Introduction: anti-communism and the transnational transatlantic in the ‘long’ 1960s

This introductory essay for a special issue of the Journal for Transatlantic Studies on the transnational dimension of anti-communism in the Cold War provides a brief overview of the historical research on anti-communism to date. It presents anti-communism as a multifaceted phenomenon that should be studied not only as an ideological frame of reference and a political practice, but also as a social movement with an integrative, identity-forming function, and a high degree of mobilization and organization. In line with the contributions to the special issue, this essay argues that in the ‘long’ 1960s, (non-state) anti-communist actors and movements were forced to fundamentally adapt their thinking and actions in the face of Détente and global change. In order to keep anti-communism alive and to counter the policy of Détente, they intensified their transnational cooperation, which increasingly transcended the transatlantic level and took on a global dimension.