It was a scare that communism would come to the U.S. Many people were very worried and many in the government
In the late 1940s and during the 1950s Americans suffered from both a cultural and political hysteria that was caused by panic and anxiety about the Soviet threat. Many Americans believed that there were communists working within America to weaken the country. Thousands of Americans citizens, from teachers, actors and trade unionists to high level government officials, were accused of being communists or communist sympathizers, and were investigated and questioned in front of government committees and agencies. Their association with communism was often exaggerated and many people lost their jobs or were imprisoned based on inconclusive and at times fictitious evidence. The ‘Red Scare’ that occurred in the United States during this period in
And so, in this case, a climate of fear and paranoia about communism was needed, “which would steeply escalate the military budget and stimulate the economy with war-related orders. This combination of policies would permit more aggressive actions abroad, more repressive actions at home.” , according
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.
America and the Soviet Union were allies during WWII, but it was a “tense ally” (Cold War History). “They now see each other as archenemies” (Out of Many, p. 581) now that the war is over. America was in fear of communism from the Soviet Union and was doing everything in their power to defeat the Soviet Union. In 1947 President Truman made a speech and stated: “ the preservation and freedom of all Americans depended on containing communism” (Out of Many, p. 584) and Truman helped to generate popular support for an anti-communist
Being still irritated by times during war and propaganda members of the american public took matters into their own hands.(The Red Scare in the 1920
In the 1950s Americans feared Communism was approaching. The Soviet Union was becoming more and more powerful everyday, and the thought of a nuclear war was in the back of everyone’s mind. Some European countries were
Fresh off the tail of the hellish nightmare that was WWII, Americans were expecting unprecedented national unity and safety, but they would soon come to find the exact opposite. Following the American defeat of fascism, they quickly set their sights on a new evil ideology, communism. The United States and the Soviet Union quickly devolved into a cold war, which, if either side was pushed too far, could end with the annihilation of the human race as a whole. Stateside, communist paranoia was rampant and many were quick to point fingers at people they suspected of being communist spies. The most infamous finger-pointer of the time was Wisconsin Republic Senator Joseph McCarthy.
During this time period, not long after the end of World War II, the USSR (Soviet Union) was on the rise, which led to the Cold War. The Cold War led to increased tension between the United States, and the Soviet Union due to competition and heavy conflict of interest. The involvement of the Soviet Union led to the dramatic fear of communism among the public after witnessing the horrific environment within the USSR. This helped develop McCarthyism, the idea of investigating, and accusing someone in power of being associated with communism. Joe McCarthy himself, the founder of his very ideal also gained much popularity within this time period due to many Americans fearing the rise of communist leaders and communism itself.
After World War II, the fear of autocratic governments and communism spread, especially within the United States. The idea of having a restrictive leader produced fear amongst citizens, creating a sense of distrust towards neighbors or officials that might support such a faction; this anti-communism movement was known as the Red Scare. Spearheaded by Senator Joseph McCarthy, the domestic war-on-communism reached an extreme, one that took away the freedoms of this nation’s people. Americans sacrificed civil liberties and privacy in an effort to deter the totalitarian wave from taking root in their country.
Since the early 1900’s, the United States had been undergoing a domestic battle with Communism in America. After the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in the Soviet Union, the fear of Communism spreading in America and across the world overwhelmed the United States government. The threat of Communism in America threatened its traditional political and economic system which resulted in a strong tension between the Soviet Union who was wanting to spread it across the world. The
Fear- • Truman and his administration were getting attacked by many conservative Republicans for being too soft on the espionage • Truman established an anti-Communist loyalty-security program in March of 1947 and set up the Central Intelligence Agency in November. • Republican, Joseph McCarthy- o Took the act to the full effect o Installed fear in the U.S. citizens ♣ People feared their jobs would be lost ♣ Their political afflictions would reflect on their status o Challenged the Bill of Rights ♣ First and Fifth Amendment rights were suspended when on trail o Turned an anti-Communist nation o Claimed that he had a list of 205 members of the Communist Party of the
The Red Scare was a fear of communism, this was instilled in americans because of the Cold War. McCarthyism is pertaining to Joseph McCarthy, a man that instigated this fear. It was considered to be the practice of making the problem of communism seem smaller by putting down and accusing people of being communist.
The American people feared the spread of communism and nuclear war in the aftermath of the Second World War, while President Eisenhower addressed these fears by having strong domestic and foreign policies. The fear of communism carved a deep sense of mistrust in American people. They believed anything that was said and blindly followed people who were in political power without any basis of evidence. The fear of communism created a sense of “hysteria” (Document A) within the general public and even in people in government.
The near crippling panic following the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union (Modern day Russia), is known as the “Red Scare”. The “Red Scare” was solely based on a government official, Joseph R. McCarthy, accusing members of the opposing force, left-wing liberals, of being communist spies from the Soviet Union. These unsupported accusations made against someone or a group is also known as McCarthyism. These accusations against other members of the government sparked a wildfire of fear among civilian life within the US. This ever growing fear of communism invading the american way of life was implanting paranoia within the nation’s people on a private and public level.
