Essay On The Second Red Scare

The Second Red Scare was based upon hysteria, not legitimate threats as evident in American politics. The first example that proves the Second Red Scare was based upon hysteria not legitimate political threats is the low percent of the population that were Communists. “In 1950, fewer than 50,000 Americans out of a total U.S. population of 150 million were members of the Communist Party” (“Anticommunist Hysteria”). Americans feared that Communists were becoming the majority of American citizens (“Anticommunist Hysteria”). Among the American population, only 0.03% of the population actually identified as Communist. The idea that Communist were taking over America was greatly exaggerated and proves the Second Red Scare was based upon hysteria and Communism posed no real threat to American politics. The second example that proves the

McCarthy unlawfully accused American citizens of being Communist without substantial evidence. Senator McCarthy used his authority to spread anti-Communist hysteria across the nation in order to further his political career (“McCarthyism”). Thus proving the Second Red Scare was based upon hysteria and that Communism posed no real threat to American politics. The third example that proves the Second Red Scare was based upon hysteria not legitimate political threats is the investigations of the Loyalty Review Board. “By mid-1950, when more than 4 million people, actual or prospective employees, had gone through, the [Loyalty Review] boards had… dismissed or denied employment to 378… None of the discharged cases led to discovery of espionage” (“Anticommunist Hysteria”). The purpose of the Loyalty Review Boards was to protect the government from a Communist threat by investigating government employees and dismissing those found to be connected to Communism (Danzer,