McCarthyism Flashcards
Who was Joseph McCarthy?
- Republican senator from Wisconsin 1946
- Most notorious ‘red baiter’
- Career failing and unimpressive in 1950
- Badly needed an issue if he was to be re-elected
What did McCarthy do in 1950 after the Hiss trial and how did people react?
- Made a headline-catching accusation
- Claimed to have a list of the names of 205 communist party members who were working for the State department
- False but gained him valuable publicity
- Put state department on the defensive, many senators and the public demanded an investigation
What happened after the Tydings Committee investigated McCarthy’s accusation and how did McCarthy respond?
- Found out they were untrue
- McCarthy responded by calling Senator Tydings ‘un-American’ and a communist sympathiser
- McCarthy was highly influential and Tyding’s was not elected the next year
What was the result of McCarthy’s growing popularity?
- Earned support from senior Republican part members
- Eisenhower won the election of 1952, who personally loathed McCarthy, appointed him as Chairman of Government of the Operations of Senate (to manage him and mitigate the damage McCarthy could do while maintaining political stability)
- Gave McCarthy power base to conduct investigations
What was the nature of McCarthy’s hearings?
- Held in private then in public
- Evidence fed to him by the FBI
- Allowed him to bully and intimidate witnesses
- In context of climate of fear, to be accused by McCarthy could finish careers
- Millions watched him on TV, Thousands attended
What are the classical features of McCarthyism?
- Speeches
- False, headline-grabbing accusations
- Bullying hearings in public or private
Who did McCarthy attack after Hollywood and the State Department and why?
- The Army
- He was an attention seeker and needed to keep his bandwagon rolling
- He accused George Marshall (did a brilliant job, and was the most senior soldier in the US army in WW2)
- Eisenhower did not do anything because he did not want to lose votes
What were the reasons of McCarthy’s downfall?
- Opposition grew in the public and among powerful institutions (who had resources and confidence)
- Army and press were the most important
- Congress recovered and turned on McCarthy
To what an extent did McCarthy self-destruct?
- To a major extent
- His accusations grew increasingly extreme
- When the army hearings were televised, McCarthy was seen as a bully with no evidence.
- Everyone McCarthy accused was never convicted
How did the army fight back against McCarthy?
- Hiring investigators who found evidence for McCarthy’s financial corruption
- Publicised evidence, discredited him
How did the press fight back against McCarthy?
- Published anti-McCarthy articles
- Broadcasted anti-McCarthy TV programmes
How did a change in context of international politics affect McCarthyism?
- End of Korean war in 1953 eased tensions
- McCarthyism was not as necessary as before
- Senate voted to censure McCarthy in 1954
How did McCarthyism impact citizens?
- Direct massive ground-level impact
- Blacklisted and ruined reputations, families broke up
How did McCarthy’s attacks affect the State department?
- Highly damaging on the long run
- Many intelligent and talent people were fired, they would have steered US politics in another direction
- Poor crisis assessments, disastrous decision making abroad (Vietnam government policy)
How did McCarthyism impact the ‘picture’ of the US?
- Culture of anti-Americanism (originally highly regarded in western Europe for positive impact in world wars)
- Long term
