Was The Mafia An Actual Organized Group With A Leader?

From time to time they did have a ‘boss of bosses’ (Capo di tutti capi ) and are managed like a corporation through the so-called Commission. But in reality, they are organized around separate families with the Boss (Don), his Underboss and their Capos and Consiglieres. The ‘grunts’ or crew are managed by the Capos. The 50′s and 60′s were their hey day. Now they’ve fallen on hard times as many wiseguys are prone to sing to get lighter sentences and most bosses are now behind bars.

The mafia, or La Cosa Nostra (which means “our thing”) started out as groups of families. There are still families running their areas. Palermo has their family, Naples has their family… etc. Like the families that run the mafia in the US. Mob wars occur when one family tries to take over the functions or territory of another family. Different families have different alliances. Some are mortal enemies.

In the States there was the Commission, in Sicily, a Don!

The Mafia is not a monolithic organization with a central leader, but a confederation of competing organized criminal enterprises. On many occasions there have been meetings between major Mafia leaders to coordinate operations and resolve disputes. The Sicilian-based, U.S.-based and other organizations are largely separate from each other, and in many cases they are in competition with each other. In 1931 Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky organized an entity known as “the Commission” to coordinate operations and prevent widespread gang war. The Bonanno, Gambino, Colombo, Genovese and Lucchese families of New York, along with the Chicago Outfit, the Bruno family from Philadelphia and some others are prominent in the current lineup of the Commission, but disputes still occur, and there is no chief controlling all families. Many experts deny that the word “Mafia” is used by these gangs; “La Cosa Nostra” (our thing) is often stated as the term in use.

There were leaders, but it was more than one. The mafia was made up of little groups working together to form one huge contraband group. There were the “leaders” and then “sub leaders” but they were all feared just as much, so it didn’t make much difference.
The mafia is still alive and well, today, and in addition to the original Italian mafia, we now have the Mexican and Chinese Mafias as well. Woo hoo! [=

Yes, in the US at least. The mafia is made up of several families. Each family has a very organized heirarchy (Don > Underboss > Capos > Soldiers > Associates). The heads of each family are what made up the Commission, which basically regulated all the families and tried to make them stay out of each others way.

The history of the Mafia is sketchy but many believe that the Mafia was born in order to protect and help the less fortunate. The methods used to help and protect were, and still remain illegal. Today, the organization still continues to practice these acts or “rituals.” The difference between early Mafia and modern Mafia, is that during late 1800′s to early 1900′s, the Mafia used these illicit crimes to help their families and the noble good less fortunate, now they abuse their power and distribute the “dirty money” in abundance amongst themselves. (keep in mind that the Mafia was born in Sicily, in a time where authorities weren’t accessible).