#3- The KKK, NOW, SNCC, and the FSM are considered to be much more successful than the IWW and the Communist party. Though, the success wasn’t completely dependent on the actions of the organization. In fact, many external factors made the difference. For one, the three post 1950 movements happened in a time period when rebellion was becoming the norm. Economically, the country was stable just coming out of war. Social movements were more accepted, so traction came easily. Even though the KKK’s movement started much earlier, they garnered support because their platform was centered on fear. With historical changes such as post WWI, higher immigration and crime rates, and the Great Depression, people looked to the KKK for safety. More importantly, as the country entered a progressive time period, the KKK advocated for things to stay or even return to a lifestyle prior to the 1900’s. On the other end, the IWW and the Communist party wanted major changes to America. Even though the two gathered support, their goals couldn’t be achieved because of general fear in America. Things like Red Scare skepticism, anxiety of economic instability, and no prior social movement success discouraged the …show more content…
For one, the four successful groups put an emphasis on media attention. The groups also prioritized protests, and often times, these protests garnered media coverage, which allowed for more national attention. In addition, the groups put a huge stress on policy change. Whether that be at a large scale, like SNCC or NOW in the national legislature. Or at a local level like Berkley and Denver, Colorado with the FSM and the KKK. Political change was made evident throughout. On the other end of the spectrum, the non-successful movements wanted huge cultural shifts, instead of political change. Completely changing the dominant working environment or an economic system will never be an easy