“Paranoia as Patriotism”: The Political Thought of the White Supremacist Militia Movement in a Cold War Context

In the 1990s, white supremacist paramilitary organizations arose around the United States, declaring war on the federal government under the banner of 1776. This paper explores the political thought of these errant revolutionaries, placing them within a broader conservative intellectual context. In particular, it asks whether anti-communist organizing—rendered moot by the end of the Cold War—took on a second life as anti-government protest. The emphasis on grassroots politicking, reliance on overt American nationalist frames, and distinctly paranoid set of political priorities unites the two seemingly distinct movements. Understanding how paramilitarism relates to anti-communism provides insight into how the conservative coalition shifted and changed in response to the end of the Cold War, as well as the role anti-statism plays in conservative thought. Ultimately, this paper argues Cold War dynamics, stripped of their context, continued to influence right-wing political movements long after the fall of the USSR.