The word "Mafia" has two meanings, one is that it means "manly" and the other is " Morte alla Franca Italia Anela" which means, " death to France is Italy's cry" ( Mafia History). The meaning came from the fact that Italians more specifically Sicilians, had to adapt to numerous invasions from Arabs, Norman's and the French. The word Mafia in Arab also means refuge. The original inhabitants of Sicily were oppressed and had to seek places of shelter and refuge ( Arlacchi ). The Norman's when invading Sicily in the 11th century; the native people were forced into labor on the large estates their rulers made. Their only way of escape was to seek shelter in the hills on the island of Sicily ( refer to picture of Corleone). There in the hills the natives formed

Yet the Mafia was and always will be opposed by some people or organizations. Opposition to the Mafia was always met with violence ( Blumenthal 7). A well-known example of this, is the case of a man Emanuel Notarbartolo who was the director of the bank in Sicily. Emanuel publicly announced that he promised to rid the land of the Mafia once and for all. In 1893 he was assassinated, and don Palizzo took over his position. This was not the end though, Notarbartolo's son vowed to bring his father's killers to justice. He managed to get Palizzo indicted, but however the don's control was so vast that he was released ( Mafia History). Witnesses had been unwilling to cooperate and even police documents somehow disappeared ( Mafia History).

" Secret societies " that were meant to unify the natives against their enemies. The societies created a bond or strong sense of family based on their Sicilian heritage ( Mafia History).

" By the 1980's in Italy the growth and expansion of the Mafia in the businesses of drugs and such had reached the point of National emergency, and it didn't stop there ( arlacchi 38)."

In conclusion the Sicilian Mafia which started out as a small group of the oppressed fighting back against the invading Norman's and French, has grown into a vast criminal empire. The Mafia is still active to this day in Europe and America. The current head of the Mafia in Sicily is thought to be Salvatore "Toto" Riina, who is currently in jail for the Falcone murders. Many more Mafia members were indicted for the murders, yet others remain at large. The American Mafia had seemed to be broken with the arrests this trial made. But there is talk of La Cosa Nouva a "New thing" or Mafia regrouping, going back to the less violent days of secret deals in backrooms with friends in political circles( I.O.C.G.).

The growth of the Mafia had also extended overseas. When people from all over Europe started moving to America for a new and better life

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Approximate Word count = 1320
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)