Joe Mccarthy's Fight Against Communism

Imagine being placed in a situation where if one does not confess to their actions or beliefs, even if they are not true, there will be negative consequences. One would either confess truthfully or not, based the consequence and if they are willing to go through it for the greater good. This theme has been demonstrated through many ways such as in books, mainstream current media, and in the history of the United States. Negative consequences can influence whether or not one chooses to rightly, or falsely, confess as evidenced by characters in the Crucible by Arthur Miller, President Clinton confessing his affair after denying it, and finally, during the McCarthy era when politicians attempted to convince many Hollywood stars to falsely confess

The Early Rhetorical Tactics of a Demagogue: Joseph McCarthy Successfully finds a foothold in the political world Joseph McCarthy was man who exploited popular beliefs and predigests to rise to the status of a political demagogue who became feared by many. He strategically used fear and manipulation of facts to climb his way to the top. It seemed for a period McCarthy was untouchable. Historians rarely answer the question of how he became the notorious man that is recorded in history. How does Joseph McCarthy use propaganda, hasty generalizations, and the new age of media to gain his power?

Sam Robert’s article, “A Decade of Fear” explains how McCarthyism turned Americans against each other after World War 2. In the first place he lied about communists being in the U.S. senate. As stated in Sam Robert’s article, “News of McCarthy’s accusations against the state dept. of president Harry Truman sent shock waves across the nation.” McCarty’s statements made him look like a gallant anticommunist and gave him power. As a matter of fact, he was considered more of a witch hunter.

The Cold War was a war of ideologies and propaganda. Hence, the smallest display of failure or mistrust on one side meant a great advantage for the other. This is exactly what McCarthy did in the 1950's. He created and developed a period of negativity in his time as a senator. By doing so, he gave the Soviets an advantage, and he weakened America's image internationally.

In this chapter of the Founding Brothers, Ellis centers the idea of Slavery. He employs the idea of both hindsight and foresight to explore the collapse of the Congress. He displays the Congress to not stand up to its expectations at both private and public means. Confidential affiliations were tested as the North and South commissioners opened and unraveled their hardships and resentment.

The Cold War is often seen as a dark time in American history, not just because of the international conflict, but because of the strife it caused within the United States itself. During the Cold War, the general culture in America was fearful and paranoid about the rise and spread of Communism within their society. One example of how this hysteria manifested is illustrated in the movie, Trumbo, which tells the story of when the Hollywood industry blacklisted famous writer Dalton Trumbo, along with other workers in the industry, who were connected to Communism. Dalton Trumbo and his associates faced bigotry and were effectively attacked for standing by their ideals, which was a reflection of how American culture had changed at that time. By

Sam Robert’s article, “A Decade of Fear” explains how McCarthyism turned Americans against each other by spreading the fear of Communism. Senator McCarthy informed the citizens of America about Communist spies deep within our government on February 10, 1950. He states “ I have here in hand list of 205-a list of names that were made known to the secretary of state as being a member of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in the state Department.” This quote proves that McCarthy did infact say to the public that there were Communist spies in the United States. It spread fear into the citizens because they were afraid that the country will turn Communist because of the Russian spies in the government.

McCarthy used multiple forms of propaganda to scare people into thinking that there were spys from Russia here in the U.S. Since he was known to enjoy having the spot light on him he knew that there were people that were going to listen to what he had to say. Even though he did try and scare some people the information that he used at times was fallacious. Through these tactics as Mary mentioned he ruined the lives of many. Simply because of his own personal beliefs he forced others to share the same ideals through fear and misinformation.

Sam Roberts 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 U.S. internal conflicts. The author’s purpose is to point out a vulnerable period in American history in order to demonstrate that Americans felt prey McCarthy’s negative propaganda. The author writes in a cynical tone for an educated audience. I strongly agree with Robert’s claim.

Annotated Biliograohy Schrecker, E. (2003). McCarthyism. In S. I. Kutler (Ed.), Dictionary of American History (3rd ed. , Vol.

Elia Kazan and Arthur Miller were good friends for quite a long time. They worked on films and plays together. The Red Scare destroyed their relationship. The threat of communism also broke them apart.