Editing Coercive monopoly (section)

==Private coercion==
A [[corporation]] which successfully engages in [[coercion]] to the extent that it eliminates the possibility of competition operates a coercive monopoly. A firm may use illegal or non-economic methods, such as [[extortion]], to achieve and retain a coercive monopoly position. A company which has become the sole supplier of a commodity through non-coercive means (such as by simply outcompeting all other firms) may theoretically then go on to become a coercive monopoly if it maintains its position by engaging in coercive [[barriers to entry]]. The most famous historical examples of this type of coercive monopoly began in 1920, when the [[Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution]] went into effect. This period, called [[Prohibition]], presented lucrative opportunities for [[organized crime]] to take over the importation ("[[rum-running|bootlegging]]"), manufacture, and distribution of alcoholic beverages. [[Al Capone]], one of the most famous [[bootleg liquor|bootleggers]], built his criminal empire largely on profits from illegal alcohol and effectively used coercion (including [[murder]]) to impose barriers to entry on his competitors. However, even private coercive monopolies almost invariably require government support, whether direct or indirect. In Capone's case, the U.S. government created the necessary conditions for a coercive monopoly by outlawing the manufacture and sale of alcohol, thereby enabling unnaturally high profits on the black market, and was not providing the usual service of enforcing trade contracts.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}} Likewise, some [[Political corruption|corrupt public officials]] took bribes that ensured that Capone would receive preferential treatment against potential competitors.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Behr |first=Edward |title=Prohibition: Thirteen Years that Changed America |publisher=Arcade Publishing |year=1996 |isbn=9781559703567 |pages=189}}</ref>