They consolidated from the very start. The first thing Lucky Luciano did was throw out tradition. That's why Maranzano and Masseria went bye bye, and why Lansky became such a key player.
"...the successful annihilation of organized crime's subculture in America would rock the 'legitimate' world's foundation, which would ultimately force fundamental social changes and redistributions of wealth and power in this country. Meyer Lansky's dream was to bond the two worlds together so that one could not survive without the other." - Dan E. Moldea
