1940–1980: McCarthyism, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Left

Abstract

When World War II ended, a variety of terrorist groups was in operation in the United States. Some types of terrorism were similar to those that had existed in the past while others were relatively new to the country. McCarthyism and related activities, which gained impetus from the cold war, were in some respects a repeat of the Red Scare. The perceived dangers, in the case of McCarthyism, were related to the global conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union rather than just the fear of the presence of radical dissidents in some domestic organization. The civil rights struggle for greater equality for black Americans provoked violent responses from white supremacists. The Ku Klux Klan reappeared for a third time and joined with other groups in using violence to prevent the achievement of racial equality. The inequality between blacks and whites also led to riots and protests in the ghettos and to some use of terrorism by black nationalist groups. The U.S. presence in Indochina resulted in an upsurge in leftist opposition that eventually ended in violent campaigns as members of the left, especially the young, sought to indicate their opposition to U.S. involvement in Vietnam and Southeast Asia in general. U.S. foreign policy during this period started becoming a reason for terrorist attacks.