The Cold War was a time where the citizens of the United States lived in fear. During the nuclear arms race in the 1950’s, the Student Peace Union (SPU) strongly “desired a restructuring of the American society” and fewer nuclear weapons. The result of fewer nuclear weapons would mean the end of the Cold War and the Red Scare. At the time of the Red Scare Joseph McCarthy, an American politician from 1947 to 1957, strengthened the fear of the American people with his methods of McCarthyism. McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence. McCarthyism is one of the main reasons for the start of the Red Scare, a time when the people of the United States fear communists, socialists,
Today, in the world there are so many different types of societies that unite for numerous reasons. They can either be big or small, but no matter what, a society is a society that stays united. However, one of the many things that can destroy millions of a united group in a matter of seconds is the compelling emotion also known as, fear. People who are power hungry individuals, see fear as an easy and beneficial tactic to gain power. In both the Crucible by Arthur Miller and the Red Scare, it is clearly evident that fear does not unite but rather splits both of these societies.
America in the 1950’s was a time where neighbor was told to watch neighbor in fear of a spy from Soviet Russia. After the second World War, many had believed that the atheistic communists had infiltrated the United States government on a mission to shape its policies. Politicians became disgraced after accusations of being a Communist member or sympathizer. In his “Speech Delivered in Wheeling West Virginia, February 9, 1950”, Republican senator from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy, exemplified McCarthyism and the Red Scare by presenting a list of more than two hundred State Department employees that had been a Communist. Going into the Cold War between the Soviet Union and The United States had been a heated time for politicians named a communist; a near equivalent to being called a witch in Salem, Virginia.
This paper will compare and contrast the Red Scare of 1919 compared to the attack of America’s security and well-being on 9/11. The first comparison is that both were terroristic threats and involved spiritual persuasion of different religions on U.S. soil. The first part of the red scare was following the Bolshevik Russian Revolution of 1917 and the years following world war one. Authorities in April of 1919 found a plot for shipping thirty six bombs to members of the establishment of J.P. Morgan. In the year of 1919 on June 2, eight bombs went off in eight separate cities.
1950’s America was a time of great fear and of great power. World War II had ended a few years prior and had left a mark on the nation. Nazi Germany had fallen and in its place a new power captured the fear of America: The Soviet Union. Many Americans had a fear of this new world power, as the United States was in a “Cold War” with them. Wisconsin senator Joseph McCarthy used these fears to Start a hunt for the communists he claimed were plotting to overthrow the country.
World War Two had just ended. The fear of being attacked once again and exploding into a war was alive. This was the early times of the Cold War, where there was just a conflict on who was the ideology that leaded the world. “The fear of communism, commonly known as Red Scare was a manifestation of political anxiety over the infiltration of international influences, which was of course the USSR. “ (Lazuk)
The term McCarthyism was adopted in the 1950s by one Joseph McCarthy, a Republican senator who used his power to ensure that communism was not spread throughout the United States. This time period is known as the “Red Scare”, in which McCarthy accused 205 officials from the U.S. Department of State of being communists or communist sympathizers. Not only were US officials targeted, but many of those involved in the entertainment business got blacklisted when they would refuse to answer questions about their involvement with the Communist Party at the time. Consequently, this caused the public to avalanche into a state of mass hysteria and paranoia because no one wanted to be accused of such a crime knowing that this could cause major repercussions.
The Red Scare was a movement during the Cold War in America. Communism was spreading throughout the world, and hysteria spread all over the United States that communist were among them. McCarthyism was a fierce campaign carried out by Joe McCarthy against alleged communist in the U.S government and other institutions. In response to McCarthyism, Arthur Miller demonstrates through his play, The Crucible, that lies are used to avoid consequences, too much power can become corrupt, and innocent people will suffer for crimes they have not committed even with a lack of sufficient evidence.
Joseph McCarthy gained power because of people’s fear of communism (“Red Monday”). McCarthy claimed that 205 government officials were communists without supporting it with evidence which caused a panic (Fried 1). Frightened Americans asked for an explanation and instead McCarthy accused people, but he had the people’s support because he was against communists and that blinded people to the true facts (Fried 1). With the Smith Act and the House Un-American Activities Committee in place to ease the fear of communism, McCarthy’s unjust trials were able to be conducted (“Red Monday”). Rights were quickly being taken away to prevent the spread of communism, however, it was so that McCarthy could keep gaining power without anyone being able to say otherwise (“Red Monday”).
Sam Robert in the article, A Decade of Fear argues that McCarthyism turned Americans against each other. Robert supports his claim by illustrating fear, describing betrayal, and comparing it to other United States internal conflicts. The author's purpose is to point out a vulnerable period in American history in order to demonstrate that Americans fell prey to McCarthyism’s negative propaganda. The author writes in a cynical tone for educated readers. I strongly agree with Robert’s claim.
McCarthyism spread social paranoia that all individuals could be treated as communist who were trying to betray the country. Therefore, McCarthyism also promoted the spread of Red Scare and divided American society. These events especially prove that the fear of communism due to the Cold War caused undesirable results for American
“McCarthyism” now refers to a period of intense anti-Communism during which people such as McCarthy went on a witch hunt to expose supposed Soviet spies in the U.S. Government, media, and more. This was a period of political oppression that has not seen its equal in America before or since. The Salem Witch Trials consisted
It sported the hunting for suspected communist supporters, which was known as McCarthyism. McCarthyism impacted on American society and represented the looping concern that Americans had developed over the fear of communist within their society. The Red Scare occurred during the start of the Cold War with the Soviets after the end of World War II. By communism in Eastern Europe and China, people were scared that communism will corrupt their modern society. Americans believed, communism was going to completely put their lives into distraught.
McCarthyism is given that name because “Wisconsin Republican Senator Joseph R. McCarthy rocketed to public attention in 1950 with his allegations that hundreds of Communists had infiltrated the State Department and other federal agencies.” (Have You No Sense of Decency?senate.gov). The red scare is best defined as a widespread series of actions by individuals and groups whose intentions were to frighten Americans with false and highly exaggerated charges of Communist subversion for the purpose of political, economic, and psychological profit. “The red scare is best defined as a widespread series of actions by individuals and groups whose intentions were to frighten Americans with false and highly exaggerated charges of Communist subversion for the purpose of political, economic, and psychological profit. The “Red Scare” put people out of their jobs, and ostracized them from society.”
Communism is one of other reasons that lead to the Red Scare. The Red Scare in the late 1940s and early 1950 was the fear of communism. During the Red Scare events communist pushed for basic rights , by having John Huston and Myrna Loy create the committee for the first amendment in protest of HUAC's hearings. Communist were also known for being a foreign threat because foreign communist begin to influence society. When the Red Scare kicked off as people who were suspected of having communist ties were often terrorized and jailed.
Joseph McCarthy started accusing everyone of being communist. “New Dealers committed to feminism, racial equality, and the end of economic exploitation; how fellow travelers became virulent cold warriors; and the trauma the Second Red Scare inflicted upon upstanding American families.” This quote depicts how important the Second Red Scare was back in the 1950’s. It wasn’t only important but it was also very scary to many