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Article: Hangover of US booze blunder; BOOK REVIEWS.
- Article from:
- Sunday Mercury (Birmingham, England)
- Article date:
- June 14, 1998
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ON May 27, 1919 The Volstead Act became law ushering in what President Calvin Coolidge called "the greatest social experiment of modern times".
But history will remember Prohibition as one of the biggest political blunders ever.
As America turned "dry" the nation went on a 13-year binge that saw the rise of gangsters like Al Capone and corruption at every level of government and the law.
The repercussions are still being felt today.
And according to Edward Behr, author of Prohibition (Penguin, pounds 7.99), even "heroes" like Eliot Ness ...