Prohibition or the `Noble Experiment' as it was known, was the banning of the manufacture, sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. `Intoxicating liqour' as it was known was defined by the Volstead Act of 1920 as any drink containing more than 0.5% alcohol. This prohibited wines, beers and spirits. Until 1919 Prohibition had always been a state rather than a federal issue, the Eighteenth Amendment of that year changed that. Responsibility for enforcement was given to the Treasury. "The law...where it is not obeyed, will be enforced. Liqour will not be hauled in anything on the surface of the earth or under the earth or in the air". It was estimated that $5 million would be enough to fund the task. Instead only $2 million was allocated.

Prohibition illustrates well the contradictions in American society and politics during this period. Supported by those who looked to the government for `moral regulation' -...