Red Scare

The Red Scare appeared directly subsequent to the closing of World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution that took place in Russia. These occurrences bolstered fear of communism, socialism, and anarchism while depleting a major component of the United States economy. The widespread trepidation settled in the hearts of many Americans. Many factors in the Red Scare would result in a massive decrease in labor leading to higher wages, violation of civil rights and decreased profits. The Red Scare through strikes, bombings, and Bolshevist conspiracy theories revolutionized the American mindset against leftist ideologies. This nation-wide scare can be attributed to the rise of strikes from workers across the country. Civil unrest mounted from the increase…

over and cause destruction to a community. Fear is used as a weapon by those who abuse their power to manipulate the innocent victims, which is clear in both eras of the Red Scare and The Crucible. The time periods are both supported by controversial claims involved with the witch trials and communism. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the Red Scare and the Thirty Years of Treason, it is clearly visible that fear actually is a detrimental factor towards both societies. Recognizing that both…

The Second Red Scare The Second Red Scare was a time of hysteria in American history that impacted daily life in America and contributed to the tensions of the Cold War. Senator Joseph McCarthy took advantage of the fear of communism to defeat political rivals and personal enemies. Several famous actors, composers, and directors were blacklisted and their careers destroyed under suspicion of being communist. Loyalty oaths were implemented into the workplace, and people had to testify…

The Red Scare was the widespread, overwhelming fear that communists were trying to overthrow the American government in the early 1920’s. The recent end of World War I and the Russian revolutions, along with various other communist revolutions around the world helped promote their paranoia. This paranoia led to those in power at the time taking advantage of the people’s frantic state and exploiting their rights and freedoms. They did this simply to further their own agenda, even though many…

Kevin Hannaford History Term Paper 2/23/15 The Political War The so-called "Red Scare" refers to the fear of communism in the USA during the 1920s. “It is said that there were over 150,000 anarchists or communists in USA in 1920 alone and this represented only 0.1% of the overall population of the USA.” (history learning center - source 8) It is surprising looking back and seeing how the percent is so small that they scared the…

The Red Scare (1919-20) was a time in American history that will not be forgotten. And also, the September 11th attacks will not be forgotten. Both events come in existence out of fear. Let’s start with The Red Scare. This pivotal time in America was home grown fear. A Senator by the name Joseph McCarthy should go down in history as spear heading this period. Naturally, human beings are fearful of the unknown. Joseph McCarthy used this fear to his advantage. He claimed to have a list of…

Joseph McCarthy Few people in American history have ever plunged the country into panic as Joseph McCarthy did in the 1950s. He single-handedly fabricated a scandal he claimed reached into the highest branches of the US government. Lacking substantial evidence, he accused various senators, representatives, and officials of being communist spies. His infamous “list” of such people was comprised of information that was “either taken from other sources or misremembered or just made up” (Kelley).…

The Red Scare of the 1920’s was widespread panic due to the fear of the communists, anarchists, and socialist ideas rising in the United States. Immigrants and foreigners were the first to be blamed because they were believed to have brought communist ideas with them into America. To try and put an end to this mass paranoia, people within the government went out to find any known Communists and eliminate them. One man in particular made this his full-time job for the sake of the American…

The Cold War created a large amount of tension not just between the United States and the Soviet Union but also within the country itself. The second wave of the Red Scare was a direct result of the Cold War and changed the overall moral of the country for a period of time. There were many cases that came as a direct result of the widespread panic and anxiety over the infiltration of Communist influence into society. Together, The Smith Act, Dennis versus U.S. and the HUAC hearings of the…

Good Night and Good Luck directed by George Clooney was a dramatic film which was based off of real events that occurred during the 1950’s. During this period in America, McCarthyism was in full effect. McCarthyism itself was making accusations of disloyalty and began when senator Joseph R. McCarthy exposed communists in the United States which is also known as the “Red Scare”. The film shows the differences between the senator and a CBS television journalist named Edward R. Murrow, what also…