This question refers to the following passage:

“Beginning in the 1930s and lasting into the 1940s, black Chicago experienced a cultural renaissance.... Chicago had become a major destination for black southern migrants.... It was also an urban industrial center. This fact gave a unique working-class and internationalist perspective to the cultural work that would take place there....

“A desire to live freely in ‘the metropolis’ continued to characterize the aspirations of migrants as second-wave Chicago migrants arrived.... The 1930s and 1940s witnessed a resurgence of black working-class political radicalism that was captured and reflected in the expressive visual and literary productions of Chicago Black Renaissance artists.”

Darlene Clark Hine, historian, The Black Chicago Renaissance, 2012

Which of the following most likely contributed to the decline of the “political radicalism” referred to in the excerpt?

Question

This question refers to the following passage:

“Beginning in the 1930s and lasting into the 1940s, black Chicago experienced a cultural renaissance.... Chicago had become a major destination for black southern migrants.... It was also an urban industrial center. This fact gave a unique working-class and internationalist perspective to the cultural work that would take place there....

“A desire to live freely in ‘the metropolis’ continued to characterize the aspirations of migrants as second-wave Chicago migrants arrived.... The 1930s and 1940s witnessed a resurgence of black working-class political radicalism that was captured and reflected in the expressive visual and literary productions of Chicago Black Renaissance artists.”

Darlene Clark Hine, historian, The Black Chicago Renaissance, 2012

Which of the following most likely contributed to the decline of the “political radicalism” referred to in the excerpt?

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To approach this question, I will first restate what the prompt provides and then evaluate the given choice.
The excerpt discusses a Black Chicago Renaissance in the 1930s–1940s, highlighting a period of political radicalism within the Black working class that was expressed through visual and literary works. The question asks which factor most likely contributed to the decline of this political radicalism.
Option: 'Anticommunist measures during the Cold War.'
Analysis of this option:
- The Cold War era, particularly from the late 1940s onward, featured heightened anti-communist sentiment in the United States, including actions like loyalty programs, blacklists, and aggressive investigations. This climate often suppressed or stigmatized radical political expression, especially if it was associated with socialism or communism.
- Given the timeline in the passage (1930s–1940s) and the description of a decline in political radicalism, the escalation of anticommunist measures during the Cold War would plausibly contribute to a chilling effect that discouraged radical political activism and its cultural expressions in subsequent years.
- This reasoning aligns with broader historical patterns: social movements and radical currents faced repression or containment as Cold War politics framed dissent as un-American, leading to self-censorship and demobilization of radical networks.
Why this option could be more plausible than others (in the absence of other choices):
- If there were alternative choices focusing on economic downturns alone, or internal organizational changes, they might not account as coherently for a broad decline tied to external political repression in the later period. Anticommunist pressure is a strong, well-documented external factor capable of dampening radical currents and their cultural production.
Potential caveats:
- The passage emphasizes a Renaissance era and a later decline; without seeing the other options, it’s possible that factors like shifts in immigration patterns, changes in urban policy, or changes within Black radical networks could also contribute. However, anticommunist measures during the Cold War are historically consistent with suppressing radical political activity in the United States after the 1940s.
In summary, given the question’s focus on political radicalism and the historical context, anticommunist measures during the Cold War present a coherent explanation for a decline in radical movements that had characterized the Chicago Black Renaissance period.

AP US History-Oster APUSH multiple-choice practice test #2 (55 minutes)

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