funnel capital to the Mafia and took control of Sicily's government. (Omerta? The History of the American Mafia, users.aol.com/whizkid01) In addition to Sicily, the mid-1800's saw the Mafia spread throughout all of Italy, helped along by the unification of Italy in 1860. The Mafia systematically took control of the smalltime local politicians and by the dawn of the twentieth century, had gained control of Italy's parliament. The Mafia ruled Italy with a mighty hand, controlling Italy through fear and pure power rather than through benevolence and charity. This form of government, the oppression of the masses, was the way the Mafia ran its holdings dating back to the sixteenth century, to the
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