Suchergebnisse

Italian sociol'ts of the late 19th cent have described the Maffia above all as a soc plague. This has limited the study of a phenomena. The Maffia is certainly related to the lingering traces of feudalism which characterize Sicily (thus explaining, for example, the recourse to extralegal violence). But its vigor in the second half of the 19th cent must be attributed principally to the alliance of the new landed bourgeoisie, enriched by the purchase of noble & Church properties, with the traditional aristocracy. The Maffia, recruited from peasant circles, serves to defend this dominating class by retarding the formation of a middling peasantry. The exploitation by the 'mafiosi' of both the large land owners & the peasants is extremely profitable, permitting some of them to enter the ranks of the bourgeoisie. This soc role added to the control of the administration explains the strong position of the Maffia in Sicily. IPSA.