Ku Klux Klan

US secret society dedicated to white supremacy. It was founded in 1866 to oppose Reconstruction in the Southern states after the American Civil War and to deny political rights to the black population. Members wore hooded white robes to hide their identity, and burned crosses at their night‐time meetings. In the late 20th century the Klan evolved into a paramilitary extremist group and forged loose ties with other white supremacist groups.

It was originally headed by former Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest and was disbanded in 1869 under pressure from members who opposed violence. Scattered groups continued a campaign of lynching and flogging, prompting the government to pass the restrictive Ku Klux Klan Acts of 1871. The society re‐emerged 1915 in Atlanta, Georgia, and increased in strength during the 1920s as a racist, anti‐Semitic, anti‐Catholic, and anticommunist organization, with membership reaching more than 4 million. It was publicized in the 1960s for terrorizing civil‐rights activists and organizing racist demonstrations. In the 1990s it began actively recruiting and organizing in the UK, with membership coming primarily from existing extreme‐right groupings.