USA Unit 1(0.6) Flashcards
What revolution errupted new fears of communism in 1919? What movement largely foreign born in membership had grown in the US?
What events added to these scares?
-The 1917 Russian Revolution.
-The American Communist movement.
-A wave of industrial unrest in 1919. An anarchist bomb which killed 38 people on Wall street.
What was the reaction to these events?
-Congress expelled socialist members.
-Thirty two states passed laws making membership of communist organisations a crime.
-9,000 people were arrested and held without trial: over 500 aliens were deported.
What happened Post WWII causing a new rise of anti-communist beliefs?
-The Cold war, which made many fear Communist infiltration.
What were the Communist spies who infiltrated Truman’s gov’t looking for? What industry and gov’t sector was suspected for commuinst infiltration?
-Communist spies searching for atomic secrets, infiltrated several gov’t agencies.
-The film industry and education.
How did Truman respond to these issues ?
-Established a Loyalty Review Board to investigate all federal employees.
-Allowed FBI to investigate subversives.
How did Nixon and other politicians think they could capitalise from anti-communist feelings?
What war broke out in 1950?
- Nixon realised that anti-Communism was an issue that was likely to win themselves and their party support.
-The Korean War broke out in 1950, creating conditions for anti communism to spread.
Who was McCarthy? What did he claim? Who did he attack in response to this?
-Senator of Wisconsin.
-He claimed he had evidence that 205 Communists had infiltrated the State Department
-He attacked government agencies, the Democratic Party, intellectual liberals and Truman.
Who supported these claims? Were these assessments of the state by McCarthy accurate?
-J. Edgar Hoover, other Republicans and even blue collar workers who usually voted Democratic were in support of McCarthy’s claims.
-The claims were far from accurate. Veteran anti-Communists such as FBI Director Edgar Hoover were surprised on how little McCarthy knew.
How did Eisenhower use anti-communism to win the 1952 election?
-He used his vice president Nixon to beat the anti-Communist drum.
-Focused on the K’s in his campaign; Korea, Communism, and corruption.
What was the McCarthy ‘witch hunt’ between 1953-54?
-Widely publicised hearings into subversive infiltration.
-His investigations into the army were broadcast on television.
How did the ‘witch hunt’ ruin McCarthy’s image? What did the senate do to McCarthy in response?
-He was exposed to be a malicious individual.
-The senate passed a motion of censure on him. Making him fall from grace and lose further influence.
What was McCarthy’s legacy?
-Anti-communism remained a force in the USA until the 1980s.
-Many Americans regarded various social movements especially the civil rights movement as Communist driven.
When was the second red scare? What were conservatives concerned with during this period?
What were the critics of liberals during this period?
-1945-54 labelled as the ‘age of fear’.
-Conservatives feared that Communists posed a serious threat externally and internally. They were concerned that Communists infiltrated the US gov’t.
-Liberals feared that America’s traditional freedoms were being eroded by ‘witch hunts’. They were appauled that hundreds of teachers and gov’t workers had lost their jobs.
While Communist agents did exist what was the reality?
Was McCarthyism as dangerous as Liberals suggested?
-The reality was that much of the scare had been exaggerated. Very few held position where they had access to important information or could influence US policy.
-No. Although it did result in lost jobs and books being removed from library shelves. There were no executions, no lynchings, prison camps or threat to democratic gov’t.
