If Lucky Luciano created modern Cosa Nostra in America, then what is the Mafia like in Sicily. For example, do they have a comission, do they go by the same ranks, how are they different from America?

Thanks in advanced to all who reply to this.

They do have a commission called the 'Cupola'. The Sicilian Mafia is much more older than the Cosa Nostra from America. The ones who created the first American Mafia were people who moved from Sicily to America...and if you want to compare Lucky Luciano as 'founder' of Cosa Nostra....then I'll go for Calogero Vizinni as the founder of Sicilian Mafia (But there are probably people who disagree with that!).

The Ranks are the same as far as I know...maybe some different names but that's all.

If you specify your question a bit more then "how are they different" then I can answer that question too because otherwise we'll get an answer where I need to 2 days to type it...

Don't you know there are people who're dying to read that essay? 2 days - not a big deal, M.M.!

With all due respect, I for one disagree with the theory of Calegero Vizzini being the founder of the Sicilian Mafia. While there is no question that he was a catylist in the organization, he was not the original founder of it. Here is the history of The Black Hand, which initially started as a terrorism society and how it eventually evolved into a Sicilain organization.

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The Original Black Hand was an extremist Serbian terrorism society. Alternate name is Ujedinjenje ili Smrt, meaning Union or Death.
The group is most well known for its plot to kill Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The Black Hand was upset over the annexation of Bosnia by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They wanted the region to be ruled by Slavic people, a popular notion due to the recent movement of Panslavism in the area at that time. Since Austria--a non-slavic country--controlled Bosnia, the group decided to assassinate a head of state. Ergo...bye Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
The theorys and ideas of the original Black Hand eventually became the foundation for the Sicilian Mafia/Black Hand.
The black hand was a handprint on a piece of paper that would be left to intimidate extortion victims. It let them know that they were marked for death by the one of the gangs that were the predecessors to the more organized La Cosa Nostra groups. It had started in Sicily during the 1700's. Pictures of a black hand were distributed to the wealthy. This was an unspoken request for an amount of money in return for protection. If the money wasn't paid, the recipients could expect violence such as kidnappings, bombings, and murder. In contrast when it arrived in New York it was mainly against the poor immigrants, those that would not go to the police out of fear or lack of knowledge.

Colegero Vizzini was born on July 24th 1877. By the turn of the century he became embedded with many barons and marquis. In 1917 he was arrested and sentenced to prison for fraud, corruption and murder, but was absolved of those charges becasue of his connections to high ranking friends and officials. By 1919 he owned many sulfer mines, shops and fields. In 1931 he was "sent" away from Sicilay for a while because he was suspected of involvment with other mafia bosses and crimes. By 1937 he returned to Sicily and was welcomed back with open arms by his village. His involvment in driving the American army through Sicily in 1943 helped him to become Mayor of Vilalba, Sicily. In 1949 Vizzini and Vito Genovese opened a factory which was used as a cover for heroin trafficking.
He eventually formed a friendship with Furure Philadelphia mob boss Angelo Bruno, who had been born in Vilalba, the same town that Vizzini had become the mayor of. Vizzini dies in 1954 and his funeral was attended by hundereds of people, many of them being high ranking officials and mob bosses.
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Don Cardi

Here we go again. First of all: in all 27 books of Sicilian Mafia I never read the words "Black Hand" in combination with "founder of Sicilian Mafia". So I think this is weird when you say this. If you would come up with the Saracen Tribe, the Ma'Afir, who lived in the caves near Palermo and say that their ideas and thoughts were the basic I can agree.(The way you discribe of the Black Hand match with that from the Saracen Tribe(without the print of black hand ofcourse)...only the Tribe was, concording your year 1700's, before the Black Hand)

And the point of Calo Vizinni: ofcourse I know he's not the original founder of the Mafia, but I meant to say he's the founder of the new Mafia that made his way after the second world war.(The same way: Lucky isn't the real founder of the Cosa Nostra, the Cosa Nostra is found on ideas and thoughts of Sicilian Mafia...)

First off, thanks guys, for being my Mafia library.

Well, to expand on the question a little more...Luciano is often seen as being the one who made the American Mafia organized. And so, I am assuming that those before him weren't (Maranzano, Magliocco, etc.) But, I assumed that they were doing it the way that it was done in Sicily. So, I see it as, the Sicilian Mafia wasn't as organized and such, then Luciano's Mafia.

So, my question is, how was it different in comparison to Luciano's modern Mafia, or what exactly did luciano do to make it different then it was with his predecessors or in Sicily.

And I still wouldn't mind that long essay...I can wait a few days.

First you said :

Then You Write :

So I am a bit confused here, that is all. I am not trying to argue with you here, not my intent, but I am trying to understand this history. So if you have more info that I am not aware of to support your claim, then please, share it with us. Thanks!


Don Cardi

Original Mafia type people started in the 13th century in Palermo, it was known as "Sicilian Vespers" revolution . They never used the word Mafia but they acted as Mafia of their time.

But then in 1859 Palermo- Revolutionary and former member of Neapolitan Camorra, Guiseppe Mazzini seems to have united Palermo opponents of Bourbon rule within a "Mafia" undergournd organization built along the lines of the Camorra.

In 1861 in Palermo, the Mafia started incorparating themselves with Bandits in the hills of Sicily.
and then the word Mafia wasnt widely known until 1863 when there was a play made about heroic jail inmates

You people know what Mafia stands for, right?


Don Cardi

Then You Write :

So I am a bit confused here, that is all. I am not trying to argue with you here, not my intent, but I am trying to understand this history. So if you have more info that I am not aware of to support your claim, then please, share it with us. Thanks!


Don Cardi [/b][/quote]First of all...sorry for the inconvenience...but remember that I'm Dutch and that explaining myself in English sometimes can be difficult (for example this time).

When the Mafia was almost dead (the time with Mussolini) Calo did what was necessary. Hide and reorganize intern. He was very clever by being against the Communists. So he got support from America. Even when he actually wasn't against the Communists...but this tactic will be seen much more times in history of Mafia (Supporting Democrazia Christiana...and suddenly be against them...just for own purposes). Once the world war was over the new Mafia was back within the years.....

Regards,

MMF

Yeah, the one that gave birth to one of Verdi's best operas...

MMF -

No need to apologize, I see what you mean now. That makes more sense to me. Thank you for the insight. I understand it now much better.

By the way, I had asked above if anyone knew what MAFIA stands for. Well it stands for

Mothers And Fathers Italian Association

FBI - Forever Bothering Italians


Don Cardi

You guys know so much about organized crime! So very much! Where do you get that information??? The only things I know are Al Capone and his booze, John Gotti, and from the GF novel: Maranzina, and som other guy who's name ressembled Maranzina; I think it was Maranzola.

I remeber me saying the exact same thing to Turnbull one year ago...and now people say it about me...you can get the knowledge too...just read, read and read....some things you find bored and others you like...for me: I know a lot about Sicilian Mafia because I like to read about it, but American Cosa Nostra is less interesting for me...

My suggestion: read!

Dank u voor deze goede raad.

Thanks for the good advice, I also think that the Sicilian Mafia, and the Mafia in general before the seventies are more interesting.

They have a commission, it's called the Regio/Cupola (Regio by mafiosi and Cupola by the press and public). They have the Cupola Provinciale and the Cupola Regionale (the highest).
The Cupola was the idea of Joseph Bonanno (after Luciano's idea), when he visited Sicily. But it has been cancelled/stopped (dont know the right word; i mean opgehven) in the first mafia-war in the 60's. It was rebuild/rearranged (setup again) by Pippo Calderone in the 70's.

As MMFloors said, they have the same ranks (only other names):
Boss-Don
Consigliere-Consigliere
Underboss-Sottocapo
Caporegime-Capodecina
Soldiers-Soldati
I'm not sure about this but i thought that a Sicilian family had more consiglieri.