The 'Red Scare' + McCarthyism

Question 1

What was the Red Scare?

Answer 1

The Red Scare was hysteria over the perceived threat posed by Communists in the U.S.

Question 2

Who was the figurehead of the Red Scare? And when and where did he come into prominence?

Answer 2

Senator Joseph McCarthy
In 1950, he delivered his ‘Enemies Within’ speech in Wheeling, West Virginia declaring he had a list of over 200 communists within the US government

Question 3

How did Senate respond to McCarthy’s speech in 1950? Was it successful?

Answer 3

They established a committee under Millard Tydings which investigated McCarthy’s claims - ‘a fraud and a hoax’
McCarthy supporters then spread fake photograph of Tydings with communist party leader - fall from influence

Question 4

How did Truman contribute to the Red Scare? Who insisted this?

Answer 4

Truman had highlighted communist expansionism in his ‘Truman Doctrine’ speech
This angle was pushed by Senator Arthur Vandenberg (‘Scare the hell’ out of the public)

Question 5

Why was the fear of Communists so prevalent by 1950? (4 examples)

Answer 5

Truman Doctrine speech (1947)
Conviction of Alger Hiss (1948)
Soviet atomic test success (1949)
Fall of China to communism (1949)

Question 6

What was ‘red-baiting’

Answer 6

Hurling communist allegations at people and forcing them to respond to defend their innocence

Question 7

What was the HUAC? and when was it established?

Answer 7

House of Un-American Activities Committee
1938

Question 8

What did the HUAC focus on?

Answer 8

Dealing with domestic subversion + communists within the industries

Question 9

What industry caught the HUAC’s attention in 1947?

Answer 9

Hollywood

Question 10

Who were the ‘Hollywood 10’?

Answer 10

A group of entertainment workers (actors, screenwriters, directors) who refused to testify to the HUAC on their communist accusations

Question 11

What happened to the Hollywood 10?

Answer 11

Imprisoned for refusal to cooperate from 6-12 months
Blacklisted from entertainment

Question 12

Name two prominent members of the Hollywood 10

Answer 12

Dalton Trumbo
Edward Dmytryk

Question 13

Who were the ‘Cambridge 5’?

Answer 13

A group of British spies who had passed top-secret files and plans to Moscow during the early phase of the Cold War (Atomic developments, alliances etc.)

Question 14

Who, according to some, passed the most information to Moscow during his time in Washington? When and what did he pass?

Answer 14

Donald Maclean
From 1944-48, he passed atomic secrets (specifically plutonium developments) + the formation of NATO + Marshall Aid to Greece + Turkey

Question 15

What was Klaus Fuchs’ significance in the Red Scare?

Answer 15

He confessed to passing atomic secrets to Moscow while he was working on the Manhattan Project (Feb, 1950)
This confession later led to the convictions of the Rosenbergs

Question 16

Why were the Rosenbergs convicted of being communists in 1951? What happened to them?

Answer 16

They were ‘shopped’ by David Greenglass, Ethel Rosenberg’s brother, as being couriers who brought Fuchs’ documents to Moscow
Ethel and Julius were executed via electric chair in 1953

Question 17

By 1953, due to witch-hunts led by McCarthy and the FBI, how many people lost their jobs?

Answer 17

Around 500 local govt. employees
600 schoolteachers
150 college professors

Question 18

What famous Author was attacked during the Red Scare and deemed ‘radical’? And which books of his were censored? (2 examples)

Answer 18

Mark Twain
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer + The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Question 19

What did McCarthy deem Democrats who were ‘communist sympathisers’ and give an example of an individual who got this treatment

Answer 19

He deemed them ‘commie-crats’
Adlai Stevenson, presidential candidate in 1952

Question 20

How did McCarthyites, HUAC and right-wingers attack Adlai Stevenson in 1952? (3 examples)

Answer 20

Communist accusations (‘Adlai the appeaser’)
Homophobic accusations (‘trilled’ in a ‘fruity’ voice)
General hatred due to class difference

Question 21

In a telegram to Truman in 1950, how many communist names did McCarthy say he actually had on his list?

Answer 21

57 names, NOT 200+

Question 22

Did Truman respond to McCarthy’s telegram? What did he say?

Answer 22

YES - yet it was never sent, simply filed after writing
Essentially declared McCarthy a liar + attempting to discredit his own government + that McCarthy had ‘little sense of responsibility’

Question 23

How was McCarthy able to get away with all this stirring of hysteria? (3 examples)

Answer 23

Spy scares/communism growing
He had a good relationship with the press
Republican reluctance to challenge him (Truman never responded)

Question 24

What was the McCarren Act?

Answer 24

Passed in 1950, it said that members of Communist-affiliated organisations had to register with the federal government or face fines/prison. Registered people could be denied passports or get deported

Question 25

How did Truman react to the McCarren Act? What was Congress’ response?

Answer 25

Truman attempted to veto the Act
Congress overrode his veto

Question 26

Who led the FBI’s charge for communist investigations? And how many were there?

Answer 26

J. Edgar Hoover
Over 3 million investigations

Question 27

Did Truman approve of the FBI’s hunt for communists? What did he say in private?

Answer 27

NO - privately Truman compared Hoover and the FBI to the Nazi Gestapo