Italy organized crime and the 80s

Could we say that the 80s was really an important decade for the italian organized crime groups ?

You had the second sicilian mafia war (more than 1000 deaths) and the second ndrangheta war (more than 600 deaths).

Also, it seem that many new organizations were created during this decade.
You got the Stidda that was created in Sicily and went against the sicilian mafia.
You had the Sacra Corona Unita, that came out of the ndrangheta (I think)
And not least, you had the Società foggiana who split up from the Sacra Corona Unita.

Italy was probably a hot mess during this decade. Many politics between gangsters.

Don't forget the big Camorra war early 80s, the largest mafia war, in which 273 people died in 1981 alone.

The 80s was just crazy.

But do you have an idea why they were somany new groups in italy ?

Italy is a very regional country, so it makes sense that they would have organized crime groups that are unique to each region.

In the south the state was weak so people turned to oc. For example Cutolo's NCO provided work for 20.000 people in Naples.

But it's a myth that organized crime can only thrive on poverty, they've been found prospering in wealthy regions and other countries as well. The Italian Mafia is extremely adaptable.

I agree. but they still want to have some kind of Robin Hood image. At least most of them, some are just evil.

Yes I understand
But still the Stidda was created in the territory of the sicilan mafia.

And before the creation of the SCU…. What organization was in control of the region of Apulia ?

Hollander do you think the murderous tendencies are still there, or has it all been bred out of them over the past 3 decades or so?

Yes, don't forget the last major war was in Naples in 2004/2005 resulted in 100 deaths. The two organizations fought each other with a brutality that stunned even hardened Carabinieri.

Sacra Corona Unita

The organization was formed by on 25 December 1983, when several imprisoned Camorra and Ndrangheta members gathered at Giuseppe Rogoli's prison cell and initiated and sanctioned him as the head of a new criminal organization which, with the support of the Ndrangheta, would set itself up as Apulia's crime syndicate.

Is this statement true ? And if it is… why create a new organization?
Contrary to the Stidda in Sicily, it doesn’t seem it was because of a rivalry inside an organization

I think the new organization was needed initially to fight the expansion of Raffaele Cutolo's camorra organization into Apulia; the local criminals organized themselves with the support of the 'ndrangheta Bellocco group.

Wasn'torganized crime around in Apulia about as long as the Sicilan Mafia, Camorra.and N'dragheta had been around? And called La Mala Vita in Apulia (even though that's also an Umbrella ,name as is "Maffa" gfor all these groups? And then Cutola organized at least some of them into his Camorra faction? And as you say those who were a branch of the Camorra broke off on their own.Maybe with as it says above with the backing of the NDrangheta? ?

Jusr asking questions based on things I'd read

I am not really sure to be honest, I have yet to read more about the earlier history of crime in Apulia, most books I found are about the after 1980 period; but maybe those earlier groups weren't as large-scale as Cosa Nostra, Camorra and 'Ndrangheta; I read Giuseppe Rogoli wasn't even a real organized crime boss before he went to jail, he was just an armed robber. His organization was born as a prison gang initially, then a number of its members were released and expanded the activities onto the streets. Cutolo did organize some of the locals into the "New Apulian Camorra" ("Nuova Camorra Pugliese") in the first 1980s, but others formed an opposition and Rogoli got himself affiliated into the 'ndrangheta in prison, to get the support of the Bellocco 'ndrina.

I read also that before the 1980s, there was Cosa Nostra, Camorra and 'Ndrangheta activity in Apulia though, because many their members were sent in "internal banishment" into different regions (including Apulia) by law enforcement, because they thought that far away from home, organized criminals would be less powerful without their connections; but that plan backfired when the exiled criminals started making connections and expanding their activities in other regions as well; in reality, internal banishment helped then to do so. But these were organizations from other regions, I am not sure how organized the Apulian locals were before the 1980s though...

Liggio is right. In the 1980s there was the Mala del Brenta that was born in Veneto that is the most richest region after the Lombardy,the Banda della Magliana in Rome and still independent criminals in Milan.

The NCO - NF war from 1978 to 1983 made almost 1000 deaths.

the 80s was crazy not only for the mafia wars both in Sicily, Calabria and Campania but especially for the large amount of politicians, cops, public officials, prosecutors killed... the connections between mafia, politicians, P2, vatican

P2 scandal and connections with Vatican, collapse of Banco Ambrosiano and murder of 'Gods Banker' in London were bigger than all mafia wars.

for sure the 80s was more interesting than today

Bodies may not be piling up everywhere, but the Mafia is more insidious and penetrating than ever. It's just not as action packed as it once was and because of that many people will say they're dead. But that's exactly how they like it.

it is sure insidious and penetrating but it can't kill with impunity like the past

No, that's why they had to evolve, though every major group besides Cosa Nostra still has their murderous moments. The Camorra & the Foggia clans still kill quite often, Ndrangheta every now and then, Cosa Nostra almost never. The heads of Cosa Nostra put a moratorium in place to cease all killings, the fact that it very rarely ever happens actually says how organized they are. But the Mafia doesn't have to kill to achieve its objectives. Toto Riina was just a boneheaded moron.

I never understood this thinking that they have to be ultraviolent to get what they want. We still see surveillance pics of mob bosses and politicians walking arm-in-arm, and find that they are deeply embedded in legitimate businesses and institutions, without a single shot fired. But stuff like that doesn't make great movies, so simple-minded people think if there's not blood everywhere it's not there.

I agree that killing a lot doesn't mean being more powerful, but for example the murder of an inconvenient judge like Gratteri would be almost unthinkable today

Mayor Angelo Vassallo was killed by the Camorra in 2010, and Francesco Fortugno was killed in 2005 by the Ndrangheta, so there are 21st Century mob killings of politicians. That current maxi-trial will do damage, but it's not damaging enough to make them react violently. They've learned from the past.

Few years ago Cosa Nostra wanted to kill Nino Di Matteo, i don't know if u remember that , explosives were sent from Calabria, Matteo Messina Denaro said same people who wanted Falcone and Borsellino dead ordered it and that it must be done. Police learned about it thru informant and managed to arrest them and seize the explosives. But it's just stupid, if they do anything like that today , they are done, insane heat will bring them all down like it did in late 80s early 90s

Exactly. Cosa Nostra's war on the state achieved nothing. It didn't reverse life sentences or Anti-Mafia laws. It only intensified the government's crackdowns. One thing it did do though, is show the world its might and what it's capable of. Those assassinations were sophisticated and spectacular.

A couple of things I found.Actually found one or two more similar sources about early Camorra/Mala Vita Organizations in Apulia/Bari

https://books.google.com/books?id=e...20vita%20society%20in%20bari&f=false

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/48101549

Mob in Bari/Apulia in earely days

https://books.google.com/books?id=W...20vita%20society%20in%20bari&f=false

There is actually an article called:"The Mala Vita Society" Counterpart to the Mafia in Southern Italy that says it exists in Apulia's Adriatic Provinces

I only have it in a series of 6 screen shots.May have originally been in the NY Times.Not sure where I have it from .Its very detailed of this secret society

The way that this article started was that the Mafia exists in Apulia as a Secret Society "Mala Vita"

Say it was discoverred in 1889 and had been terrorizing the Apulian Adriatic provinces for 9 years.
That recently the government had rounded up 179 of them who were on trial in Bari

Wish I could get the link to it or send the screen shots

Havana, thanks for the links, interesting information!

You also got to remember that the country is a very young democracy.

In Italy, the phrase Years of Lead (Italian: Anni di piombo) refers to a period of political violence and social upheaval that lasted from the late 1960s until the late 1980s, marked by a wave of both far-left and far-right incidents of political terrorism and violent clashes.
Part of the Cold War

You are welcome.Hope you find it useful.

Another thing that might possible be a factor of how the mafia or camorra spread to Calabria ,Apulia,etc, might be according to their dialects,or language.

This might not mean much,but the dialects of Campania,Molise,Soyh Abruzzo,South Lazio,Basicalata,upper Apulia,Northern Calabria are said to be part of the Neapolitan Language
According to Wikipoaedia, Dialects of Southern Calabria,Southern Apulia,and Sicily are said to be part of the Sicilian Language ,along with a dmall area in Campania,maybe around Amalfi or in Salerno somewhere

it seems organized crime in Apulia was older than we thought, at least in Bari, but i don't think there is a continuity with the actual clans

yes, i remember and that's the difference with the 80s, at that time police couldn't prevent the hit like today

Probably no way to tell until somebody that's knows decides to tell
The clans might have stayed intact while their activities might have slowed down enough that nobody paid attention.
Then during different periods of Italy's history,like maybe under Musolini,they just couldn't be as powerful and thought to have been extinct.I think at some point the Camorra was thought to have dsappeared

Probably like in America where in certain cities,their "black hand " activities gave way to Prohibition and then Gambling. Words like Mob and Syndicate replace words like Maifa,Camorra,Black Hand.But in reality although they changed businesses and started working with other ethnicities.,they were still secretly intact families.Probably expose by Appalachia

Its also possible that after that big Trial in Bari that a lot of them came to America by early 1900s,especially to NYS
There were some towns in NYS that were under a heavy Barese/Apulian presence along side of Calabrians
Hard to tell but possibly in NYS the Apulians/Barese might have mixed mainly with the Calabrians in some places or operated side by side

The Mafia in Puglia has had many names and identities, it's called sometimes the chameleon of Italy.

I wonder how the Stidda did flourish in Sicily with the Mafia going at them.
The Stidda groups had to be ruthless

maybe because several of them were ex Cosa Nostra members

Good point.
But so many guys that they organized a brand new organization.

Make me wondering if maybe one day, we will see the birth of a new italian-american organized crime group in the US.
Sure the Cosa Nostra is so well implanted in the US, but so did the sicilian mafia in sicily

Stidda is still a force in the Sicilian provinces of Agrigento and Caltanisetta I believe.

se la possibilita delle morte non esite gratteri non ha una forza sicurezza ma con melloni italia ha il primo leader siccome mussolini che sia alt right sta crescond tutta attaversa l'europa sopratutto siccome Black Lives è simile in nord'america?

gratteri lives with security for since 30 years. melloni alt right grow as a reaction. is it maga that is same in north america?

Most of Stidda is absorbed into Cosa Nostra, in Catania they absorbed whole Stidda clans , made 50 people a day.