Prohibition: Banning alcohol was a bad idea... - Rod Phillips

Prevoditelj: Ozren Blagaić Recezent: Petra Lauš

On January 17, 1920, six armed men robbed a Chicago freight train.

Dana 17. siječnja 1920., šest muškaraca opljačkalo je teretni vlak u Chicagu.

But it wasn’t money they were after.

No nisu tražili novac.

Less than one hour after spirits had become illegal

Ni sat vremena nakon što je alkohol zabranjen

throughout the United States,

diljem Sjedinjenih Država,

the robbers made off with thousands of dollars worth of whiskey.

pljačkaši su ukrali viski vrijedan tisuće dolara.

It was a first taste of the unintended consequences of Prohibition.

To je bila prva od brojnih nenamjernih posljedica prohibicije.

The nationwide ban on the production and sale of alcohol in the United States

Nacionalna zabrana proizvodnje i prodaje alkohola u SAD-u

came on the heels of a similar ban in Russia

slijedila je sličnu zabranu u Rusiji

that started as a wartime measure during World War I.

koja je započela kao ratnodopska mjera za vrijeme Prvog svjetskog rata.

But the view in the Western world of alcohol

No stav Zapada o alkoholu

as a primary cause of social ills was much older.

kao glavnom uzroku društvenih problema puno je stariji.

It first gained traction during the Industrial Revolution

Stav je dobio na popularnosti tijekom industrijske revolucije

as new populations of workers poured into cities

kada je nova populacija radnika pristizala u gradove

and men gathered in saloons to drink.

i muškarci se skupljali u krčmama i pili.

By the 19th century, anti-drinking groups called temperance movements

Do 19. stoljeća, udruženja protiv alkohola poznata kao pokreti umjerenosti

began to appear in the United States and parts of Europe.

pojavila su se u SAD-u i dijelovima Europe.

Temperance groups believed that alcohol was the fundamental driver

Pokreti umjerenosti smatrali su da je alkohol temeljni uzrok

behind problems like poverty and domestic violence,

problema poput siromaštva i nasilja u obitelji

and set out to convince governments of this.

te su nastojali u to uvjeriti vlasti.

While some simply advocated moderate drinking,

Dok su se neki zalagali samo za umjerenost u piću,

many believed alcohol should be banned entirely.

mnogi su smatrali da se alkohol treba u potpunosti zabraniti.

These movements drew support from broad sectors of society.

Te su pokrete podupirali brojni slojevi društva.

Women’s organizations were active participants from the beginning,

Organizacije žena aktivno su sudjelovale od početka

arguing that alcohol made men neglect their families and abuse their wives.

tvrdeći kako muškarci zbog alkohola zanemaruju obitelj i zlostavljaju supruge.

Religious authorities, especially Protestants,

Vjerske vlasti, a pogotovo protestanti,

denounced alcohol as leading to temptation and sin.

osudile su alkohol kao uzrok iskušenja i grijeha.

Progressive labor activists believed alcohol consumption

Progresivni su sindikalisti vjerovali da konzumacija alkohola

harmed workers’ ability to organize.

sprječava udruživanje radnika.

Governments weren’t strangers to the idea of prohibition, either.

Vladama ideja prohibicije također nije bila strana.

In the United States and Canada, white settlers introduced hard liquors

U SAD-u i Kanadi, bjelački doseljenici upoznali su domorodačke zajednice

like rum to Native communities,

sa žestokim pićima poput ruma,

then blamed alcohol for disrupting these communities—

da bi kasnije okrivili alkohol za propadanje istih zajednica

though there were many other destructive aspects of their interactions.

iako su njihovi susreti imali brojne druge destruktivne strane.

The American and Canadian governments banned the sale of alcohol

Američke i kanadske vlasti su zabranile prodaju alkohola

to Native populations and on reservation land.

domorodačkim zajednicama i u rezervatima.

American temperance movements gained their first victories

Američki pokreti umjerenosti ostvarili su prve pobjede

at the state and local levels,

na državnoj i lokalnoj razini

with Maine and several other states banning the sale and production of liquor

kada je Maine i nekoliko drugih država zabranilo prodaju i proizvodnju alkohola

in the 1850s.

1850-ih godina.

In 1919 the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution

Godine 1919., Osamnaesti amandman Ustava SAD-a

banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation

zabranio je proizvodnju, prodaju i transport

of all alcoholic beverages.

svih alkoholnih pića.

The amendment took effect a year later under the Volstead Act.

Amandman je stupio na snagu godinu kasnije Volsteadovim zakonom.

Since the act did not ban personal consumption,

S obzirom na to da zakon nije zabranio osobnu potrošnju,

wealthy people took the opportunity to stock up while restaurants and bars

bogati su ljudi iskoristili tu priliku i opskrbili se alkoholom

rushed to sell their remaining supply.

dok su se restorani i barovi žurili prodati svoje zalihe.

Workers lost their jobs as distilleries, breweries, and wineries closed down.

Radnici su izgubili poslove zatvaranjem destilerija, pivovara i vinarija.

Meanwhile, organized crime groups rushed to meet the demand for alcohol,

U međuvremenu, organizirani kriminal požurio je utažiti žeđ za alkoholom

establishing a lucrative black market in producing, smuggling,

uspostavivši unosno crno tržište proizvodnje, krijumčarenja

and selling illicit liquor.

i prodaje zabranjenog alkohola.

Often they worked side-by side with corrupt policemen

Često su surađivali s korumpiranim policajcima

and government officials,

i vladinim dužnosnicima,

even bombing the 1928 primary election for Illinois state attorney

te su postavili bombu za vrijeme primarnih izbora za državnog odvjetnika Illinoisa

in support of a particular political faction.

kao potpora određenoj političkoj frakciji.

Tens of thousands of illegal bars, known as "speakeasies,"

Desetci tisuća ilegalnih točionica poznatih pod imenom “speakeasy”

began serving alcohol.

počeli su posluživati alkohol.

They ranged from dingy basement bars to elaborate dance-halls.

Bilo je tu svega od prljavih podrumskih točionica do raskošnih plesnih dvorana.

People could also make alcohol at home for their own consumption,

Ljudi su kod kuće također mogli raditi alkohol za vlastitu uporabu,

or obtain it legally with a doctor’s prescription or for religious purposes.

legalno ga nabaviti liječničkim receptom ili u vjerske svrhe.

To prevent industrial alcohol from being consumed,

Kako bi se spriječila konzumacija industrijskog alkohola,

the government required manufacturers to add harmful chemicals,

vlada je od proizvođača zahtijevala da dodaju štetne kemikalije,

leading to thousands of poisoning deaths.

što je uzrokovalo tisuće smrti trovanjem.

We don’t know exactly how much people were drinking during Prohibition

Ne znamo koliko su točno ljudi pili tijekom prohibicije

because illegal alcohol wasn’t regulated or taxed.

jer ilegalni alkohol nije bio reguliran ili oporezovan.

But by the late 1920s,

No krajem 1920-ih godina,

it was clear that Prohibition had not brought the social improvements

bilo je jasno da prohibicija nije dovela do društvenih promjena

it had promised.

koje je obećavala.

Instead it contributed to political corruption and organized crime

Umjesto toga je pridonijela političkoj korupciji i organiziranom kriminalu

and was flouted by millions of citizens.

te su je ismijavali milijuni građana.

At one raid on an Detroit beer hall, the local sheriff, mayor and a congressman

Za vrijeme racije jedne pivnice u Detroitu lokalni šerif, gradonačelnik i kongresmen

were arrested for drinking.

uhićeni su zbog konzumacije alkohola.

With the start of the Great Depression in 1929,

S početkom Velike gospodarske krize 1929.,

the government sorely needed the tax revenue from alcohol sales,

vladi je bio prijeko potreban porezni dohodak od prodaje alkohola

and believed that lifting Prohibition would stimulate the economy.

te je smatrala da bi završetak prohibicije mogao pobuditi gospodarstvo.

In 1933, Congress passed the 21st Amendment repealing the 18th—

Godine 1933., Kongres je usvojio 21. amandman i opozvao 18.,

the only amendment to be fully repealed.

koji je time postao jedini u potpunosti opozvan amandman.

Members of the temperance movements

Članovi pokreta umjerenosti

believed that alcohol was the root of society’s problems,

smatrali su da je alkohol izvor društvenih problema,

but the reality is more complicated.

no stvarnost je puno složenija.

And while banning it completely didn’t work,

Dok potpuna zabrana nije urodila plodom,

the health and social impacts of alcohol remain concerns today.

utjecaj alkohola na zdravlje i društvo i danas je uzrok zabrinutosti.