THE RED SCARE AND MCCARTHYISM
A Modern Day Witch Hunt
What is Communism
- Think about everything you know about
communism. Talk to you neighbor about
it. Be ready to share.
Consider:
- How are communism and capitalism
different?
- Why do you think that communism
might be considered “un-American”?
What is the Red Scare?
• Shortly after the end of World War I, the Red
Scare took hold in the United States.
• A nationwide fear
of communists, socialists
anarchists, and other
dissidents suddenly
grabbed the American
psyche
First Red Scare
• The "Red Scare" was "a nation-wide anti-radical hysteria.
• The first Red Scare began following the Russian Revolution
of 1917 and the intensely patriotic years of World War I.
• On June 2, 1919, in eight cities, eight bombs simultaneously
exploded.
– One target was the Washington, D.C., house of U.S. Attorney
General Palmer, where the explosion killed the bomber, whom
evidence indicated was an Italian-American radical from
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
American Fears
• The Media promoted two ideals:
– Xenophobia is defined
as "an unreasonable fear
of foreigners or strangers
Mass Hysteria
– Hysteria, describes unmanageable emotional
excesses. People who are "hysterical" often lose
self-control due to an overwhelming fear
Government Fears
1938:
House UnAmerican
Activities
Committee
(HUAC) was
established.
The HUAC members
considered it their duty to
purge the country of any
Communist influences.
1945: China
fell to the
Communists
Mao Tse-Tung, Chairman of the
Communist Party in China,
1945-1976
1945 and on:
Post-World
War II
distrust of
the Soviet
Union
Josef Stalin, Communist leader of the
Soviet Union, 1922-1953
1949: The
University of
California started
requiring all
employees to sign
anti-communist
loyalty oath. Many
faculty and staff
objected to the
oath, calling it a
political test as a
condition of
employment.
Thirty-one professors lost their
jobs when they refused to sign, as
did many more teaching
assistants, student employees and
staff. The professors sued and won
in court, and resumed their jobs.
The idea of requiring employees to
sign loyalty oaths became very
popular, and was used all over the
country.
McCarthyism
• Joseph McCarthy
• U.S. Senator from
Wisconsin
1947-1957
February 9, 1950:
Senator Joseph
McCarthy announced
that he had a list of
205 communists in
the U.S. Department
of State.
This allegation was never
proven (and the numbers
seemed to vary every time
he made this
announcement), but it got
McCarthy a lot of
publicity!
“The Hollywood 10” became the most famous victims of the
communist witch hunt in Hollywood, when they refused to testify
and name names. They were cited for Contempt of Congress and
were jailed for one year each.
Contempt of Congress is refusing
to do whatever a Member of
Congress tells you to do in a
hearing. It is a criminal offense.
Thousands of people in Hollywood lost their jobs.
From McCarthy’s speech in Wheeling,
West Virginia
“I have here in my hand a list of
205 . . . a list of names that were
made known to the Secretary of
State as being members of the
Communist Party and who
nevertheless are still working and
shaping policy in the State
Department. . .”
The 1952 Arthur
Miller’s play The
Crucible used the
Salem Witch Trials
as a metaphor for
McCarthyism,
suggesting that
the process of
McCarthyism-style
persecution can
occur at any time
or place.
The play focused heavily on
the fact that once accused,
a person would have little
chance of acquittal, given
the irrational and circular
reasoning of both the
courts and the public.
In October, 1953,
McCarthy began
investigating
communist
infiltration into
the military.
Attempts were made by
McCarthy to discredit Robert
Stevens, the Secretary of the
Army. The president, Dwight
Eisenhower, was furious and
realized that it was time to
bring an end to McCarthy's
activities.
December 2,
1954: By a vote
of 67 to 22,
Joseph
McCarthy was
censured.
Senator Joseph McCarthy