How Did The Cold War Affect The Civil Rights Movement

Upon the conclusion of World War 2 (WWII), African Americans had an optimistic view of future race relations in the United States. As Patricia Sullivan mentioned in Movement Building During World War 2, blacks felt since they had labored in the factories to supply the war materials which facilitated in the winning of WWII and fought and suffered casualties on behalf of America just as whites had, they too should be able to receive the same rights as their white counterparts and work alongside them as well. The Civil Rights Movement attempted to resume furthering racial equality and desegregation, but was setback for an entire decade by one factor, the Cold War. African Americans saw a need for desegregation, and with the leadership of the NAACP, blacks succeeded in their fight for their legal rights as citizens of the United States.
The Cold War was detrimental in the progression of the Civil Rights Movement. “The impact of the Cold War, the anti-communist purges and near-totalitarian social environment, had a devastating effect upon the cause of blacks’ civil rights and civil liberties.” (Marable 2007) The fear of Communism and the fear of the consequences for speaking out against the government
They proved themselves more than willing to sacrifice for the US. Black soldiers returned home and to their dismay were still treated as second-class citizens. A need for change was apparent. But it would have to wait. The Cold War between the Soviet Union and US began and the Red Scare was rampant. This caused the Civil Rights Movement to be delayed heavily due to the focus of foreign affairs rather than the civil rights affairs needing to be fixed in America. For a decade, the movement was pushed back but it soon erupted and transformed into a persistent rally for change. Through the slow and not-so steady struggle, blacks fought for desegregation and began on the road to