The First Red Scare
The Red Scare of the 50's was not the first of its kind. There was a previous one during the 20's, shortly after World War I. There were several union and socialist groups that had protested the war and were viewed as unpatriotic. Therefore any kind of strike or suspicious activity was attributed to them. People became terrified that workers on strike were actually communists and all kinds of havoc and chaos occurred. Intellectuals were accused of inciting communist ideals and immigrants were viewed with a deep level of distrust. The whole thing died out within a year, but it goes to reenforce that Americans are prone to mass hysteria and are easily convinced that a threat to their way of life is prevalent.
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When did it begin?
The very first Red Scare started around WW1 (1917-1920) and it also began once again around WWII (1947-19570. The Red Scare was spreading because a lot of people believed that their country the United States will fall to communism.
- After World War II ended many people in the US were very scared do to the spread of communism. The Cold War began after the end of World War II and it was a period where Americans were extremely paranoid about the threat of Communism.
- On October 1, 1949 the defeat of the Chiang Kai-Shek and the Nationalists caused more paranoia after the fall of Republic of China under Communist rule.
- United States feared that the Soviet Union were making nuclear atomic weapons.
Who started McCarthyism?
Joseph. R McCarthy's height started from the 1950's to the mid 1953. McCarthy, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, turned into a national figure in the pursuit of a communist "conspiracy."
The term McCarthyism became a synonym for a public "witch-hunt" intended to destroy the victim's political standing and public character.
The term McCarthyism became a synonym for a public "witch-hunt" intended to destroy the victim's political standing and public character.
- On February 9, 1950, Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy gave a speech that grabbed peoples. attention.McCarthy was nearing the end of his first term as senator and needed a big issue to and gave him a boost for his next running.
- He holed up a piece of paper, he claimed to have in his possession information proving that more than 200 employees in the State Department were card-carrying members of the Communist Party.
How do you find a Communist?
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Anyone who has a relation with communism is declared a communist. |