In the year 1929, Chicago, IL mob boss Al Capone was at the peak of his power. As head of the wide-ranging crime organization called "The Outfit" during most of U.S.'s Prohibition Era (1920-1933), Capone oversaw hundreds of brothels, speakeasies, and roadhouses which functioned as sites for gang-managed gambling, prostitution, and illegal alcohol sales. At their summit, annual earnings from all of his businesses combined totaled over $100 million.
Capone's ability to run these organizations with impunity came from a blend of his political ties and a profound fear of reprisal. Capone's ascension had come at the massive loss of human life. Turf wars between Chicago gangs had caused roughly 700 gang-related departures from the year 1920 to 1930. By some estimate, Capone had been directly or indirectly accountable for over 200 murders, the most notorious of which was the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in February 1929, a discharge that had killed seven men from a rival gang. The violence, efficacy, and prosperity of Capone's organization illustrated the harmful types of American entrepreneurship in the early 20th century.
PUBLICATION DATE: April 12, 2009 PRODUCT #: 809144-HCB-ENG
This is just an excerpt. This case is about INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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