Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

2610

Date

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

History

Committee Chair

Andrew Daily

Committee Member

Christopher Johnson

Committee Member

Dennis Laumann

Abstract

Communism served throughout the 20th Century as a platform for emerging,marginalized groups. Not surprisingly, African Americans often participated inCommunist activities to mutually beneficial ends. This work examines the impact ofcommunism on the African American Freedom Struggle in the southern United Statesduring the interwar period. Due to his legacy as an African American intellectual, andhis efforts to affect change in both the Soviet Union and the Black Belt South, the “BlackBolshevik” Harry Haywood is identified as a vehicle from which to analyze the AfricanAmerican intellectuals’ struggle for equality. It is clear from this work that therelationship forged between the Soviet Union and African Americans in the interwarperiod was a two way street that not only informs scholars about African Americans’struggle for equal rights in America, but also leads to new insights about how Blackintellectuals’ influenced policy.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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