e country. This view was challenged in the 1930s by a group of Black historians, who said that Reconstruction was a noble effort to democratize the South and that it represented a struggle between labor and capital for control of the South's economic resources. Between 1940 and 1960, the interpretation of Reconstruction evolved but did not really radically change; while the intent of the radical Republican faction was no longer viewed as completely opportunistic and immoral, the implementation of the policies was marred by corruption and a violent reaction by the Southern Whites. In the 1960s, many of the traditional assumptions about Reconstruction were challenged. This revisionism said that the radical Republicans were motivated by a real desire to better the situ
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