red scare Flashcards
anti communist build up in US
-in aftermath of ww2 huge growth in anti-communism
-seen as threat to american way of life: opposed to capitalism, democracy, individual freedom
-afraid that communists, supported by soviets, would try take over country
-belief took over that communists had infiltrated highest levels of US govt.
HUAC
house of representatives un-american activities committee:
-set up by house of representatives in late 1930s to investigate communist/fascist infiltration of american life
-nixon leading member in 1940s
red scare
period in late 1940s/early 1950s in america when hysterical fear of communism led to people in important institutions in US govt. and culture being accused of communist sympathies and being driven from their jobs
HUAC alger hiss hearing
state dept. official alger hiss accused of being communist/soviet spy.
-later tried + convicted of perjury (lying under oath) in his testimony to HUAC
-denied charges however files released since end of cold war seem to confirm accusation
rosenberg case 1951
in 1951 julius + ethel rosenberg tried + sentenced to death for passing secrets about nuclear weapons to soviets.
-executed for treason/conspiracy to commit treason in 1953
-american communist party banned + witch hunt ensued
HUAC and hollywood blacklist
HUAC held hearings in 1947 and 1951-4 on communist influence in hollywood. leading actors including reagan + writers/directors named people they believed were communist
-dozens of labelled communists blacklisted and could not earn living for many years
hollywood 10
some people refused to answer HUAC’s questions -> hollywood 10 (group of writers + directors) jailed + blacklisted for refusing to discuss political views with HUAC
red scare impact on education
600 teachers lost jobs because of accusations of communism
senator joseph mccarthy
-wisconsin republican senator
-early 1950s began to take advantage of red scare with huge anti-communist crusade to make a name for himself
-very dramatised + took advantage of TV
mccarthyism + state dept. allegations
speech on 9 feb 1950: claimed he had list of 205 communists in the state dept.
-wide press coverage + pressure on govt to respond
tydings committee
set up by truman to conduct investigation into the allegations.
-found no evidence to back claims + truman dismissed charges as ‘a fraud and a hoax’
-mccarthy responded by saying truman ‘soft on communism’
mccarran act
republicans led by mccarthy demanded strict anti-communist laws e.g. mccarran act (banned from US anyone part of ‘anti-democratic’ org.)
-when truman attempted to block law he was made look weak on communism
factors in mccarthy’s success
- political climate: people willing to believe allegations -> widespread fear + desperation. easy to blame communism for foreign policy failures
- ‘us and them’ approach: he was mid-western, working class, catholic. they were east coast, uni educated, liberal, protestant, wealthy elites WASP (white anglo saxon protestant)
- support across political spectrum: attack on democrats helped EH win in 1952. mccarthy so popular that politicians e.g. jfk, robert f. kennedy, followed him/ afraid to criticise.
mccarthy’s fall
-media played large role
-1953 became head of senate’s committee on government operations’ subcommittee on investigations, broadened attacks to highly respected people in army, supreme court etc. + homosexuals -> ‘lavender list’
-televisings portrayed him as bully/extremist
-Ed murrow + respected journalists investigated + criticised him
-censured by senate in 1954 (publicly declared they disagreed)
-destroyed career + died of alcoholism in 1957
reasons for rise in anti-communist sentiment
-600 govt docs discovered in office of communist magazine during FBI raid
-canada discovered soviet spy ring
-loyalty boards
-played up communist threat for support of truman doctrine
-soviets taken over eastern europe
-chinese civil war
-soviet atomic bomb 1949 (year before expected)
-korean war
