What was the "great social experiment" that brought about the Eighteenth Amendment?

The 18th Amendment of the US Constitution established a national prohibition of production, transportation, import, export and sales of intoxicating liquors. It followed many decades of social pressures and activism. The practical application of the amendment was regulated by the Volstead Act. The legislation was motivated by moral and ethical intentions: to reduce crime levels, to prevent violence, to encougare moral behavior. Nevertheless, it failed and illegal import and sales of alcohol were a huge business, it estimulated the power and business of criminal gangs. It was repealed by the 21st Amendment in the 1930s.