(4b) The end of postwar euphoria / Cold War at home

Question 1

The House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

Answer 1

• 1940: The Smith Act allowed the prosecution of anyone who supported and promoted communism.
• HUAC became a powerful instrument in America’s fight against communism.
• The HUAC investigated suspected communist infiltration in America; attempted to expose communist supporters in the fed government, trade unions, and Hollywood.
• The case of Alger Hiss: a State Department official - accused of being a communist sympathiser. Accused of giving American government documents to a self-confessed former communist, in 1938. Hiss was found guilty of lying to the HUAC in January 1950 after a widely publicised trial.

Question 2

The house of un-american activities committee was set up in ____ to originally deal with ______ during ___.

Answer 2

The house of un-american activities committee was set up in 1938 to originally deal with Nazis during WW2.

Question 3

Hollywood 10

Answer 3

• Late 1940s: HUAC spearheaded a campaign against the Hollywood film community.
• Accusations of making films that had communistic content aimed at brainwashing the people of America.
• Charlie Chaplin blacklisted - refused entry to America.
• The infamous ‘Hollywood 10’ were sacked from their jobs.
• Some in Hollywood supported the HUAC: Walt Disney + Ronald Reagan.

Question 4

McCarthyism

Answer 4

• Senator McCarthy (Wisconsin) contributed to witch-hunting and hysteria.
• Feb 1950: McCarthy claim: State Department had been infiltrated - full of communists and its sympathisers.
• List of 250 names; then 50; then ‘a lot’.
• Never named his names and the committee found no evidence to support his claims.

Question 5

Impact of McCarthyism

Answer 5

• Raised his profile amongst the people
• Unpatriotic if you didn’t agree with him: two anti-McCarthy senators lost their seats in 1950 mid-term elections.
• Resonated with population: 1950 poll - 61% of those asked thought a teacher should be sacked if they were a communist sympathiser.
• Promoted anti-communism,
• Promoted a belief that America was the greatest,l country in the world - shouldn’t be undermined.

Question 6

Downfall of McCarthy

Answer 6

• 1954: Americans witnessed McCarthy’s accusations and aggression through televised HUAC committee hearings.
• People turned against McCarthy after his accusations against the armed forces.
• Reprimanded by the Senate, McCarthy returned to his former obscurity until his death from alcoholism in 1957.
• Eisenhower critical of McCarthy.

Question 7

Anti communism + the cold war context:

1920s recap

Answer 7

• After WW1 - feared that communism would spread.
• 1920s: The red scare = direct response to the set up of the USSR (Bolsheviks wanted the same in the USA).
• Palmer Raids - 6,000 immigrants arrested.

Question 8

Anti communism + the cold war context:

After WW2

Answer 8

• Fear emerged again - the iron curtain across Europe.
• Truman Doctrine (1947) to help contain communism (offered help to countries under threat).
• June 1947: Marshall Plan funded Europe to get economies going again - $17 billion for a European Recovery Programme.
• 70% of the money was used to buy from US suppliers:
  $3.2 billion on food; $1.6 billion on fuel.

Question 9

Although America was ___________ supporting the __________ of Communism, it was economically __________ from doing so.

Answer 9

Although America was financially supporting the containment of Communism, it was economically benefiting from doing so.

Question 10

Anti communism + the cold war context:

Increased Fear

Answer 10

• June 1945: Secret US state documents were found in the offices of a commie sponsored magazine (Amerasia) - 6 people were arrested for espionage with China.
• 1947: Truman - Loyalty Review Board: New loyalty and security checks on fed employees.
• 1947-1951: 3,000-6,000 federal employees resigned; 300-1200 were dismissed.
• 1949: USSR announced it had nuclear weapons - were secrets passed on? - Their relationship deteriorated.

Question 11

The reality of the nuclear age:

The Arms Race

Answer 11

• By 1949: USSR had exploded its first nuke.
• Tensions increased - Cold War began.
• USSR were able to carry out a military strike on US soil.
• USA paranoid at how quickly USSR had acquired knowledge to build nuclear weapons - suspicions fell on subversives and spies.

Question 12

The reality of the nuclear age:

The reality

Answer 12

• All affected - the fear of war increased paranoia.
• Kids taught what to do in event of a strike.
• Families built shelters.
• Large cities: public shelters + Civil Defence plans.
• 1956: Federal Defence Act - Enabled the rapid evacuation of cities.
• June 4 1954: 54 cities took part in 10 minute nationwide exercise - everyone had to clear the streets into shelters - satisfactory but 12 million would have died.

Question 13

The reality of the nuclear age:

Ethel + Julius Rosenberg

Answer 13

• Feb 1950: British scientist (Klaus Fuchs) was arrested - he’d worked on the American nuclear weapons.
• He admitted to passing on info - the Rosenbergs were blamed as members of the commie party.
• Julius arrested - 17th July 1950 - he was an electrical engineer with the US signal corps.
• Evidence against Rosenbergs was based on circumstance + innuendo - victimised because they were Jewish?
• Found guilty (Espionage Act 1917).
• Executed by electric chair - June 19 1953.