Prohibition Timeline

Formed in 1853 and inspired by the Maine law in the United States, the United Kingdom Alliance aimed at promoting a similar law prohibiting the sale of alcohol in the UK.

Image source: United Kingdom Alliance

The impotence of prohibition legislation was demonstrated when the Sale of Beer Act 1854, which restricted Sunday opening hours, had to be repealed following widespread rioting.

Image source: Prohibition

In 1859, a prototype prohibition bill was overwhelmingly defeated in the House of Commons, despite ongoing campaigns by Quakers, Methodists, and temperance movements such as Band of Hope.

Image source: Zombie knife

Indigenous peoples in Canada were subject to prohibitory alcohol laws under the Indian Act of 1876. Sections regarding liquor were not repealed for over a hundred years, until 1985.

Image source: Indian Act

An official, but non-binding, federal referendum on prohibition was held in Canada in 1898. As a result, Canadian prohibition was instead enacted through provincial laws during the first 20 years of the 20th century.

Image source: 1898 Canadian prohibition plebiscite

One notable example of local prohibition in New Zealand was the southern city of Invercargill, which was dry from 1907 to 1943.

Image source: Temperance movement in New Zealand

In New Zealand, prohibition was a moralistic reform movement begun in the mid-1880s by Protestant evangelical churches, the WCTU, and after 1890 the Prohibition League. Prohibition had a majority in a national referendum in 1911, but needed a 60% vote to pass.

In 1911, King O'Malley, Minister of Home Affairs, shepherded laws through Parliament preventing new issue or transfer of licences to sell alcohol, to address unruly behaviour among workers building the new capital city. The Federal Parliament repealed the laws after residents voted to end them in a 1928 plebiscite.

At the Queen's Hall meeting, Lord Channing said it was a pity that the whole Cabinet did not follow the example of King George V and Lord Kitchener when in 1914 those two called for complete prohibition for the duration of the war.

On 22 March 1917, at a crowded meeting in the Queen's Hall in London chaired by Alfred Booth, influential figures including Agnes Weston spoke against alcohol consumption. General Sir Reginald Hart wrote that practically all unhappiness and crime in the Army was due to drink.

Canada enacted a national prohibition from 1918 to 1920 as a temporary wartime measure, complementing provincial prohibition laws passed especially during the 1910s.

Image source: Prohibition in Canada

Edwin Scrymgeour served as Member of Parliament for Dundee between 15 November 1922 and 8 October 1931. He had founded the Scottish Prohibition Party in 1901 and stood unsuccessfully for parliament between 1908 and 1922 before winning.

Image source: Edwin Scrymgeour

The Depression and war years effectively ended New Zealand's prohibition movement, but their 6 pm closing hour remained until October 1967 when it was extended to 10 pm.

Image source: Six o'clock swill

In 1907, the Faroe Islands passed a law prohibiting all sale of alcohol, which remained in force until 1992. Very restricted private importation from Denmark was allowed from 1928 onwards.

Image source: British occupation of the Faroe Islands

In 1910 the temperance organisations in Sweden had some 330,000 members, about 6% of a population of 5.5 million. The Nordic countries' strong temperance movements, linked to Christian revivalism and worker organisations, heavily influenced Nordic politicians in the early 20th century.

In 1914, Sweden put in place a rationing system for alcohol, the Bratt System, which remained in force until 1955. A referendum in 1922 later rejected an attempt to enforce total prohibition.

In 1915, Iceland instituted total prohibition. The ban for wine was lifted in 1922 and spirits in 1935, but beer remained prohibited until 1989, circumvented by mixing light beer and spirits.

In 1916, Norway prohibited distilled beverages, and in 1917 the prohibition was extended to also include fortified wine and beer. The wine and beer ban was lifted in 1923, and in 1927 the ban of distilled beverages was also lifted.

Image source: 1919 Norwegian prohibition referendum

In 1919, Finland enacted prohibition as one of the first acts after independence from the Russian Empire; four previous attempts had failed due to opposition from the tsar. After large-scale smuggling and rising crime, a national referendum saw 70% vote for repeal, and prohibition was abolished in early 1932.

In 1955 Sri Lanka passed a law prohibiting adult women from buying alcohol. In January 2018, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera announced that the law would be amended, allowing women to legally consume alcohol and work in venues that sell alcohol.

Pakistan allowed the free sale and consumption of alcohol for three decades from 1947, but restrictions were introduced by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto just weeks before he was removed as prime minister in 1977.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Muslims in Iran are banned from selling and drinking alcohol, but some people trade and sell it illegally.

Image source: Alcohol in Iran

On 14 September 2012, the Government of the Czech Republic banned all sales of alcoholic drinks with more than 20% alcohol following methanol poisoning cases. The last bans were lifted on 10 October 2012, when neighbouring Slovakia and Poland allowed its import once again.

Image source: 2012 Czech Republic methanol poisonings

In the 2013 elections, there was a proposal that existing alcohol-free days be extended to five days per week.

During the coronavirus outbreak of 2020, alcohol sales, and even the transportation of alcohol outside of one's home, was made illegal in some countries. This order came into effect during the nationwide lockdown on 27 March 2020.

A 2022 study found that the alcohol prohibition reduced injury-induced mortality by at least 14% (a conservative estimate) and sharply reduced violent crime.