The Red Scare and McCarthyism Flashcards
When and what was the Tehran Conference?
1943 - the ‘Big Three’ (Stalin, FDR, Churchill) met up to discuss the rebuilding of Europe after WW2 finished. Stalin wanted German reparations, Churchill and FDR did not
When and what was the Yalta Conference?
Feb 1945 - The Big Three met, agreeing to work towards establishing democracy in Europe
They had conflicting ideas of democracy - Stalin believed communism was democratic
When did Roosevelt die?
April 1945 - Truman took over
The Potsdam Condernce
July-August 1945 - the ‘Big 3’ met to have a final discussion about the gvt of Europe post-WW2, including the division of Germany into 4 zones. Truman was arrogant due to the 1st nuclear bomb test, attempted to order Stalin around
Secret Telegrams
1946 - both countries commissioned secret reports from their embassies, and threats were reported from both
The Truman Doctrine
1947 - stated that the world had a choice between communism and democracy, committed to the ‘containment’ of communism by promising to send US troops and resources to gvts threatened by communism
Satellite States
1947 onwards - USSR turned many states, such as Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Hungary into these ‘satellite states’ (officially independent but actually controlled by another country)
When did China become communist?
1949 - US’ intervention had failed, increasing US’ anxiety about the spread of communism
When and what was the Berlin Blockade?
1948 - Stalin cut off all supply routes to West Berlin hoping to make it dependent on the USSR (1946 - US, UK and France had combined their zones)
When was Russia’s A Bomb revealed?
1949 - 4 years earlier than expected, leading to fears of Soviet infiltration in the US
When was the invasion of South Korea?
1950 - the communist N Korea invaded all but a small corner of S Korea by September 1950
Which piece of evidence we now know proves some justification for the Red Scare?
We now know that 221 Soviet agents had infiltrated the USA, and Stalin knew more about the A-Bomb than Vice-President Truman did during the War
What did George Keenan state?
The infiltration was ‘not trivial in proportions’ - he was known to be a balanced and perceptive member of the State Department providing some justification for the paranoia
When was the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) set up and why?
1938 to deal with the risk of ‘Nazi subversion’
When were the Federal Loyalty Boards established?
1947 - allowed anti-Reds to operate
By 1951, how many Government employees had been affected?
3,000 forced to resign and over 300 dismissed
How many states passed their own anti-subversion regulations?
39 - showing the widespread paranoia
How did Richard Nixon establish his reputation?
By persuing the spy Alger Hiss
When did the government tighten and how?
1947-8 with (excessive) loyalty and security precautions, including the Fed Loyalty Boards
When were Alger Hiss’ trials?
1st in 1949, found guilty of perjury in 1950
Which spy was convicted in the UK?
Klaus Fuchs for leaking nuclear secrets - soon after Hiss’ conviction, increasing paranoia
When did McCarthy claim to have his ‘list of 205’?
At a speech in Virginia (a meeting) in 1950
What did JFK say about McCarthy
‘The Pinks betrayed US policy in China…McCarthy may have something’
What was McCarthy’s skill?
Adept at using the press and media for publicity, inciting paranoia in normal Americans
What increased anti-Communist sentiment in the Gvt in 1950
Republican gains in Congress - they used this to embarrass Truman’s administration
When and what was McCarthy made head of?
The Committee of the Operations of the Senate 1953 - soon overshadowed the HUAC. His meetings turned into ‘witch-hunts’; constitutional rights were ignored and silence was treated as guilt
What suggested a risk of the Cold War becoming hotter?
The Korean War
When were the Rosenburgs accused of spying?
1951, executed in 1953
When was the Internal Security Act passed and what did it cause?
In 1950 (Congress overrode the veto), increasing political surveillance
What led to McCarthy’s downfall?
His televised army trials - Eisenhower was defensive of his army, and McCarthy appeared an idiot
Which scandal contributed to McCarthy’s downfall?
His assistant Roy Cohn - scandal (homosexuality)
When was McCarthy censured by the Senate?
1954, lost his power base of CoOotS
When did the HUAC find evidence of Communist sympathisers in Hollywood?
1947
When was the Presidential Election?
1952 - Eisenhower used McCarthy to help him be elected, as he could humiliate the Democratic candidates
Why did the Red Scare harm the civil rights movement?
Supporters were seen as ‘communists’, especially by Southern conservatives
Which journalist was influential in criticizing McCarthy?
Walter Lipman
When did the HUAC eventually shut down?
1975
What did the purge of State departments cause?
Left only ‘hawks’, making Vietnam policy more extreme
How did the Red Scare ruin lives?
Some people were blacklisted, meaning they could no longer work in their chosen professions
How was unionism impacted by the Red Scare?
Union leaders were forced to swear they were not communist under the Tuft-Harley Act - illustrating how pervasive the paranoia was
What is an argument against McCarthy’s significance?
Only circumstance and political context kept him in the public eye - in fact he had few friends even within his party, was often seen as ‘political froth’ (had no real effect), and was mostly supported by working-class Americans with no real knowledge of politics
What is an argument against the significance of the Red Scare
Nowhere near comparable to the USSR’s purges
