America During the Cold War
The Red Scare
McCarthyism
The Red Scare
• The Cold War increased
many Americans fear of
communist subversion
• Many Americans feared
that communists had
penetrated American
society and were
weakening the government
• This led to massive
attempt to uncover
communists
The Red Scare
The Red Scare
•
Loyalty checks of
government
workers began in
1947 because of
fear of communist
infiltration
The Red Scare
• House Un-American Activities Committee
held numerous public hearings and ruined
reputations of blacklisted individuals,
including many from TV, radio, and the
movies
The Red Scare
• Some individuals refused to testify and
were sent to jail
• People who were accused were often
blacklisted
– A list of people accused of being disloyal
who were not hired by film companies
The Alger Hiss Case
• Alger Hiss, former State
Dept. diplomat, accused
of disloyalty by
Whittaker Chambers, a
confessed Soviet spy
– Hiss sued Chambers
for libel, but was
convicted of perjury in
1950
– Democrats, many of
whom supported Hiss,
were seen as soft on
communism
McCarthyism
•
•
Sen. Joseph McCarthy began to speak
out against communist influence in the
government with a speech in February
1950 in which he contended that the
State Dept. was riddled with
communists
Held hearings from 1950-1954
– Called people in front of his
committee to defend themselves
against unproven charges
– These charges often ruined people’s
careers
– McCarthyism has become a word
that is used to describe bringing
unproven charges against someone to
discredit them
McCarthyism
• McCarran Internal Security Act (1950)
required communist and "communist-front"
organizations to register with the Justice
Dept
– Membership lists and financial statements were
required
– President was given broad powers to detain
potential enemies
– Truman vetoed the bill as "a long step toward
totalitarianism" but it was passed over his veto.
The Rosenbergs
•
Ethel and Julius
Rosenberg arrested,
tried, and executed in
1951 for providing
atomic secrets to the
Soviet Union.