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Cold War Hysteria

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Although World War I was to soon come to an end, a wave of fear of radicals and communists emerged throughout the United States in 1917. The hysteria lingered as Russia was taken over by a communist group in 1917 known as the Bolsheviks. From the moment this Russian Revolution occurred, there was a widespread fear of possible communist uprisings in the United States. Communism is a political system that pairs a socialist or command economy with a totalitarian government. Within a communist system, there is no private ownership of businesses or property. This was viewed as a threat to Americans ' life because the average American takes great pride in the personal ownership of businesses and homes. The recent arrival of immigrants from Russia, …show more content…

For example, in April of 1920, two anarchists were accused of murdering two men during an armed robbery at a shoe factory in Braintree, Massachusetts. The two anarchists were Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. Many citizens believed that Sacco and Vanzetti 's main goal was to promote violent warfare against oppressive governments. They were arrested, charged with a wage of robbery, and placed on trial for their crime of murder. At the end of the trial, both were found guilty and executed. Despite the many controversies and doubt as to whether these two men actually committed the crime, the frightened public blamed them anyway. On May 1, 1920, a rumor began spreading that a major uprising would occur, however, this rumor never came to be true. It was not until September 16, 1920, that another bomb exploded, this time on Wall Street. 38 people lost their lives, and more than 140 were injured. Immediately, communists and anarchists were seen as possible suspects. Many communists and anarchists were brought in and questioned, yet nobody was arrested. Throughout the 1920s, there was substantial evidence that a strong communist and anarchists presence and activities in the United States. The Red Scare left a lasting effect on the United States. Hundreds of innocent people were deported, constitutional rights were violated, and the Ku Klux Klan greatly increased by targeting its attention to immigrants, such as Catholics and Jews. As a result, the Red Scare revealed America 's dominating strength and how much Americans appreciate and understand their own democracy, its constitutional ideals, and

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