The Great Depression (1920–1940)

Summary

The Conservative Backlash: 1919–1929

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Summary The Conservative Backlash: 1919–1929

The newer, bigger, angrier KKK was also a significant part of the fundamentalist movement during the first half of the decade. Though the Klan existed primarily to intimidate minority groups, it also served as a social organization for conservatives, especially in the South and Midwest. Klansmen and -women would organize picnics, parades, parties, and festivals for members to celebrate and discuss politics. Membership dwindled, however, after numerous scandals were uncovered within the organization. In addition, other conservative movements of the 1920s began to achieve many of the Klan’s goals: “undesirable” immigrants were being turned away, Prohibition was in effect, communists were being persecuted, fundamentalists had won the Scopes Monkey Trial, and the economy was “roaring.”