Smashing the Liquor Machine: A Global History of Prohibition

Smashing the Liquor Machine: A Global History of Prohibition by Mark Lawrence Schrad

The history of prohibition has been significantly rewritten from the modern point of view. Today it is often seen as a moral crusade by the religious right to inflict middle class values on the working class. However, during the time, it was primarily the oppressed fighting against those in power. An analogy today would be the attacks on big pharma for their role in the opioid epidemic. 

Taxes on alcohol sales were often a primary driver of revenue for governments. In addition, licenses to sell alcohol would be hard to come by. Regulation was often a means of controls. Laws prohibiting alcohol sales on Sundays would only be enforced on those establishments that failed to pay appropriate bribes. The lower classes tended to suffer the greatest damage. Saloon owners would encourage them to stay and drink more and more. It would cost the poor money as well as cause difficulty in the community. The damages were also inflicted on other countries occupied by Americans (such as the Philippines and Cuba)

Prohibition and temperance sought to resolve problems. The primary attack was on the liquor traffic, not the individual consumer. Abolition, universal suffrage and prohibition were closely entwined as part of the progressive platform. Blacks and Native Americans were especially drawn towards abolition as it caused great harm in their communities.  Even today, dry areas can be often found in areas with large Native American populations, such as Indian Reservations and Alaskan villages.

The book provides a very thorough history of prohibition worldwide. There were differences from place to place. However, a common theme is money and corruption. Those in power see alcohol as a great way to subjugate and extract money from those without. The author spends significant time flipping the modern narrative on its head.