostly women to limit the use of alcohol and their belief that this would solve abuse and addiction and make everyone's life better, especially men.
However, when you ban something it usually makes it more attractive and of course we saw the rise of gangsters who were able to get around these laws the same way we see today with other illegal drugs. It just doesn't work and I wish Burns had make more of a point in this direction.
In the end it was not to be and I believe there is a lesson that one cannot ban most drugs and the hypocrisy that it shows.
The more we criminalize drugs the more gangsters will be involved and the more violence will follow. It is a cautionary tale that we still haven't learned from.
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Prohibtion - Eklektik67
An interesting series by Ken Burns that I found covered the history and the various players that led to prohibiting alcohol to be used legally in the U.S. during the 20's. It follows the normal Burns way of doing series which works most of the time, but can ...