The origins of the Mafia

A detailed Summary of The origins of the Mafia

There were number of factors that contributed to the development of Mafia from feudalism. From the center of Sicily the mafia came into being from the feudal estates (feudi). At first, the mafia's purpose was to

defend feudal privileges in the rural districts. But the total lack of public

authority and the absolute power of the lords which was delegated to henchmen

whose only qualification was their talent for delinquency, built up a tyranny based on violence and systematic exploitation. For centuries the land under Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, and Romans has bundled the land into estates known as latifundia. These estates were distributed to the occupants or local notables who undertook to pay a contribution in kind and cultivated the land with the labor of local people forced into

slavery, or slaves imported from other districts. In an economic essence the landowners owned all the land. Farmhouses were built around the center of

latifundia. Store-houses were also built surrounding the dwellings of the owner's trusted guards and of the slaves who were forced to live on the estate

to form an army that was loyal to him on the estate.

with peasants and real serfs that were housed around his farmstead. Each feudo

resulted in public institutions and local government in the inlands. A new

the whole feudo and guaranteed an income for the owner who resided in the cities.The gabellottos were Italian taxmans that were to collect fifty percent of the crop. They were to give the profit to the owner but most often the portions were kept for themselves. Eventually, the gabellotto also started

nal work of ploughing, sowing, and harvesting was performed by

estates. They brought out the estates from the feudal lords and took

pattern of France. This system relatively matched with the latifundium and slave economy. In fact, the feudal regime was marked by the Sicilian barons' famous renunciation of feudal rights in 1812. The

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Approximate Word count = 757
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Politics

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The origins of the Mafia

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