A People’s War?
By: Angie Rodriguez
Professor Buelna
CHS 245 OL
Class #14004
Opener
 Zinn opens Chapter 16 (“A People’s War?”) of A People’s History of the
United States with a quote released by the Communist Party in the United
States in 1939:
 “We, the governments of Great Britain and the United States, in the name of India,
Burma, Malaya, Australia, British East Africa, British Guiana, Hong Kong, Siam,
Singapore, Egypt, Palestine, Canada, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales,
as well as Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, Hawaii, Alaska, and the Virgin Islands,
hereby declare most emphatically, that this is not an imperialist war.” (p. 398).
 This quote was the precursor that set off the mentality of the war being a
“‘people’s war’ against Fascism.” (p. 398)
 However, Zinn poses the question that carries the chapter: is it really a
people’s war against Fascism?
Intervening
 Zinn note many times in the text that the United States has a history of wedging
themselves into other countries’ affairs for their own benefit.
 An “Open Door Policy in China” enabled the U.S. to have “opportunities equal to
other imperial powers in exploiting China” (p. 399)
 Whereas the Closed Door Policy
against Latin America guaranteed the
U.S. to be the only one that could
meddle in those countries, which they
did.
 According to Zinn, “the United
States intervened in Cuba four
times, in Nicaragua twice, in
Panama six times, in Guatemala
once, in Honduras seven times”
(p. 399)
 Specifically with Latin America,
the U.S. “engineered a revolution
against Colombia and created the
‘independent’ state of Panama in
order to build and control the
Canal. It sent five thousand
marines to Nicaragua in 1926 to
counter a revolution, and kept a
force there for seven years. It
intervened in the Dominican
Republic for the fourth time in
1916 and kept troops there for
eight years” (p. 399)
The U.S. and Japan
 Before WWII, the U.S. and Japan
had established an understanding, as
Zinn notes in the text:
 “So long as Japan remained a
well-behaved member of that
imperial club of Great Powers
who-in keeping with the Open
Door Policy- were sharing the
exploitation of China, the
United States did not object.”
(p. 401)
 However, the U.S.’s paranoia of
losing out on their Open Door
Policy with China got the best of
them.
What Was The U.S. Really Fighting
For?
 The U.S. involvement in WWII was mostly fueled by the U.S.’s fear of
Japan threat to take over China.
 That would mean the U.S. would miss out on resources like oil, tin, rubber,
scrap iron and other raw materials.
Attack on Pearl Harbor
 Known in history as the “date which would live in infamy”, the attack on Pearl
Harbor by the Japanese actually was a long time coming.
 Zinn quotes Bruce Russett as saying “Japan's strike against the American naval
base climaxed a long series of mutually antagonistic acts. In initiating economic
sanctions against Japan the United States undertook actions that were widely
recognized in Washington as carrying grave risks of war.” (p. 401)
Attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
 As retaliation, the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Japanese land; one in
Hiroshima--”leaving perhaps 100,000 Japanese dead, and tens of thousands more
slowly dying from radiation poisoning” (p. 413)—and another, three days later,
over Nagasaki—”with perhaps 50,000 killed” (p. 413).
 These attacks were justified because they were allegedly intended to end the war
quickly without too much damage to civilians—the complete opposite of what they
were able to accomplish.
Lingering Racism
 African-Americans in the military
were subjected to riding in the
lowest part of the ships when
traveling overseas.
 Reminiscent of slave travel.
 Americans began to hate as well
as fear those of Japanese ancestry
 They became the enemy.
 Some individuals believed
they should be placed in
concentration camps.
Literature of WWII
 Some of the literature to emerge during this era are those in a war
setting; specifically WWII.
 These novelizations of the war gave audiences some indication what
it was like to be in the war and how it affected a solider.
Joseph McCarthy
 Senator of Wisconsin
 Very vocal about anti-Communist
views
 Comes into government with antiCommunist agenda
 Spawns the term “McCarthyism”
 “the practice of making
accusations of disloyalty,
especially of pro-Communist
activity, in many instances
unsupported by proof or based
on slight, doubtful, or irrelevant
evidence.” (dictionary.com)
McCarthyism
 Zinn sheds light on McCarthyism with this passage from the text:
 “Speaking to a Women's Republican Club in Wheeling, West Virginia, in early 1950, he held up some
papers and shouted: "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 next day, speaking in Salt Lake City,
McCarthy claimed he had a list of fifty-seven (the number kept changing) such Communists in the
State Department. Shortly afterward, he appeared on the floor of the Senate with photostatic copies of
about a hundred dossiers from State Department loyalty files. The dossiers were three years old, and
most of the people were no longer with the State Department, but McCarthy read from them anyway,
inventing, adding, and changing as he read. In one case, he changed the dossier's description of
"liberal" to "communistically inclined," in another form "active fellow traveler" to "active
Communist," and so on.” (p. 422)
 McCarthy’s passionate speeches of anti-Communism begin to spread,
instilling in Americans a sense of panic and paranoia.
 In a sense, Communists became a new target of racism within the United
States.
The Rosenbergs
 A couple tried for espionage.
 Called forward by individuals who’d
already been discovered for having
communist ties.
 Zinn argues the couple was framed by “a
frequent and highly imaginative liar”
named Harry Gold (p. 425)
 Despite no real hard evidence against
them, the Rosenbergs were found guilty.
 They were sentenced to death by the
electric chair.
 The Rosenberg’s case only added more to
the United States’ paranoia over
Communism and those working for it
undercover.
Just Like The Red Scare

So much anti-Communism fear was instilled
in Americans at this point by McCarthy that it
resulted in a mentality similar to the one
during the “Red Scare”.

On p. 428 of the text, Zinn states that “young
and old were taught that aniti-Communism
was heroic”.
He also goes on to say there were many
examples in popular culture that supported
this notion

 Micky Spillane’s book, One Lonely Night,
chronicles narrator that has killed many
people, all Communists.
 The superhero of the comic strip Captain
America that urged readers to “beware
commies, spies, traitors, and foreign agents”
(p. 428)
Raising Money
 As a result of all the fear and paranoia, the
military budget drastically raised over
time.
 “In 1960, the military budget was $45.8
billion—9.7 percent of the budget.” (p.
428)
 “By 1970, the U.S. military budget was
$80 billion and the corporations involved
in military production were making
fortunes. Two-thirds of the 40 billion
spent on weapons systems was going to
twelve or fifteen giant industrial
corporations, whose main reason for
existence was to fulfill government
military contracts.” (p. 429)
Work Cited
 “McCarthyism”. Dictionary.com Unabridged.
Random House, Inc. 03 Apr. 2014. <Dictionary.com
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/>.
 Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United
States. Harper: New York, 1995. Print.