On January 17, 1920, six armed men robbed a Chicago freight train. But it wasn’t money they were after. Less than one hour after spirits had become illegal throughout the United States, the robbers made off with thousands of dollars worth of whiskey. It was a first taste of the unintended consequences of Prohibition.
1920 年 1 月 17 日，六個全副武裝的男性 搶劫了一輛芝加哥的貨運火車， 他們的目標卻不是為了錢。 當烈酒在美國全境被禁的 一小時之內， 價值數千美金的威士忌被劫走。 這是禁酒令頒布後帶來的 第一個出人意料的後果。
The nationwide ban on the production and sale of alcohol in the United States came on the heels of a similar ban in Russia that started as a wartime measure during World War I. But the view in the Western world of alcohol as a primary cause of social ills was much older. It first gained traction during the Industrial Revolution as new populations of workers poured into cities and men gathered in saloons to drink.
這個在美國全境禁絕酒精生產和銷售的決定 可以追溯到一戰期間， 作為戰時措施， 蘇聯頒布過的一個類似的禁令。 但在西方世界裡， 酒精早已被視為社會弊病的源頭。 這種論調在第一次工業革命期間 開始日漸風靡。 當時成群的勞工湧進城市， 聚眾飲酒。
By the 19th century, anti-drinking groups called temperance movements began to appear in the United States and parts of Europe. Temperance groups believed that alcohol was the fundamental driver behind problems like poverty and domestic violence, and set out to convince governments of this. While some simply advocated moderate drinking, many believed alcohol should be banned entirely.
到了 19 世紀，反飲酒組織的 「禁酒運動」（temperance movements） 開始在美國和歐洲部分地區萌芽。 禁酒組織相信酒精是 貧窮、家庭暴力等問題的元兇， 並致力於向政府傳達這一信息。 儘管一部分人倡導適量飲酒， 但多數人深信酒精應該被徹底禁止。
These movements drew support from broad sectors of society. Women’s organizations were active participants from the beginning, arguing that alcohol made men neglect their families and abuse their wives. Religious authorities, especially Protestants, denounced alcohol as leading to temptation and sin. Progressive labor activists believed alcohol consumption harmed workers』 ability to organize.
這些運動受到社會各界領袖 廣泛的支持和資助。 女性組織從一開始 就活躍地參與其中， 聲稱酒精讓男人 無視家庭並虐待配偶。 宗教領袖，特別是基督新教教徒， 還曾公開發聲，認定酒精 是誘惑和罪惡之源。 進步勞工活動家相信 飲酒有損工人的組織能力。
Governments weren’t strangers to the idea of prohibition, either. In the United States and Canada, white settlers introduced hard liquors like rum to Native communities, then blamed alcohol for disrupting these communities— though there were many other destructive aspects of their interactions. The American and Canadian governments banned the sale of alcohol to Native populations and on reservation land.
政府對這種禁令同樣不陌生。 在美國和加拿大， 白人殖民者為當地原住民 引進了朗姆酒等烈酒， 然後將這些社區 受到的破壞歸罪於酒精—— 儘管這些毀滅性打擊 是由殖民者的其他行為造成的。 美國和加拿大政府 禁止了向美國原住民、 以及在原住民保留地內賣酒的行為。
American temperance movements gained their first victories at the state and local levels, with Maine and several other states banning the sale and production of liquor in the 1850s. In 1919 the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of all alcoholic beverages.
美國禁酒運動在各州政府 與各個社區內初戰告捷： 緬因州等其他幾個州 在 19 世紀 50 年代 禁止了酒精的生產與銷售。1919 年，美國第 18 次憲法修正案 禁止了對所有酒類飲品的 生產、銷售，以及運輸。
The amendment took effect a year later under the Volstead Act. Since the act did not ban personal consumption, wealthy people took the opportunity to stock up while restaurants and bars rushed to sell their remaining supply.
一年後，修正案的沃爾斯泰德法 （Volstead Act 又稱 「禁酒法」 ）生效。 由於法令並沒有禁止個人飲酒， 一些富人趁此機會大量買入飯店和酒吧 急於出售的存酒。
Workers lost their jobs as distilleries, breweries, and wineries closed down. Meanwhile, organized crime groups rushed to meet the demand for alcohol, establishing a lucrative black market in producing, smuggling, and selling illicit liquor. Often they worked side-by side with corrupt policemen and government officials, even bombing the 1928 primary election for Illinois state attorney in support of a particular political faction.
勞工們隨著烈酒場，啤酒廠 和紅酒廠的倒閉而紛紛失業。 同時，有組織的犯罪激增， 以滿足人們對酒精的需求， 生產、走私、販賣非法酒精 以獲取暴利的黑市漸漸成型。 他們常常與腐敗的警察 以及政府官員合作， 甚至出於對某政治派系的支持， 用炸彈襲擊了1928 年 伊利諾州首席檢察官的選舉活動。
Tens of thousands of illegal bars, known as "speakeasies," began serving alcohol. They ranged from dingy basement bars to elaborate dance-halls. People could also make alcohol at home for their own consumption, or obtain it legally with a doctor’s prescription or for religious purposes. To prevent industrial alcohol from being consumed, the government required manufacturers to add harmful chemicals, leading to thousands of poisoning deaths.
成千上萬的非法酒館， 俗稱 」speakeasies「, 開始賣酒。 他們存在於狹窄的地下室， 也出現在裝飾考究的舞蹈大廳。 人們還會在家自己釀酒飲用， 也能憑醫生處方 或出於宗教原因而合法獲取。 為了防止人們飲用工業酒精， 政府要求製造商在酒精中 添加有害的化學物質， 由此被毒死的人數以千計。
We don’t know exactly how much people were drinking during Prohibition because illegal alcohol wasn’t regulated or taxed. But by the late 1920s, it was clear that Prohibition had not brought the social improvements it had promised. Instead it contributed to political corruption and organized crime and was flouted by millions of citizens. At one raid on an Detroit beer hall, the local sheriff, mayor and a congressman were arrested for drinking.
我們無法獲取人們在禁酒期間 飲酒量的具體數據， 因為非法酒精交易 無人監督，也無需上稅。 但到了 20 世紀 20 年代末， 顯而易見的是，禁酒運動並沒有 帶來預想中的社會進步。 恰恰相反，它變成了腐敗政客 以及犯罪組織的溫床， 並遭到幾百萬群眾的漠視。 在一次底特律啤酒館的突擊檢查中， 當地警長、市長， 還有一位國會議員因飲酒被捕。
With the start of the Great Depression in 1929, the government sorely needed the tax revenue from alcohol sales, and believed that lifting Prohibition would stimulate the economy. In 1933, Congress passed the 21st Amendment repealing the 18th— the only amendment to be fully repealed.
1929 年大蕭條開始後， 政府急需酒精交易帶來的稅收， 相信取消禁酒令會有刺激經濟的作用。1933 年，國會通過了第二十一條修正案， 同時廢除了第十八條修正案—— 這是唯一一個 被徹底否決的憲法修正案。
Members of the temperance movements believed that alcohol was the root of society’s problems, but the reality is more complicated. And while banning it completely didn’t work, the health and social impacts of alcohol remain concerns today.
禁酒運動的倡導者曾經相信 酒精是社會問題的根源所在， 但現實比那複雜得多。 徹底禁絕酒類 並未取得預期的效果， 飲酒對健康以及社會的影響 直至今天仍在繼續。