The Rise of the Ku Klux Klan: Right-Wing Movements and National Politics (Volume 32)

by Rory McVeigh

Rory McVeigh provides a revealing analysis of the broad social agenda of the 1920s-era Ku Klux Klan, showing that although the organization continued to promote white supremacy, it also addressed a wide range of social and economic issues, targeting immigrants and Catholics as well as African Americans as dangers to American society. In sharp contrast to earlier studies of the KKK, McVeigh treats the Klan as it saw itself-as a national organization concerned with national issues.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, American History

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Anil Kahvecioglu]

McVeigh’s analysis material is very specific and he exploits it in a very organized and fruitful way to explain the mobilization process of the KKK during the 1920s. However, this book is interesting not because it is a book about the KKK, but because the theoretical contribution he makes.

McVeigh formulates a mobilization model called Power Devaluation Model. I think this model says something important to social movements literature for two reasons. First, neither resource mobilization, nor political opportunity theories are useful to understand a right wing movement, as they are formulated to grasp how disadvantegous groups mobilize or find an opportunity to raise their voices. But when it comes to a right wing movement, which inherently builds itself up the desire for the protection of the privileges one already has, their power of explanation becomes insufficient if not irrelevant. The author argues that we need also a theory to clarify the mobilization of right wing movements in this respect. So power devaluation model, which includes three variables and analyzed very well in each chapters, is a strong and reasonable option for social movement researchers if they are interested in right wing groups who do not want to lose the advantages and privileges they have.

Second, this model makes a very good job through the partial re-introduction of the classical model in social movements theory. Approaching in a very cautious way and dismissing the ideas of irrational or isolated actors, he emphasizes that classical theories are not totally irrelevant today but instead contribute to the comprehension of right wing movements. He is close to classical model as he argues that the structural changes in the society may engender discontent among individuals and groups which might encourage them to form new initiatives.

For those who are interested in the KKK, I can’t say that this is the right or wrong book because I don’t know much about the KKK specifically. Yet for those who have an interest in conservative, right-wing movements, this book offers a fresh theoretical toolkit that can be utilized for so many other cases.

[hafsa]

listen i read this for a class and you bet i’m gonna use it towards my book count of the year!

[Tobi ﾄﾋﾞ]

McVeigh offers a fascinating and meticulously researched account of how the Klan of the 1920s managed to grow beyond its Southern stronghold and achieve a genuinely national presence. McVeigh shows that the movement’s self-presentation as “100 percent American” was more than a slogan; it was a unifying rallying cry for white, native-born Protestants who felt their economic, social, and political power was slipping away in a rapidly modernising, post–World War I United States. What makes this book interesting is McVeigh’s attention to the paradox of the Klan thriving in places where Catholic or Black populations were often minuscule. He explains that what truly mattered was a sense of power devaluation, whereby members perceived themselves as losing influence and status amidst changing urban and industrial conditions, even if the immediate demographic threats were largely absent on the ground.

One of the book’s great strengths is its detailed look at the Klan’s organisational strategies, from the role of the Imperial Night Hawk newspaper in circulating national news and fostering a sense of unity, to the way local chapters adapted broader grievances to fit their specific circumstances. The notion of a national movement that addressed macro-level concerns, like immigration, moral decline, and economic security, whilst also speaking to local anxieties helps to explain why some communities, such as Kokomo in Indiana, saw remarkably high membership rates despite not facing any pressing immigration or racial issues. McVeigh advances the “power devaluation model” to argue that conventional theories, focusing on resource mobilisation or political opportunities, don’t fully capture why advantaged, middle-class groups gravitate to extremist movements. Instead, he shows that a perceived loss of purchasing power in economic, political, and status realms can spur defensive mobilisations like the Klan’s, particularly in an era of rapid demographic and cultural change. The result is a richly textured book that excels at connecting the Klan’s ideological appeals (white supremacy, anti-Catholicism, and militant nativism) with a broader historical context of post-war insecurity and nationwide social transformations.

McVeigh’s work stands out for its methodical analysis of local conditions alongside national trends, illuminating why the Klan gained traction in some areas more than others. He is careful to show that the Klan of the 1920s was less a regional quirk and more a movement capitalising on the collective anxieties of white Protestants determined to preserve their vision of American identity. The breadth and depth of research here are impressive, especially for anyone seeking to understand right-wing extremism beyond the South. By highlighting how shifting urbanisation, industrialisation, and immigration patterns left many people feeling socially and politically precarious, McVeigh reveals how the Klan stitched together local grievances under a unifying national banner.

[Lingui5t]

Not great. Overly theoretical. A social science text drawing from only one source is rather boring; would rather have just read issues of the Imperial Night-Hawk instead. His power devaluation model/theory is only halfheartedly promoted here, but his way of speaking about it is as if it's some grandiose, groundbreaking system.

Hardly a masterwork.

[Lura]

I read this book for a class that I am taking, and to be frank I did not like it that much. The book focuses on the second rising of the KKK, basically its revival in 1915, and not the original movement itself. What I found extremely irritating is that the majority of the data have been extracted from the KKK's own newspaper ˆThe Imperial Night-Hawkˆ.

It does provide a very different view on KKK - it offers a macrostructural framework of analysis, and the book tries to elucidate the three different components that incited the KKK's mobilization. McVeigh poses a new social movement analysis theory "the power devaluation model" through which he tries to explain how privileged groups, when feeling threatened politically, economically, and socially by other groups try to preserve or regain their privileges.

It's an interesting read to some extent, but I got annoyed from the lack of historical background for the general reader [such as myself:]...