Final answer:
The Red Scare, characterized by fear of communism and radical ideologies, led to the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan and the rise of anti-immigrant sentiments due to nativist beliefs and racial anxieties in early 20th century American society.
Step-by-step explanation:
Impact of the Red Scare on the KKK and Anti-Immigrant Movements
The Red Scare in the United States can be directly linked to the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and the rise of anti-immigrant sentiments in the early 20th century. The Red Scare, prompted by fear of communist infiltrators following the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, led Americans to embrace nativism - the idea that the nation should preserve the dominance of native-born citizens of Northern European descent. This fear was compounded by concerns over unemployment, attributed by many to the influx of immigrants, and social unrest, such as the Red Summer of 1919, which brought race riots and violence against minority communities.
Amidst this turmoil, the new Klan emerged, proclaiming a return to "Americanism" and asserting whites of Northern European descent as the rightful inhabitants of the country. They sought to halt immigration from nonwhite and non-Protestant nations, influenced by eugenicist ideologies that equated immigrants with inferior races. This blend of racism and pseudoscience gained traction and manifested in calls for greater immigration restrictions and violence against minority groups.
The KKK's growth was facilitated by a sense of solidarity among whites who, while perhaps not agreeing with the Klan's tactics, shared many of its underlying prejudices. This shared intolerance, combined with a fear of rapid social change and disenchantment with urbanization, allowed the Klan to swell in membership, reaching four million at its peak in the 1920s. Thus, the Red Scare translated into the KKK's revival and anti-immigrant movements, reflecting and exacerbating deep-seated racial and nativist anxieties present in American society.