Post Ww2 Dbq Essay

Between the Red Scare and, its period of economic prosperity, the 1950s has long been considered as a time of great controversy in the United States. Though industry may have been thriving and unemployment was down, the people of the United States lived in constant fear of the Soviet Union and Communism as a whole. It was because of this fear and the encouragement of certain government officials that triggered the Red Scare, which was later considered by many as a “Communist witch hunt.” It was also this fear that eventually led to increased American involvement in the Cold War.

Students of history have a tendency to depict the 1950s as 10 years of success, similarity, and accord, and the 1960s as 10 years of turbulence, dissent, and dissatisfaction. These generalizations are to a great extent genuine, however, as with everything in life, there are special cases to this point of view. Consequently, the antiquarians ' depiction of the 1950s and 1960s is exact for the lion 's share of Americans; however a few gatherings were obviously special cases.

Why point a finger at someone, when four are pointing right back at you; history continues to repeat itself over and over again. The Salem Witch Trials were a time when Puritans turned on their own kind, accusing them of witchcraft. This continuous accusation turned the Puritan’s well-being upside down. Over hundred years ago, the Red Scare occurred and people with higher states were getting accused of being named Communist. These allegations have been just as ruinous as being called a witch throughout the 1800’s.

Imagine one day you were called by the government and accused of committing a crime you did not commit and the only way you could prove your innocent was to accuse your friends and family of committing the crime too or else you would go to jail or lose their jobs. Any normal person would be enraged by it and it may seem like that could never happen however this occurred in 1950s in united states known as McCarthyism or the red scare. McCarthyism is one of the most well-known event in the American history if not the the most well-known as it ruined many hard working peoples lives. This event started in 1950 however there were many tensions and the reasons that led up to this like the previous world war and countries trying to best each other.

This state of tension was called the Cold War and was between the United States and the Soviet Union. During this time, politicians accused and forced people to confess of being communist or “Red”. In “Ted-Ed” on McCarthyism, HUAC, and the Red Scare, it is stated people accused were asked to incriminate their friends and associates. If they retaliated or resisted, they could lose their jobs and/or go to jail if they did not confess. During the Hollywood Blacklist, 10 Screenwriters, actors, directors, etc, did not confess to being communist so they were arrested. The fact that people accused would be forced to confess to being “red” or else they would be arrested or lose their jobs, shows how the people's decisions and choices on if they should confess or not, could be influenced. The idea of losing one's job or getting arrested is a major result that could have influenced how the people thought. Continuing forward, during the Hollywood Blacklist, if people confessed to being communist, the next question asked would be about who else is a communist. People would have to falsely confess that others were communist with them others. People were forced to confess and if they did, they had to face another question of who else is communist. They would still be threatened of the punishment which would influence their decisions of if they should falsely expose other communists. The constant reminder of the punishment is the negative consequence which can influence whether people will exploit others or save people's lives and receive the

The first half of the 1950s was extremely important to world history because the political landscape shaped much of the policy and ideologies of today. The Red Scare of the 1950s still influences Americans’ opinions of the government, communism, and Russia. The Red Scare of the 1950s, or the second Red Scare, brought widespread distrust of the

In Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, many characters exhibited fear and mass hysteria in the whole witch craft situation. The United States was experiencing very similar as the fear of communism was widespread and chaotic. The Crucible is very representative of the time as everyone in the story was fearful for their own safety against the proclaimed witches as mass hysteria ran ramped. This constant fear and mass hysteria over witch craft demonstrated by Abigail along with others was quite representative of the mass hysteria and constant fear of the Red Scare and the Cold War in the United States at that time.

Sam Robert 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 United States internal conflicts. The author's purpose is to point out a vulnerable period in American history in order to demonstrate that Americans fell prey to McCarthyism’s negative propaganda. The author writes in a cynical tone for educated readers. I strongly agree with Robert’s claim. McCarthyism caused Americans to strife each other because of acts of aggression, deceitful rumors, and paranoia.

10. The Cold War at Home What was the Red Scare? How did it affect Americans? The Red Scare, was the increasing problem of the people’s fear towards communist activities. It sported the hunting for suspected communist supporters, which was known as McCarthyism. McCarthyism impacted on American society and represented the looping

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.

Sam Roberts in the article, A Decade of Fear, argues that Americans turned against each other because of McCarthyism. Roberts supports his claim by explaining, contrasting, and demonstrating. The author’s purpose is to persuade the audience in order to assure Americans that McCarthyism was extremely impactful. The author writes in a speculative tone. I strongly agree with Roberts claim. McCarthyism resulted in Americans turning against each other because of fear of communist takeover, overbearing political power, and protecting their reputation.

The Cold War was an intense rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. The “war” raised concerns that Communists and leftist sympathizers inside America might actively work as Soviet spies and pose a threat to U.S. security. The Red Scare, which peaked between 1947 and 1954, came to dictate the mindset of Americans during the early stages of the Cold War. Communists were often referred to as “Reds” for their allegiance to the red Soviet flag. In the 1950s, Senator Joseph R. McCarthy took advantage of the great fear of Communism among Americans after WWII. McCarthy used hearsay and intimidation to establish himself as a powerful and feared figure in American politics. His reign became known as "McCarthyism" and was the fearful accusation

Sam Robert’s article, “A Decade of Fear” explains how McCarthyism turned Americans against each other by generating mass hysteria and dealing with the situation in an unprofessional manner. McCarthy generated mass hysteria when he publicly accused 205 people of being a part of the communist party during one of his speeches. The author states “... news of McCarthy’s accusation against the State Department of President Harry Truman sent shock waves across the nation…. and eventually made his name synonymous with a decade-long period of investigations- labeled ‘witch hunts’ by his critic- to uncover Communist infiltration in American life.” The authors point is that since McCarthy made his accusations public, he caused the nation to be frenzy.

During and after the World War II, United States government realized that the influence of communism as a serious problem which was penetrated in the country. The communists were identified as their fellow employees and members in Universities, factories, businesses and also in churches. The government created the Loyalty Review Board to verify the loyalty of all government workers and tried to control the fear of Americans. The fear of the ‘red menace,’ or communism spread among the citizens is known as Red Scare. Based on the threat of communism, the restriction of civil liberties was done by not only federal government but also the state and local governments in the nation.

Edward R. Murrow strongly disagreed with Joseph McCarthy, a Republican Senator who used his political influence to create a Red Scare of communist influence in the U.S. government during the Cold War. Murrow said, “Anyone who criticizes or opposes McCarthy's methods must be a Communist. And if that be true, there are an awful lot of Communists in this country". McCarthy responded by drumming up support on the home front for participation in the Cold War by using his political influence during the McCarthy-Army hearings. Joseph McCarthy. Americans greatly feared communism for the simple fact that they did not want a communist class system for America and perceived the Soviet’s as a direct threat to the American way of life. Like Murrow, other Americans disagreed with McCarthy’s approach; even more they disagreed with U.S. involvement in the Cold War. The Student Peace Union (SPU) was one of these organizations, that represented an anti-war voice in America, pushing for fewer nuclear weapons in U.S. stockpiles and Soviet stockpiles. Americans, whether they agreed with McCarthy or SPU, feared Soviet dominance in the world and needed to have confidence that on the homefront that felt secure and safe. This feeling of safety and security was accomplished through McCarthy’s campaign and mass media appearances, such as the one on Murrow’s broadcast the evening of __February 4, 1954__.