WI: No Prohibition

What if Prohibition never existed? What would that do for the United States today?

I think that there would have been few people who heard of Al Capone and a lot less political corruptness in Illinois. There would also be no organized crime, either.
 
I posted this one in a different thread a few days ago, but it didn't stick. Hopefully this thread has a more relevant title.

Suppose in 1916, congress outlawed distilled liquor, but continued to tax beer and wine. The prohibition amendment never passes and many states still allow beer and wine.

1917: An alcoholic limit of 16.5% is set for marketable beverages because some marketers increase alcoholic content by freezing and skimming the water-rich ice.

1918: The distilleries lobby to sell watered-down liquor to comply with the alcoholic limit. Soft drink and juice packagers rush in to sell bottled, pre-mixed drinks.

1920's: Illegal whiskey remains isolated and spotty, as the Mafia is content with an unlimited supply of wine.

1930's: No legislation is passed to outlaw marijuana, as the law turns its effort to moonshine, heroin and cocaine.

1950's: Alcohol limit raised to 19%.

1965: Program established to license bartenders to use full-strength whiskey as long as the mixed drink complies the alcohol limit when served.

1966: A court case erupts as one bar attempts to serve a full-strength Martini, on the contention that the drink would comply with the alcohol limit if the ice is melted.

Now, for those of you overseas, how might such a scenario impact liquor laws worldwide? After all it was American marijuana laws that set the OTL precedent.
 
I suppose the Temperance movement would still have large power today. After all, if their idea was never tried they could still say it would work but the government just won't give it a chance.
 
This question has also come up in another thread.

I think organized crime would still exist, because it did exist before Prohibition. Without Prohibition it just wouldn't be so powerful or, umm, organized.

A lot of people's lives would be different, Al Capone is only one. Capone was originally from New York, he moved to Chicago when Johnny Torrio needed help with his illegal alcohol smuggling ("Bootlegging") business. Without prohibition there would be no bootlegging, so no reason for Capone to move to Chicago. He would probably have stayed a small time New York hood.

Other changes to think about, the whole "alcohol culture" of America would be different, the old "Saloon" would be the norm instead of the taverns and nightclubs which developed under Prohibition. Remember that the Saloon was male-only, women didn't start visiting bars until Prohibition. Also many cocktails were invented during Prohibition, and became popular, because the quality of the alcohol was so poor it needed to be mixed with something. The nightclubs of Prohibition became showcases for jazz, which went on to become a major influence on the history of American popular music.

It occurs to me that a lot of the folks who were killed in the gangwars during prohibition would end up surviving in a TL where there is no prohibition.
 
My suggestion was to appease the temperance movement by outlawing whiskey. Whether that happens or not, you still have liquor in many states.

Now, as for women in taverns, the voting movement brought a new wave of women's rights. The less modest "flapper dress" became permissible, as cinema depicted women in a more liberated sense. So, in the twenties, the saloons would have opened to women in many locations. New codes of conduct would have been established i.e., no more urine troughs in front of the bar.

With different clientele in bars, music would also evolve. Much of he evolution in music, such as the infusion of jazz, came after the end of prohibition in 1933. Contemporary music received a boost with the advent of the Hit Parade on radio in 1935, and a new, lower price for 78 RPM records in 1935.

From 1934-1940, an important development in jazz came in Kansas City when that city's political boss, Tom Pendergast, let the police look the other way as selected night clubs stayed open all night, contrary to Missouri liquor laws. The musicians would practice to shrinking audiences as the nights went on, infusing a slow blues-like style to jazz.

Most cities had corrupt political machines before and after prohibition. Without prohibition, the corruption would have less affiliation with serious organized crime (e.g., gang murders) and mob action.
 
The battle for women's suffrage and for Prohibition were closely entwined. Prohibition was very much a feminist issue. Typically, Dad would get his pay packet on Friday (and in those days, this typically meant an envelope with cash in it--not a check like today). Then Dad would go to the saloon, and drink away a lot of his pay. What, if anything, was left of the pay packet after this was what Mom and the kids would live on. So a lot of feminist groups advocated for Prohibition. The Prohibition Party included women's suffrage in their platform.

What I am suggesting is that "No Prohibition" probably also means "No votes for women", or at least this gets postponed.

I also wonder if the "flapper dress" and so on would have emerged without Prohibition.
 
Organized crime would still exist but would not be as powerful or have the influence it has in OTL. Also we probably would not have a lot of the "gangster" steriotypes we now have in movies and such.
 
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