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Red Scare Anti Communism

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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. During the 1950s, America was on edge, as Russia’s dictator Stalin bolstered the kind of government that went against what World War II was fought for. As communism developed into a shunned philosophy, it nonetheless spread into other parts of Asia, such as Korea, China, and Vietnam. As a safeguard against its potential arrival to the United States, the American society became paranoid and …show more content…

The namesake of McCarthyism, his goal was to weed out all communist supporters. Suspected communists were arrested and interrogated. Because of his stance on the matter, he gained mass popularity. His support of the Red Scare only strengthened its cause and purpose, and reflecting such views, McCarthy’s party, the Republicans, rose in status as well. Because of this, nobody was willing to put a check on McCarthy 's methods: he helped the party and anyone against the senator would be perceived as a traitor. No regulations on his agenda meant that McCarthy was rampant on his claims, pointing his finger and calling out anyone he felt like, culminating to a list of over 200 public office holders. Eventually, McCarthy lost support for his antics. His campaign ended when he declared a few military officials as communists, whereupon other congress members finally said enough was enough and removed him from public

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