McCarthyism established fear among Americans about the rise of communism within America. However, McCarthyism exploited an already feared thought of many Americans, making the situation even more tense than it was beforehand. Amidst fear of the rise of Communism in America, the article states, “In fact, the government’s efforts to stem the spread of Communism at home began well before McCarthy’s rise.”Consequently, McCarthyism invoked immense fear into next to everybody, turning neighbor against neighbor, as no one knew who to trust anymore. Unsurprisingly, due to the overreaction of Americans when McCarthy presented his list with 205 “known” communist spies, McCarthyism spread like wildfire, generating mass hysteria that would take
