The Red Scare During The Cold War

Communism in the Cold War "The seeds of totalitarian regimes are nurtured by misery and want, they spread and grow in the evil soil of the poverty and strife. They reach their full growth when the hope of a people for a better life has died. We must keep that hope alive." as said by Harry S. Truman on march 12, 1947 in The Truman Doctrine. While Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy all had the same same Cold War intention of ending communism, their ways of achieving their goal were different.The Cold War was an angry dispute between the United States and the Soviet Union about whether we should spread or contain communism (Ayres 817).

Reflection of this conflict was apparent in the American ethos, in which Americans feared that if “world communism captur[ed] any American state…a new and perilous front…will increase the danger to the entire free world and require even greater sacrifices from the American people” (Document B). As illustrated by Eisenhower, “the hysteria” of communism propagating into American society and threatening the American way of life was a very prevalent fear at the forefront of the Cold War (Document A). McCarthyism, a system established by Senator Joseph McCarthy in which he made unsubstantiated accusations of subversion or treason to America, acted as the culmination of this hysteria, directly reflecting the sentiments driving the American people. Eisenhower did not engage in any domestic policies to quell these “multiplicity of fears” (Document A). Instead he compounded them with legislation such as the “National System of Interstate and Defense Highways…connect[ing] 209 of the 247 cities having a population of 50,00 more and [serving as] the country’s principal…defense” (Document D).

Alger Hiss had been accused of being a part of the Russian spy ring, but had friends such as Dean Acheson who said he could completely vouch for Hisss’ innocence. After The FBI had done nothing with the accusation, the Un-American Activities Committee had found proof that he was a spy after President Truman had told them to stop. Truman called this incident a red herring. Hiss will become a convicted spy during the Russo-German alliance pact giving McCarthy all he needed to influence the American people through fear of infiltration. Hiss had decided a number of postwar peace settlements at the Yalta Conference like the American settlement in Berlin with Stalin controlling all around it resulting in the Berlin Airlift(costing 31 American lives) and many more; all compromises seemed to be so in favor of Soviet Russia it was almost a

Many believed that communists were inciting rebellions in the form of labor unions in almost every state; focus shifted from the Red Scare when the need to focus on the war in Europe overpowered the supposed presence of a communist party. After World War II, tensions arose between Russia, then known as the USSR, and the United States. This tension and the events that followed came to be called the Cold War, one of its main events being the Second Red Scare. The Second Red Scare was more destructive than the first. During this Scare, the United States believed that it was constantly under attack from Communists, both from within and outside of the nation 's borders.

The red Scare was like the salem witch trials. Communism and Socialism have had a bad effect on the Twentieth Century. These forms of governments have challenged the beliefs of other governments. They have created conflict and controversy. However, these two forms of governments are influential in the fact that they have played a valuable role in shaping modern day politics.Communism was responsible for the red scare and the cold war.

And what about all the weaponry supplied by Reagan’s presidency to the Mujahadeen and other anti-communist guerrillas? They sure were used to shoot. Not only were those actions immoral and promoting violence, but at times his presidency participated full-on illegal actions, such as the Iran-Contra scandal. Reagan engaged in the common action which almost every US president followed, he antagonised the Soviets. It is well-know that in his first term he denounced the pre-Gorbachev Soviet Union as an "evil empire."

However, once the geopolitical intentions of the US and China were made clear, the USSR turned towards pursuing their own Cold War interests. The Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship, and Cooperation signed in August 1971, aimed to counter the Chinese influence in the region whilst spreading Soviet ideologies. This signing was a strategic tactic for the Soviets to achieve their Cold War goals. This pro-India tilt represents the fact that the USSR faced the inevitable compliance to pursue Cold War interests, dismissing the responsibility to act on the international norm. It was inevitable as This is why the conflict can be seen as a proxy war.

Fear is a powerful emotion which controls human beings. Throughout history fear has depicted the outcome of society because few people live with no fear. During horrific events including the Salem Witch Trials, McCarthyism and the ongoing battle against terrorism fear was a response to uncertainty. The Salem Witch Trials were the unfair hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft, these trials were expressed in the Crucible written by Arthur Miller. McCarthyism was when thousands of Americans were accused of being communists, the event was portrayed in the movie Guilty By Suspicion.

Most of the population disagreed with both of the policies, however, the benefits and the positive effects outweighed for many. War Communism had a significant impact on the peasantry and the proletariat, it was extremely unpopular and not successful enough to continue. It has been suggested that War Communism was an attempt by the Bolsheviks to go straight to socialism, it is more likely that it was a reaction to wartime conditions, justified by ideological position. The effect of War Communism on the proletariat was immense, Lenin nationalised businesses to place the economy on a war footing. All industries came under direct control of the state, managers were forced to stay in their positions and private trades were banned.

Anyone who refused was executed, and the rest, about 5 million, were deported to forced labour camps located mainly in Siberia. When Ukrainian farmers refused to give up their land, Stalin took away their crops, and as a result, about 10 million Ukrainians starved. Sergey Kirov, a political rival of Stalin, was found murdered in 1934. Stalin, although believed to be behind the murder, used this opportunity to further reduce the numbers of his political rivals, and those who opposed him. Stalin arrested thousands of men (who ‘coincidentally’ opposed him), and imprisoned and executed them.