Prohibition

The term prohibition is widely used to refer to prohibition against the distribution of alcoholic beverages.^[1] For decades activists had lobbied for a prohibition on alcoholic beverages, arguing that abuse of alcohol, by husbands and fathers, subjected their dependent wives and children to neglect and abuse.^[2]

Laws against the distribution and consumption of alcoholic beverages were put in place in the United States and Canada, and some European countries. These laws were very widely circumvented, and made organized crime figures more powerful.

Prohibition laws were in place, in the United States from 1920 to 1933.

References

↑ "Prohibition in Europe?". Mary Miley's Roaring Twenties. 2015-11-01. Archived from the original on 2016-12-07. Retrieved 2026-04-25. Interestingly, temperance and prohibition supporters were active in countries other than the United States. Several northern European countries, none of them Catholic, passed laws that restricted consumption of alcohol.
↑ Ken Burns (2018-12-04). "Roots of Prohibition". Prohibition. Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2026-04-25. By 1830, the average American over 15 years old consumed nearly seven gallons of pure alcohol a year – three times as much as we drink today – and alcohol abuse (primarily by men) was wreaking havoc on the lives of many, particularly in an age when women had few legal rights and were utterly dependent on their husbands for sustenance and support.

[ProhibitionInEurope-1] "Prohibition in Europe?". Mary Miley's Roaring Twenties. 2015-11-01. Archived from the original on 2016-12-07. Retrieved 2026-04-25. Interestingly, temperance and prohibition supporters were active in countries other than the United States. Several northern European countries, none of them Catholic, passed laws that restricted consumption of alcohol.

[KenBurnsProhibition-2] Ken Burns (2018-12-04). "Roots of Prohibition". Prohibition. Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2026-04-25. By 1830, the average American over 15 years old consumed nearly seven gallons of pure alcohol a year – three times as much as we drink today – and alcohol abuse (primarily by men) was wreaking havoc on the lives of many, particularly in an age when women had few legal rights and were utterly dependent on their husbands for sustenance and support.

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