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Article: Radical Right
- Article from:
- Dictionary of American History
- Author:
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RADICAL RIGHT
RADICAL RIGHT.
The
radical right
is a term applied in the United States to sociopolitical movements and political factions and parties that develop in response to supposed threats against American values and interests. Such backlashes usually stem from rapid social or economic change that sparks a reaction among groups seeking to maintain or narrow lines of power and privilege. They justify their actions by discounting the legitimacy of their opponents, seeing them as agents of an un-American conspiracy not deserving of political respect or constitutional protection.
Threats to the religious values of the traditional evangelical groups gave rise in the late 1790s and ...