The Great Illusion An Informal History of Prohibition

"An absorbing and at times ironical humorous picture of the battle of Prohibition. Recommended." — Library Journal
With the passing of the Volstead Act, the United States embraced Prohibition as the law of the land. From 1920 to 1933, the well-intentioned ban of the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors gave rise to a flourishing culture of bootleggers, gangsters, and corrupt officials. This witty and perceptive history by Herbert Asbury, the bestselling author of The Gangs of New York, offers a wide-ranging survey of the Prohibition era that covers not only twentieth-century events but also the movement's inception in colonial times and its transformation into a religious crusade.
A considerable portion of Americans viewed the end of liquor trafficking as an act of obedience to God's will and anticipated a new era of peace and prosperity. Instead, a vast criminal network of black market profiteers took root, promoting a spirit of lawlessness throughout the country. The Great Illusion charts all aspects of the period's moral decline, from the activities of rumrunners who supplied speakeasies to those of crooked politicians and police who profited from the failed experiment of Prohibition.

Herbert Asbury was an American journalist and writer best known for his books detailing crime during the 19th and early-20th centuries. He is the author of The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld and Gem of the Prairie: An Informal History of the Chicago Underworld.

Contents Part OneOne "The Good Creature of God"Two GenesisThree "Interpose Thine Arm"Four "Whirlwind of the LordFive "Born of God"Six "The Devil's Headquarters on Earth"Seven "Burying Congress Like an Avalanche" Part TwoEight " A New Nation Will Be Born"Nine "An Era of Clear Thinking and Clean Living"Ten A New Moral Tone for BraodwayEleven Where the Booze Came FromTwelve Smugglers Afloat and AshoreThirteen What America DrankFourteen Prohibition's Fairest FlowerFifteen The End of the Noble Experiment Bibliographical NoteFootnotesIndex