...The Powerful: Joseph McCarthy Imagine being a communist during 1950-1954 when Joseph R. McCarthy hated all communists. He was very powerful against them. Joseph R. McCarthy, a Senator from Wisconsin,was the leader of this in the United States of America. Other people that had to do with McCarthyism was the government. McCarthy's point of this was to get all of the communists out of America. Because the Senator of Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy was powerful and the Cold War was in full effect, McCarthyism changed many people's lives. One cause of why people changed their lives was how powerful McCarthy was. According to the author of History.com, “Senator McCarthy spent almost five years trying in vain to expose communists and other left-wing ‘loyalty risks’ in the...
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...were both commonly known as the Red Scare. This scare was willing to take anyone as it’s victim. Celebrities, politicians, or common Americans were all vulnerable to this phenomena that brought forth a Salem Witch Trial type of environment. The government of the United States of America tried to take many precautions, whether it was a success or failure, to try and prevent the spread of Communism in a country that is considered the greatest country on the Earth. Whenever there is a moment in history that brings on a mass hysteria, it shows what kind of people are really out there lurking around. This moment in history illustrates what happens during hysteria and what it makes people do in a time in which a common fear is shared amongst individuals of a society. “The scariest moment is always just before you start.” - Stephen King (269) This quote illustrates the moment in time just before the second Red Scare. Unlike the first Red Scare, this Red Scare had many components that provided more fear to the United States citizens. The citizens were not only in fear of the spread of communism, but they were also fearful of the United States Government coming to knock at their door. Let’s backtrack to how this whole event came about. World War II ended in 1945 and the United States and the USSR, or today’s Russia, were having political and...
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...The Connection by Kathleen Orozco P. Sepesi English 3.1 December 5, 2011 Outline I. Introduction II. America in the 1600’s A. Puritanism B. Salem Witch Trials III. America in the 1950’s A. Communism B. Joseph McCarthy IV. McCarthyism A. McCarthy Trials (HUAC) B. Blacklisting C. Elia Kazan D. Arthur Miller V. The Crucible A. The Summary B. The theme VI. The Allegory A. Danforth and the HUAC B. Danforth and Joseph McCarthy C. Elia Kazan and Abigail Williams VII. The conclusion The Connection The Crucible written by Arthur Miller has a symbolic meaning. It is an allegory, “a story in which people, things, and events have a symbolic meaning, often instructive.” (Agnes 17). The setting, the Salem witch trials of the 1600’s is similar to the McCarthy trials of the 1950’s. The people, the events, the details relate to one another. Miller purposely wrote his story to instruct the fact that the mentality of the people in the 1950’s was no different than the mentality of people in the 1600’s. In the 1600’s people followed a strict religion known as puritanism. The Puritans believed they were sent by God to purify the world of sin and evil. Because of this they believed they were superior to others. Consequently, when they did sin, they tended to feel guilty and blame others for their faults. This blame and guilt led to one of the most fearful times in America. The Salem witch trials happened during the 1600’s and at a time where everyone...
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...and struck fear into its citizens. Soon following the end of WWII a new fear of the unknown began to develop within Americans which caused nationwide anxiety and panic. Many believed communism might be the next threat to challenge the United States. The growing sentiments of Senator Joseph McCarthy lead out to protect America’s freedom from communism, although his sweeping lash stripped freedoms from many of his fellow citizens. Strange as it may seem, in this period of American history both communism and McCarthyism threatened America; fear fueled the fire to a Red Scare glow before its flame would dwindle and smolder. In order to better understand these events, a more detailed look into history is needed to explain how this controversy and cultural phenomenon came to be. Understanding the Differences Is there a difference between anti-communism and McCarthyism? Despite the common belief that these two terms have the same meaning, there are indeed fundamental differences. Anti-communism can be understood as a set of beliefs, social values, or political opinions that a communist form of government is unacceptable and wrong. McCarthyism, on the other hand, was suspicious and it unfairly accused American citizens of being a communist. Lead by and named affectionately after Senator Joseph McCarthy, McCarthyism and its accusations violated American civil rights, destroyed reputations, caused employers to "blacklist" and created an era of distrust in the United States well into...
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...Union, commonly known as The Cold War. These two superpowers conflicted and were competitive about many things, but none greater than the difference in government. The Soviet Union, being a communist country was highly unfavorable to the majority of the world. The United States attempted to use containment as a primary strategy to keep communism away from its shores. This strong resilience prompted the phrase, anti-communism, which simply means against communism. Even though America maintained itself as a democracy, there was a sweeping fear that communism may infiltrate the American government. Senator Joseph Raymond McCarthy became the most visible public face during this period. Senator McCarthy helped to perpetuate this fear, by making claims that there were an extremely large number of Communist and Soviet spies inside the United States federal government. This brought about the coining of the phrase McCarthyism. McCarthyism has become a common phrase for making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. McCarthy’s method used the fears of Americans to perpetuate his own agenda. During the McCarthy era, many Americans were accused of being Communist or communist sympathizers and were subjected to intense investigations before government and private panels, committees and agencies.(Wiki) McCarthyism not only affected the American public it heavily influenced the political landscape. In the 1950 Maryland Senate election incumbent...
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...The 1950’s were a time of fear and paranoia within the United States. During this time Cold War tensions were beginning to intensify giving way to the infamous Red Scare and the communist allegations of Joseph McCarthy. In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, the communal American fear of communist subversion reached its peak, colloquially known as the Red Scare. At this time, fewer than 50,000 out of the 150 million people, less than 1%, living in the United States belonged to the communist party, however the country remained in a state of panic. As a result of this hysteria, a senator named Joseph McCarthy began making accusations against alleged communist infiltration of government agencies. Therefore, the term McCarthyism, coined by political cartoonist Herbert Block, came to mean the movement to expose Communist subversives in the government and other important public institutions from the late 1940s to the mid 1950s. A...
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...each other indirectly bringing the cold war of words to light. They played a game of chance with problems in different countries of the world. They used words as weapons. They threatened and denounced each other. Both sides tried to make each other look foolish. Senator Joseph McCarthy was the prime instigator of this conflict between America and the Soviet Union. Anticommunism and McCarthyism Differences Even though anticommunism and McCarthyism are usually placed together, they are not the same. The meanings of both seem similar but are have differences in the meanings. Anticommunism is beliefs, social values and political, opinions where one part of government holds all the power. McCarthyism accuses men and women unfairly of communism, destroying the reputation of these people. They were placed on what is called a “blacklist”. Because President Eisenhower had faith in McCarthy, he supported or backed him in these beliefs. Eisenhower even stated “the government must be one that Communists and their sympathizers would find not only uncongenial but thoroughly hostile" (Frances, 1952 pg 1). The people never crossed or argued with McCarthy for fear of being on the blacklist. Many people called what McCarthy did a “witch...
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... In the making of the McCarthy era the Cold War had a major role in this historical event based on the fear that was expanded,...
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...worse than the Devil’s spawn? McCarthyism was established after Senator Joseph McCarthy convinced the colonists of communism in the United States; as a result, innocent people were imprisoned and McCarthy was appointed to the court for witch trials. Although the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism occurred at different centuries in time,...
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...Katherine Anderson 12/12/14 American History: A Repetitious Pattern Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, “The only thing to fear is fear itself.” Although this quote could be applied to many different events in history, it can indisputably be compared to two of the most infamous in America’s past: The Salem Witch Trials and the “Red Scare,” or Joseph McCarthy and the House of Un-American Activities Committee. These two periods of American history are remarkably similar in numerous ways. The Salem Witch Trials in 1692 and the Hunt for Communists during the 1950’s-60’s shows something man, for some reason, continues to not realize about history: it repeats itself. The Salem Witch Trials began in the spring of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. There were many factors that made Salem Colony fertile-soil in which terror and hysteria could arise and thrive. King William’s war recently took place in New France (Canada) and the people feared they would strike Salem Colony next. The people were also horrified that the Native Americans would attack at any time. There had been a recent smallpox epidemic. There was a sense of rivalry towards nearby Salem Town, a community in which there was more money. These prominent factors made life stressful for the puritans and certainly tension was high among the people. It is no surprise that when the word spread of the “diagnosis” of the first witch, Betty Parris (which was the daughter of Samuel Parris), dread and suspicion enveloped...
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...“In the Second Red Scare (1947-1957), Americans feared that the Soviet Union hoped to spread communism all over the world, overthrowing both democratic and capital institutions...and the U.S. became nervous that Soviet spies were working within the U.S. government” (Ohio History Central). “Senator Joseph McCarthy proclaimed that he was aware of 205 card-carrying members of the Communist Party who worked for the United States Department of State” (ushistory.org).“[McCarthy’s] victims also included government officials, celebrities, intellectuals—anyone opposed to his view point" (Ohio History Central). “McCarthyism refers to the act of making an allegation against someone that suggests they are supporting or spreading Communism, without sufficient...
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...self-seeking individuals such as Joseph McCarthy after the Second World War, and that the real problem and monolithic view of communism was a real threat to America during the Cold War up until the 1990s. As the relationship between American and the USSR had intensified through 1940-50s, the panic and mass hysteria in reaction to the perceived threat of communism inversion of American values and its branches of government had lead to a series of actions that would influence America both politically and socially. It could be suggested that the growing hysteria from the public and the government towards communism has upraised due to threats caused by the USSR, as it may impact America’s ideology. The idea of the ‘domino theory’ suggested by Eisenhower states that as one state is influenced by Communism, countries surrounding it may as well be impacted thus become a communist state. In 1949, the USSR had successfully produced a nuclear bomb made people in the US confirm the fear of having traitors at the heart of the government. The loss of China had also created a negative impact on the reaction of the United States, thus make people believe the ‘domino theory’. The majority blamed the loss of China was due to weak-minded individuals by right-wing press and the so-called China lobby. Other incidents happen to support the domino theory, such as the Korean War, which encouraged U.S to put military power into South Korea to oppose an invasion of communism by the North. The invasion seem...
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...McCarthyism and The Crucible During the tense era of McCarthyism, “The Crucible” a book about the Salem witch trials was written and published. The Salem witch trials of “The Crucible” , were women making accusations of people participating in witchcraft. Arthur Miller the author of “The Crucible” is compared to McCarthyism because Joseph McCarthy, a senator, accused people of being communists, or having relations with communist. During the 1950s, if anyone was accused of witchcraft they would be put on trial, or anyone having confession of participating in witchcraft would be given an execution. In Act 1 of “The Crucible”, Betty is the daughter of Rev. Parris who has fell ill after participating in witchcraft with her cousin, Abigail. Abigail...
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...Anticommunism and McCarthyism Paper HIS/145 December 19, 2011 ANITCOMMUNSIM AND MCCARTHYISM PAPER The differences are that McCarthyism was a radical expression of anti-communism, because anti-communism was a political belief that was against any social, cultural, political, and foreign policy that supported a government controlled state, economy, and cultural life. McCarthyism sought to fight communism by rooting out disloyal government officials through hearings, investigations, and wire tapping them to find out if they had allegiance to the communist party. McCarthy came out in the 1950's with a list of 205 spies that changed every day, but he began to target spies that no longer worked for the government (Goldfield D, 2006). They are closely related, but McCarthyism accused too many innocent people such as teachers, the army, and was finally censured by the Senate for interfering with the rights of the citizens which the article on the censorship and the symbol of McCarthyism spoke on. The press manipulated the perspectives of the nation by either promoting McCarthyism when it came out or then devaluating it when it was found out, but it was influenced by politics. I have enclosed a list of articles from Pro Quest that prove these contentions. McCarthy manipulate the press by using press clips, TV news, and publicized Republican convention to attack General Marshal, the General of the Army and other prominent government officials (Goldfield D, 2006). These televised...
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...Americans were scared that communists would spy on them and pass the information to Soviets who were dominant at the time. These events all lead to the beginning of McCarthyism in America, started by Senator Joseph McCarthy in response to growing threats of communism. Mr.McCarthy as a first-term senator was unpopular and was in need of popularity, in one of his speeches he claimed to have a list of communists in America which then gave him huge media attention. He played on the fear of people to increase his own political standing. For a while Americans had suspected about communists since the Soviets promised to take over America that is why McCarthy was seen as a hero and many sent money to finance his investigation. However he was also believed to be a bully however he had so much power that many were scared to challenge him and become targets. Because he had not given any details or evidence many stayed tune and followed his steps, those who accepted his accusations were anxious post-war Americans. The Republicans thought he might be a problem to the party, so they asked him to be the chair of the Govt Operations Committee to keep him busy and out of headlines. Additionally...
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