McCarthyism and the UN (S2.7) Flashcards
Who was Senator McCarthy?
Republican senator
> Ruthlessly exploited and fermented anti-communist anxieties of the early 1950s
What was McCarthyism?
McCarthyism refers to a period in the late 1940s and 1950s in the United States characterised by intense fear of communism and widespread anti-communist sentiment, driven largely by McCarthy.
> Seen as the ‘Red Scare’
What marked the end of McCarthyism?
By 1954, McCarthy accused the US Army of being soft on communism, which discredited him
> His ‘reign of terror’ never resulted in a single government worker being uncovered as a communist
What was McCarthy’s orchestrated pressure on Truman designed to do?
- Tighten government attitude towards the notion of a communist plot which threatened the USA
Who were the Rosenbergs, and what happened to them?
- Convicted of passing American nuclear secrets to the USSR
> Both were executed and killed
> Jerome Frank, a leading liberal judge, was too terrified and frightened by the fear within the country, that he did nothing to save their lives, as he would be charged as a communist.
What was the House of Un-American Activites Committee?
Purpose was to investigate communist infiltration in US society
> Most brought before the committee were often perfectly innocent but served as sacrificial victims that fed the popular paranoia.
What happened in the Alger Hiss affair?
Hiss was a prominent member of FDR’s government
> Accused of being a member of the Communist Party; convicted of perjury in January 1950 about lying about giving information to the USSR
> Dean Acheson still publically offered him support, which further heightened belief in the notion that communism had infiltrated the government.
What were the main areas targeted through McCarthyism?
State Department
Film industry
Democratic Party
What was the overall impact of McCarthyism on America?
- Increased anti-communist policy and sentiment
- Eroded civil liberties and brought fear and conformity
- Led to blacklisting and permanent damaging of reputations
What country dominated the UN, and how did it assert its dominance?
The US effectively dominated the UN
> Did not allow mainland China to take the ROC’s seat at the UN
> Only Eastern European state which joined in 1945 was Poland
When was the UN Charter agreed and what was the membership of the UN?
Agreed in June 1945
> Composition of the membership was largely pro-Western allies across the globe (Canada, India, NZ/AU, Egypt, Iran, etc)
How did veto power on the UN Security Council undermine US power, and in what exceptions did it help it?
Veto power on the Security Council (mainly used by the USSR, as the only non-western nation)
> Notable exceptions include the US-led UN intervention in Korea
When, and why was McCarthy finally disgraced
December 1954
> Accused communists of infiltrating the US army
