Our seventh committee Castellammarese War which is an advanced-level committee. The Castellammarese War was a bloody power struggle for control between the partisans of Joe “The Boss” Masseria and those of Salvatore Maranzano, “Little Caesar.” It was so named because Maranzano was based in Castellammare del Golfo in Sicily. Historically, Maranzano's faction won and declared itself capo di tutti capi, “boss of bosses”, the undisputed leader of the entire Mafia. Soon after, however, he was killed by a group of young upstarts led by Lucky Luciano, who set up a power-sharing arrangement called “The Commission” made up of five Mafia families of equal status to avoid such battles in the future. The Castellammarese War was the single event that gave birth to Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather, and the name Vito, Latin for life, in The Godfather was inspired by Vito Bonverte (The King), who lost his life in this war, and Vito Genovese. The war that Al Capone (Scarface) actively fought on Masseria's side as the leader of the Chicago Outfit is arguably the biggest event and the Champions League of Mafia history, but beyond all of this series of events, the destructiveness and death brought about by this war laid the foundation for the fear and hatred of the Mafia, especially among the government and society. You, the gentlemen of this committee, will relive and restore the history of this bloody mafia while holding your principles, values, and families sacred.

 

Agenda Item: Rivalries causing unrest within New York’s Mafia circles

 

Under Secretary General: Erdem Demirci

Academic Assistant: Deniz Eral Kaygusuz