The further back in American history one travels, the harder it is to maintain a sense of political “left” and “right” that is consistent with modern party affiliations or other delineations.
Historian Dr. Mark Pitcavage wrote the quote above in an evaluation for the GWU Program on Extremism. The reality in the United States is that far-right racism differs from the simplistic terms used by media, political leaders, and pundits.
Moreover, the problem is too complex to assume that extreme right and far right are white supremacy synonyms. Pitcavage explained the ideological fringe groups are equally complicated, which further magnifies why simple terms fail to explain the vast extremist landscape.
The far-right supremacy landscape includes nativism, anti-Semitism, and political sinistrophobia (extreme hostility about socialism and communism or the morbid fear of things on the left), the historian added.
These four belief systems dominated extremists and became these far-right terror groups’ foundation in the 19th century and continued throughout the 20th, “with white supremacy and anti-communist extremism constituting its most important pillars, nativist anger emerging cyclically, and anti-Semitism intertwined with all three.”
While white supremacy is a significant piece of the extremist landscape, only 43% of far-right attacks and plots are orchestrated by white supremacists. Dr. Pitcavage organized the various extremist factions as follows:
White Supremacy
Traditional White Supremacy started after the Civil War and the end of slavery in response to perceived threats to white dominance during the Lynching era (beginning in the 1830s) and Reconstruction era (1863-1877). These periods birthed two violent Ku Klux Klan movements. Despite declining membership, the KKK remains active today.
Nazism and Neo-Nazism: George Lincoln Rockwell founded the American Nazi Party in 1959. His mission was to kill all Jews, send Blacks to Africa, and further other racial policies. Some of Rockwell’s followers started new groups after his assassination. His legacy continues in the National Socialist White Workers Party of America and new organizations such as Atomwaffen Division and the National Socialist Legion.
Religious White Supremacy: These religious sects slowly materialized and reached their peak influence in the 1980s and 1990s. Christian Identity emerged in 19791, and Norse paganism2 arose in the 1960s and 1970s.
Racist Skinheads are an offshoot of the Skinheads in Great Britain. However, groups in the United States include white supremacy in their violent agenda. Racist skinheads reached their apex from the 1990s through the mid-2000s.
White Supremacist Prison Gangs: Despite originating behind bars in the 1960s, the Aryan Brotherhood gangs grew in the 1980s when the state prison system ended racial segregation. They operate as organized crime entities and steadfastly prioritize traditional criminal rather than ideological agendas.
Alt-Right: In the 2010s, another white supremacist organization, the alt-right movement, appeared on the scene. Its members’ beliefs draw from at least three ideologies: white supremacist dogma, paleoconservatism3, and identitarianism4. Additionally, they are influenced by online subculture sites like Reddit, 4chan, and 8chan.
Far-Right Single-Issue Movements
Anti-Abortion Extremists have bombed/burned clinics and murdered doctors for performing abortions. They believe it is their responsibility to stop abortions, no matter the cost.
Anti-Immigration Extremists, aka the Nativist movement, are motivated by racism. These white supremacists have engaged in vigilante activities along the country’s southern border since the 1980s. According to the SPLC, the levels of “anti-immigrant xenophobia began to rise to levels not seen in the U.S. since the 1920s.”
Anti-Muslim Extremists: In the past two decades, Islamophobia has risen dramatically. In the U.S., this movement demonizes Islam and Muslims using conspiracy theories and propaganda. Additionally, records show some adherents are willing to use arson and other attacks on mosques.
Anti-LGBTQ+ Extremists have used demonizing rhetoric and dangerous pseudoscience to forward their agenda since 1977 under the guise of "religious liberty.” These hate groups introduced hundreds of bills across the U.S. in 2021 alone. The movement sought legislative restrictions against the LGBTQ community, particularly trans and gender-non-conforming individuals. Additionally, 2201 witnessed an extreme increase in fatal violence, with 57 fatalities.
The next Dangerous Discourse Part II will explore anti-government extremists in the United States, and Part III will address left-wing extremists. Subscribe to be notified when these are published.