Week 1- Anticommunism and McCarthyism 1

Week 1
Frederick R. Paige III
University of Phoeni
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Week 1- Anticommunism and McCarthyism %
1&#'-1&$$ (as fi))ed (ith *o)itica) controversy +et(een Re*u+)icans and ,emocrats- the
start of the Co)d War (as u*on everyone and economic gro(th (as at record highs. .he United
/tates (as at *o)itica) tensions (ith the /oviet Union on the main issue of di*)omatic ca*ita)ism
and communism +ut a)so on *o)itics- (ar strategies- nuc)ear (arfare- es*ionage and *ro*aganda.
0eing the free country that (e are the United /tates (as against and has a)(ays +een against
communism and has a )o( to)erance for governments that do not a))o( their citi1ens to have a
voice. .he Co)d War (as the start for many American tensions to +e deve)o*ed and many
*o)iticians to s*eak out. Whether they s*oke for or against the United /tates or for or against the
/oviet Union and (hat they stood for- Communism.
United /tates Re*u+)ican /enator 2ose*h McCarthy from Wisconsin (as e)ected /enator
in 1&#' and served unti) he died in 1&$3. ,uring his reign as /enator he +ecame famous for
s*eaking out and against the United /tates government and accusing *o)iticians- government
(orkers- mi)itary- teachers- and *rofessors of +eing communists. Accusations of distrust-
dis)oya)ty and treason to(ards these individua)s caused a ma4or u*roar in society. 5ne of
McCarthy6s most famous s*eeches (as Fe+ruary &- 1&$3 in (hich he he)d a *iece of *a*er (ith
%3$ names on it c)aiming that the individua)s on that *iece of *a*er (ere communist infi)trators
(ho (orked for the state de*artment. 2ose*h McCarthy often used these *u+)ic forums as (ays
to address the (or)d on ho( he fe)t that communism (as infi)trating our o(n government and
cons*iracies (ere )urking in our o(n government. 7!e (as charged (ith having t(isted in the
/enate6s record the facts of one of his ear)iest s*eeches a))eging communism in the /tate
,e*artment.8 9White- *ara %.: ;ven the genera) *u+)ic he)d a not so sure vie( of the /enator for
the accusations he made (ere far fetched from anything anyone had ever dared to say against the
United /tates.
Week 1- Anticommunism and McCarthyism <
Many Americans o**osed the idea of communism that they had seen first hand from
/ta)in- !it)er and other dictating )eaders. 5rgani1ed anti-communism (as more deve)o*ed in the
United /tates in re*)y to the /oviet Union6s address of communism after WWII. A ma4or issue
that (as fought over during the years of the Co)d War (ere (hat ty*e of government the /oviet
Union shou)d *ossess and ado*t after the ending of WWII. Communism (as the form of
government that /ta)in (anted to ado*t +ut sho(ed President Rooseve)t other(ise. /o
Americans ado*ted the idea and +e)ief of anti-communism to sho( su**ort for the United /tates
during accusations of Re*u+)ican /enator 2ose*h McCarthy and (hat the /oviet Union tried to
enforce on it6s *eo*)e after WWII.
Fear had gri**ed the =ation +ecause of accusations of cons*iracy- treason- dis)oya)ty and
communism in our o(n government. .he genera) *u+)ic >uestioned our government- churches-
sitting officia)s and anyone e)se (ho cou)d ho)d a *osition of authority over *eo*)e. 7Ra++i
0en4amin /chu)t1- (ho resigned a (eek ago as a s*iritua) )eader of .em*)e ;manu-;) as the
resu)t of a controversy over a series of artic)es he (rote on anti-communism- ca))ed yesterday on
the =ationa) Conference of Christians and 2e(s to investigate communism in the churches.8
9/*ecia) to .!; =;W ?5R@ .IM;/:. Churches (ere >uestioning *astors- ra++i6s- *riests and
)eaders of churches to find communism. ,uring the time of the 1&#36s and 1&$36s radio6s (ere
the +iggest source of mass communication (hich *eo*)e (ou)d )isten to ne(s and ta)k regarding
the issues of communism and anti-terrorism. .he fear gri**ed everyone.
0ecause of the anti-communism scare in America the government *ut in *)ace foreign
*o)icies to try and ease the American *eo*)e. =A.5 (as esta+)ished. It (as an a))iance formed
(ith America and countries in ;uro*e to esta+)ish (or)d (ide *eacekee*ing. =/C-AB (as
*assed (hich (as a +i)) that out)ined the ne( U./. Po)icy to(ards communism in America. .he
Week 1- Anticommunism and McCarthyism #
McCarran act (as a)so *assed to restrict immigration in the U./. A)) of these ne( *o)icies and
*rocedures (ere *ut in *)ace to ease the minds of the American *eo*)e and if there (ere
communist to find them and get them out.
7.here is unmistaka+)e evidence in the country today that good mora)s cou)d +e good
*o)itics- +ut the fact is that this *o)itica) cam*aign has seen the trium*h of 7McCarthyism8-
Reston says in his =e( ?ork .imes artic)e. America (as gri**ed +y fear of McCarthyism in the
1&#36s and 1&$36s. Citi1ens (ere ske*tica) and sus*icious of +oth the democratic and re*u+)ican
*arties using distrust- dishonesty and McCarthyism to (in *o)itica) +att)es and smear their
o**onents. Radio stations ta)ked a+out it- the ne(s*a*ers dai)y had artic)es and re*orts on
McCarthy- Rooseve)t- /ta)in- the /oviet Union and communism. Peo*)e seemed to distrust the
government and their o(n communities and for good reason.
Reston, J. (, October 1950). Defamation marks violent campaign. The New York
Times. Retrieved from ttp!""searc.pro#$est.com"docvie%"111&'&5(
)ite, ). *. (, +a, 1950). +c-art, .cc$sed of /%isting 0.cts. The New York
Times. Retrieved from ttp!""searc.pro#$est.com"docvie%"111'('0'01
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Week 1- Anticommunism and McCarthyism $
I Special to THE NEW,YORK TIMES. (1947, Nov 15). Rei!"e# $a%%i &$!e
co''&"i' c(ec)*&p. New York Times (1923-Current File), pp. 19*19.
Ret$ieve# +$o' (ttp,--ea$c(.p$o.&et.co'-#ocvie/-1010477123
acco&"ti#455116