CHAPTER II 
COMPLETE PROHIBITION AND ITS EFFECTS 
The Gradual Development of the Prohibition Movement in the 
United States—The Effects of National Prohibition on Alcohol 
Consumption—The Effects of National Prohibition on Drunken- 
ness and Deaths from Alcoholism—The Effects of National 
Prohibition on Crime—The Economic Effects of National 
Prohibition—The Effects of National Prohibition on Respect 
for the Law—What of the Future P—Prohibition in Finland. 
THE GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROHIBITION 
MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES. 
OF the numerous countries which have made experi- 
ments in prohibition, only two, the United States of 
America and Finland, have legalised and adopted 
complete prohibition, and retain it to the present day. 
In each country the system has now been in force for 
several years, so that we are able to judge to some 
extent not only the immediate effects, but what are 
likely to be the effects in future years. 
The prohibition movement in the United States is 
by no means a modern development. The State of 
Maine adopted complete prohibition as long ago as 
1851, whilst Kansas followed suit in 1880. Four 
other States’ introduced it between 1907 and 1909, 
and another twenty-seven between 1912 and 1919. 
Hence no less than thirty-three out of the forty-eight 
States had adopted it prior to the introduction of 
national prohibition.* In consequence, over 95 per 
* ¢ Alliance Year Beuak," 1924, p- 1538.