The Red Nightmare Analysis

Superior Essays
During the Cold War, the fear of communism grew in America. As a result, the American government implemented ways of abolishing any communist sympathizers by attempting to stop their ideas from spreading. These organizations confined many Americans, even those who were not involved. The organizations began to ban people in Hollywood and restrict movies, in fear that the American people would intrust in certain communist ideas that went against America’s democracy. Regardless of the ways they attempted to abolish communism, their endeavor was indisputably against the first amendment, which allows and grants the American people the god given freedom of speech and allows them to discuss their political views and opinions. The censorship caused …show more content…
government also used its power to oversee Hollywood and what it would produce. The United States government wanted to manipulate the Americans’ opinions to be against communism and assure Americans loyalty in their government. The easiest and fastest way to do this was through media, as it still is today. The government produced movies to spread their message quickly. The Red Nightmare was produced for the Department of Defense and depicted what America would be like if it were under a communist rule. The movie follows the story of one man, played by Jack Webb, and his family. Not only was this movie produced for the government, but the assignment to produce the movie was strategically given to a strong opinionated anti-communist production company, Warner Brothers. Vincent Forte the script writer described Jack Warner, one of the Warner Brothers as: “...very gung-ho in that area [anti-Communism].” The movie is a ridiculous hyperbole of what it is like living in a communist country. In Red Nightmare they depict a scene where the main character gives his children a hug, but his wife tells him to stop because their meal is to go “uninterrupted”. The movie depicted the communists as robots with no feeling or emotion who only live to serve the communist party. The portrayal was an attempt to dehumanize the communists and make communist and make the lives of them appear unappealing to the American people. Russia also produced almost identical films attempting to manipulate opinions and guarantee conformity among their people’s political views. In Русский вопрос (Russian Question) an American journalist is sent to the Soviet Union to observe the country as well as write a compelling article on how the Soviets are evil, but on his trip to the Soviet Union he falls in love with the country. Russian Question is arguably more tame than Red Nightmare, but nevertheless the Soviet Union used other forms of propaganda to ensure the

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    The jove atmosphere of the “Roaring Twenties” first cracked in 1918 when a bout of paranoia, originally provoked by the success of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia in 1917, turned into mass hysteria, as the American people came to believe that a communist takeover was imminent. A grim reminder of years past, the “Red Scare” justified the employment of such repressive laws, and did so at the expense of the American people, who had become accustomed to losing their civil liberties during times of perceived danger under President Wilson’s wartime administration. During this time Congress passed the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918, placing restraints on citizens’ right to free speech and freedom of the press with the prohibiting of acts of considerable aggression or abusive language against the…

    • 1446 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Anthony Lewis makes a reference in his book, Freedom for the Thought We Hate, of times in history when Americans were given freedom of speech but with very strict limitations: this was apparent even more so during a time of combat and national turmoil. As stated by Justice Holmes, “the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent” (Lewis, pg. 26). It is evident now and long ago that the government has had a tight grasp on what can be considered appropriate freedom of speech. There has to be boundaries set to ensure that there is still a sense of structure. At the time when America was at war with Vietnam, a time when the nation was at a venerable state, the government determined whether freedom of speech and press was destroying the nation or helping it.…

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Texas vs. Johnson (An analysis of the supreme court case Texas vs. Johnson and the current repercussions of the decision) The first amendment protects many of our basic rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, etc. The framers of our constitution left a broad wording to leave room for our country to grow and change as time went on. One of the adjustments our country has made over time is to define the actions and words protected under the freedom of speech. There are three basic categories of free speech; pure speech, is communication only through words, speech plus is speech plus an aid such as a sign or a chant, and symbolic speech, an action that communicates meaning without the use of words.…

    • 1129 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Soviet film flourished with the desire to evoke a new generation of strong Russian citizens unified under one message. The use of film to bring the nation together through cinema was one of great success and allowed for ideas and political support to spread. The pressures of war coupled with the desire to create is what supported the cinema of the Soviet Union during the Second World War. And, although many times focused on the policies of the government, the tales told through film captured the heart of millions across the globe. These films have withstood the test of not only time, but war and revolution and for that must be preserved and admired for years to…

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Freedom of expression is a uniquely American tradition, at least to the extent we have here. Amy Witherbee, a researcher who studies how democracy and censorship go hand and hand said “At the core of censorship is always a parallel belief in the ability of an idea to alter lives and change nations. The challenge is to let those ideas wreak their havoc, and trust in our capacity as the citizens of a democracy to make of the damage something better than what was there before. If, on the other hand, we close down the arguments, retract the controversies, and avoid the challenges, then what we have is not a real democracy, but a nation afraid to lead itself” (Witherbee Par. 12). The First amendment is in place to protect citizens from censorship.…

    • 1855 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Second Red Scare Essay

    • 1002 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Also, there was never any evidence found that the entertainment industry was producing propaganda films. America as a Whole. America as the whole was impacted by the Second Red Scare tremendously. People who didn’t deserve to be under government investigation and even imprisoned.…

    • 1002 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    In the Untied States of America, the First Amendment allows individuals the right to freedom of speech, press, and religion. According to The Law of Journalism and Mass Communication, “The First Amendment to the U.S Constitution includes only 45 words. It says, congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances” (Trager. p52). However, there seems to be room for debate…

    • 1175 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The First Amendment There are ten amendments in the Bill of Rights but the first one is the most important. The first amendment gives Americans the Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, Freedom of Religion, the Right to Petition and the Right to assemble. The exact words from the Bill of Rights are “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” These rights aren’t really ever thought of as a privilege but they are.…

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Censorship is a very common practice that is used by many different countries and parties. It is “The suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security.” (Oxford Dictionaries) Governments typically use this to hide or keep information from their people.…

    • 1174 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Legal Policy Essay The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects freedom of speech, as considered being one of the most fundamental protection of the American way of life in a democratic society. However, it is also very clear that there are certain forms of speech are prohibited. For example, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote, “the most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic”; other limitations to freedom of speech include defamation, hate speech obscenity, and child pornography. Among all the situations with controversy, Constitution generally prohibits government’s regulation of speech, even when the speaker’s opinions are reprehensible to…

    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Every person has a moral obligation between separating what the state says and what they believe. The battle between the state and the individual can cause some controversy such as the topic of censorship. Some wonder if it is right that the government or a big company can obstruct books, news, movies,etc. An abundance of power should not be given to one person, but instead to the people with a voice. The opinions and beliefs of an individual should not be obstructed or it can be detrimental to the society.…

    • 1176 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Censorship and the effect it has on social media. The world has been changing over the years and with it society has been changing as well. Now, change might not always be for a negative result but it can confuse many people; in their way of thinking and even the way of behavior. There will always be people trying to express themselves in ways other people do no understand and think it is wrong because that was the way they were thought and raise.…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This essay is a summary and analysis of the novel Dream of The Red Chamber. The novel was originally written by Tsao Hsueh- Chin translated and adapted from Chinese by Chin-Chen Wang. The publisher is Anchor book and the book was published in 1958.…

    • 2009 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The First Amendment can be censored in all of it’s contents, and changes the way we live today. The First Amendment protects the freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition of the United States of America citizens. The First Amendment allows the American people to say what they want, but in today’s society it is censored. This amendment is considered one of the most important and is what many people come to the United States of America for to improve their lives.…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Research of “Censorship: Should Language be censored?” Censorship in America is an ongoing debate in today’s society. Many argue there is too much taking place, while others argue we don’t do enough to control it. In this essay we will examine censorship from four different perspectives.…

    • 1218 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays