17. Reds Under The Bed Flashcards
Name 5 things America was worried about and contributed to the red scare
- Spread of soviet influence in Eastern Europe
- division of Germany due to the Berlin blockade and airlift
- domino effect of communism in Asia
- soviet spies in America
What was the red scare?
Fear of communism in America in the 1950s
What was HUAC?
The House Un-American Activities Committee was set up in 1938 to question those it believed might be involved in communist activity
What were witnesses asked by HUAC?
If they had ever been members of the communist party and if they knew any other members
What group of people did HUAC call a lot of?
Industry starts and actors to testify for spreading communism and Hollywood Ten refused to answer questions and were sent to prison
Who was Alger hiss?
a estate department official he was found to have passed State secrets to the Soviet Union. He was accused of being a spy via HUAC activities and the White House was accused of harbouring Communists
Who are the Rosenbergs?
One of the many who are convicted of being spies. They supposedly gave American bomb secrets to the Soviet Union and were executed to the electric chair in 1953
Who was Joseph McCarthy?
A senator who started a ‘witch hunt ‘ particularly within the film industry
What was McCarthy’s list?
The list he claimed he had which consisted of 205 communists in the government and accused Secretary of State George Marshall and even threatened president Truman
How did McCarthy have a negative effect on democracy?
His abusive actions made people loose trust in their government until after he tried to accuse the army which caused his followers to decrease overnight and showed him to be an arrogant tyrant
What were America’s reactions to the red scare?
HUAC, McCarthyism and spies
What were the ways the red scare was exaggerated?
- when McCarthy was discredited in a hearing in 1954 where a lawyer asked if he had any decency
- many careers in the film industry were destroyed by McCarthy as no one wanted to be associated with those accused
- propaganda like the comic ‘this is tomorrow’ was published regularly
- most witnesses questioned by HUAC were innocent
In what ways was the red scare real?
- a few were caught for spying: Alger Hiss, julius and Ethel Rosenberg and Klaus Fuchs who passed Manhattan project secrets
- the FBI’s director jhon Edgar Hoover accused teachers of being re-educators and launched surveillance programmes on high profile politicians and public figures
