McCarthyism and the Red Scare

McCarthyism and the Red Scare — page 1 — INTRODUCTION THE PAST COMES ALIVE No one man can terrorize a whole nation unless we are all his accomplices TV journalist Edward R Murrow on the CBS show See It Now on March 7 1954 In the late 1940s and 1950s many Americans feared the Soviet Union wanted to take over the world and spread its communist ideals In a communist society there is no private ownership The state or government owns and controls almost all business and property That was very different from the democratic and capitalist society of the United States which emphasized personal freedom and private owership of property and business During this time of heightened fear Joseph McCarthy a Republican senator from Wisconsin spent five years investigating the U S government in search of anyone who had communist sympathies and loyalties He accused hundreds of people of communist subversion and disloyalty This led to a widespread belief that Soviet spies had infiltrated the U S government and society McCarthy’s determination to seek out subversives brought him into prominence and power This period of time is known as the Second Red Scare The extreme approach McCarthy used to interrogate people became known as McCarthyism The Red Scare and McCarthyism influenced people and politics in a way that continues to shape society today To understand these events we study history History is everything that happened in the past including only yesterday Historians look for information clues and evidence from events They analyze and interpret this material to help explain the cause and effects of things Information about the past is found in many sources including libraries archives newspapers museums and private collections 4 UNCOVERING THE PAST The economy of the United States and Canada boomed after World War II 1939 1945 Many people were able to buy houses and cars But the threat of war with the U S S R hung overhead like a nuclear cloud There was a real fear that communism would spread and change our way of life

McCarthyism and the Red Scare — page 2 — DEFINITIONS Union of Soviet Socialist Republics U S S R A communist country in Northern Asia and Eastern Europe that was made up of Russia and 14 other countries Soviet A term used to describe anything related to the U S S R Communism An economic and political system in which all property is owned by its members and is used for the good of all people Capitalism An economic and political system in which trade and industry are privately owned At the height of the Cold War of the 1950s and 1960s many Americans feared a physical war with the Soviets that would result in the use of nuclear weapons such as this atomic bomb explosion MCCARTHYISM AND THE RED SCARE 5

McCarthyism and the Red Scare — page 3 — INTRODUCTION THE FIRST AND SECOND RED SCARES Communists were typically associated with Russia and the U S S R and called Red because of the color of the Soviet flag The term Red Scare has been used to describe a fear of communism or extreme leftist political beliefs It refers to two periods in history when people in the United States and Canada became concerned about the potential rise of communism in their countries In a communist society all wealth and resources are owned by the government and shared among the people Individuals cannot own property farms or factories The goal of communism is to create a society without class divisions The First Red Scare took place in the early 1900s In 1917 during World War I the Russian Empire’s economy was crumbling The czar or ruler was forced to give up his throne The Duma or government was replaced temporarily However many people in Russia were still unhappy Food was scarce prices were high and working conditions poor People wanted Russia to leave the war A revolution led to the government being overthrown It was replaced by a communist system under the Bolshevik political party The new government took Russia out of the war and changed people’s lives Some Americans were inspired by the revolution and believed a socialist government in the United States could solve problems such as poverty Years later the Second Red Scare was brought on by the start of the Cold War The U S S R was an ally of the United States and Canada during World War II After the war the U S S R and the United States became the world’s super powers They had different ideologies In October 1947 ten well known U S writers and movie directors were accused of communist activities They were sentenced to jail time and banned from working at the major Hollywood studios These Hollywood actors flew in to Washington D C in support for the Hollywood Ten There are today many Communists in America They are everywhere in factories offices butcher stores on street corners in private businesses And each carries in himself the germ of death for society J Howard McGrath President Truman’s attorney general in 1949 6 UNCOVERING THE PAST

McCarthyism and the Red Scare — page 4 — and views about how countries and economies should work They competed for influence over other countries The governments in the United States and Canada feared the spread of communism viewing it as a threat to democracy Eventually the United States pledged to help countries around the world that were under Soviet pressure to adopt communism U S government officials started to accuse innocent Americans of wrongdoings In particular Joseph McCarthy became widely known for investigating potential communists and their sympathizers in the United States His campaign was relentless ruthless and widespread Igor Gouzenko wears a hood to hide his face during an interview with newspaper reporter Saul Pett in April 1954 Gouzenko worked at the Soviet embassy in Ottawa when he exposed a Soviet spy ring in Canada in 1945 He spent the rest of his life hiding from the Soviet government MCCARTHYISM AND THE RED SCARE 7

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