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The Red Scare and McCarthyism
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After 1945 many Americans feared communists were hiding inside the USA. The fear grew into a hunt that ruined thousands of lives.
Why fear grew
The USSR took over Eastern Europe, tested an atomic bomb (1949), and China became communist (1949).
The FBI, led by J. Edgar Hoover, investigated suspected communists, and government workers faced loyalty checks.
The FBI, led by J. Edgar Hoover, investigated suspected communists, and government workers faced loyalty checks.
HUAC and spy cases
The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) investigated Hollywood. The Hollywood Ten refused to answer questions and were jailed for contempt; hundreds were blacklisted.
Alger Hiss, a former State Department official, was convicted of perjury in 1950 after being accused of spying.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed in 1953 for passing atomic secrets to the USSR.
Alger Hiss, a former State Department official, was convicted of perjury in 1950 after being accused of spying.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed in 1953 for passing atomic secrets to the USSR.
McCarthy
In 1950 Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed to have a list of communists in the State Department.
He made wild accusations with little evidence, and people lost jobs.
In the televised Army-McCarthy hearings (1954) he attacked the army; viewers saw him as a bully. The Senate censured him in 1954 and his influence collapsed.
He made wild accusations with little evidence, and people lost jobs.
In the televised Army-McCarthy hearings (1954) he attacked the army; viewers saw him as a bully. The Senate censured him in 1954 and his influence collapsed.
Explain why the Red Scare grew in 1949 to 50.
- The USSR tested an atomic bomb in 1949.
- China became communist in 1949.
- The Hiss case suggested communists were inside the government, making McCarthy's claims believable.
Answer: Communist successes abroad and spy cases at home made Americans fear hidden communists.
Fear grew after the Soviet bomb and communist China (1949). HUAC targeted Hollywood (the Hollywood Ten); Hiss was convicted (1950); the Rosenbergs were executed (1953). McCarthy made wild accusations from 1950 until the Army-McCarthy hearings and censure (1954).
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