Introduction
The 1920s prohibition had various aims, mainly provided for by the Protestants. The Protestants believed that the abuse of alcohol and other drugs was the main reason for the high rate of crime, poor housing, slow development as well as the high cost of maintain the prisons. The consumption of alcohol was about 0.8 gallons per person (Till 39). The prohibition however can be said to have been more unsuccessful as it failed to attain the main objectives set for it. However there were several successes that it attained.
Success attained through prohibition
Reduction of alcohol consumption
After the installation of the prohibition rule, the consumption of alcohol reduced drastically. Alcohol became a luxury and quite expensive for the people to afford. Thus, less people were able to take alcohol and other intoxicating liquor.
Creation of jobs
Due to the magnitude of the role of enhancing the probation, the government offered more jobs to more people (Eberhart 97). This took into consideration people that had previously been unemployed.
Development of rehabilitation programs
After the materialization of the prohibition, many addicts started showing the withdrawal symptoms. This led to the need for the development of voluntary centers for rehabilitating them to normal (Till 39). As a result, some of the addicts reformed and got back to their normal lives.
Failures of the prohibition
Even though the prohibition exhibited signs of success at the beginning, things changed sooner than it was expected. As the alcoholic drinks became more expensive, more people were not able to meet the cost. However, many of them did not accept to stop drinking. This created more demand in the market, prompting the production of more (Eberhart 94). By the year 1923, the consumption rate per person was about 1.2 gallons, more than the previous amount considered to be too much. As such, the situation became worse than it had been before.
Conclusion
The entire prohibition process was unsuccessful. The success part of it was only short lived as alcohol made its way back to the market. The sellers now even targeted the people who did not drink previously. The problems associated to alcoholism increased, rendering the entire prohibition effort a waste of time and resources.
Works cited
Eberhart, Robert N., Charles E. Eesley, and Kathleen M. Eisenhardt. “Failure is an option: Institutional change, entrepreneurial risk, and new firm growth.” Organization Science 28.1 (2017): 93-112.
Till, Hilary. “Brief Case Studies on Futures Contract Successes and Failures.” The Journal of Alternative Investments 18.3 (2016): 39.
