Though in his autobiography Chaplin says that entertainment rather than social or political commentary was his primary motivation, a close analysis of his films clearly display a pattern of socio-political advocacy (Howe 46). In the “Modern Times” which was released in 1936, Chaplin used
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, especially of pro-Communist activity, in many instances unsupported by proof or based on slight, doubtful, or irrelevant evidence. “McCarthyism is Americanism with its sleeves rolled.” (McCarthy) If Joseph McCarthy thought that there was any chance that someone was communist or if they even had communist thoughts, he had people turn against them. Many people chose to follow him out of fear and many out of curiosity.
“Senator McCarthy’s attacks were scattershot, but on occasion, when the Bureau’s reports steadied his hand, his aim was true.” (183). McCarthy’s accusations and investigations caused people to be fired, and some committed suicide during investigations. The majority of McCarthy’s attacks came straight from FBI documentation (184-185). Hoover told McCarthy to stop, however the senator did not heed his warning, and started up with more attacks.
McCarthy uses a tactic known as “Red-bailing” on his opponents, which accused his opponents of being communists for going against him and this American pride of “democracy.” This led his opponents to lose support amongst the people, causing him to be the only one standing in his way. He had an overwhelming amount of the public supporting him, which caused his opponents to struggle against combating his ideals and beliefs publicly. Regardless, the American people needed McCarthy as a protection from communism, therefore no one else dared to challenge him for the sake of that protection. Not to mention, no one had a better strategy in the war against communism and communist leaders besides McCarthy, therefore leaving him alone to gain tremendous power and support.
In this essay I will be analyzing the overall attitude and movie of two movies. Both movies deal with the issue of the American revolutionary war. First one, “1776” a broadway musical transfer to the big screen, directed by Peter H. Hunt and realeased on 1972. Second one, “The Patriot”, more “popcorn” type movie, directed by Roland Emmerich, and realeased on 2000. We discussed 1776 is darker, almost pessimistic movie.
It was derived from the fear and hatred they had deep inside them. Mccarthy used this plot to get rid of his opponents and secure him a prime spot for a next term as a senator. McCarthy’s trials were no different to The Salem witch trials by raising suspitions he was able to destroy lives with a written list. Although people tried to contradict his allegations the majority’s fear of communists clouded the court’s judgement. They had no remorse for the aftermath of their doings.
The committee composed the Hollywood Blacklist, a list of entertainers who the committee believed were communists. The list of communists grew rapidly because everyone labeled a communist had to give names of other communists. People were often falsely because the names were not always accurate. accused Joseph McCarthy sought out people who attended communist meetings in their past, even if they attended only a few, and questioned them about their intentions. In the movie Guilty By Suspicion David Merrill was accused of being a communist because he attended some meetings in a dark time, although, the meetings were about aiding others.
Senator Joseph McCarthy was a merciless politician who would be censured by the Senate in 1954 for his false accusations. However, his political journey throughout the country had a significant impact on the American public. Americans let fear override their conscious and allowed a bully to insert panic into their minds. McCarthy’s crusade was powerful and convinced the naive public during a time of war to question their own government without sufficient
“Essential for the movie is the time and the years; here I’m more interested in realistic and allegorical. The most important thing is the feeling of hallucinations, travel in dreams, born because of opium, which begins and which ends the film.” – Leone. This essay is an attempt to investigate how Leone, in his film Once upon a Time in America, created a narrative that involves the spectator, gives more impact, tells a number of stories, and moves between time frames.
People were terrified of communism spreading to the United States, so when accusations started floating around everyone would believe them. McCarthy accused people of communist behavior, although many were falsely accused, no one knew better than to think they were guilty because of how scared they were of communism spreading. This resembles how certain characters were accused of witchcraft in The Crucible. The Red Scare caused nationwide hysteria just how the Salem Witch Trials caused hysteria to the people of Salem.
Casablanca, a Romantic Propaganda Introduction Casablanca is one the classic Hollywood movie which is one of the most critically acclaimed Hollywood movies of all time and also very famous. Casablanca is a romance story that happens during World War II but the question is does it end there? Is Casablanca just a Romance movie? In this essay, I will be discussing how the movie Casablanca which is one of the most famous and critically acclaimed films of all time is a propaganda movie and what message is sending and the effects that propaganda movies make and why it’s important for governments.
During the 1940’s and 1950’s, communism was a popular political movement in the United States. The House Un-American Activities Committee was created to investigate those suspected of having communist ties. Miller refused to name any names so he was given jail time. Kazan decided that his career was the most important thing, so he ratted out 17 CPers. Kazan was said to have ruined their careers and lives.
McCarthyism falsely accused people of supporting communism and being unloyal to America(Document D). These claims had no proper evidence which justified the said assertions. Individuals who were accused of being a communist or a spy, even if the facts were not accurate, were looked down upon and occasionally prosecuted. Accused people no longer supported the war, for it led to the government punishing the innocent(Document G). Not only was the government believed to be unreliable, but trust between people was a large issue during the Cold War.
The main accuser during this time was Joseph McCarthy. The people who were accused were just everyday people. Joseph McCarthy said that he knew people who are members of the communist party working for the government, he may have done this because he didn’t like those people. This scared everyone, primarily because during the years that followed WWII everyone feared communist. So after McCarthy made these statements, it almost made like a ripple effect by having everyday people, being accused of people that “suspected” that they were communists as well.
These years are often referred to as the “McCarthy era”, named after a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin who blamed many of his colleagues of Communist subversion. In many cases, defendants were pitted against their own friends, whose only evidence were their words. Cultural and racial bias ran rampant, and often those accused of a crime against the country, such as espionage or conspiracy of espionage, were not given fair trials. In one such case, a husband