The origins of the Mafia are lost in the mists of Sicily's tortured history. Scholars disagree on whether the term came from maehfil, meaning union in the language of the 9th century Arab conquerors of Sicily, or from the Tuscan word maffia, signifying poverty or misery. But there is little doubt that centuries of foreign occupation and feudal oppression turned Sicily into a unique breeding ground for organized crime.
The precursors of the modern Mafia were the compagnie d'armi, small private armies that feudal overlords employed to enforce their authority. In the absence...
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