Ch+29+Second+Red+Scare+-+McCarthyism

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=**__The Second Red Scare and McCarthyism__ **=

**__Origins of the Second Red Scare__** Similar to the Red Scare that arose after World War I, a second Red Scare after World War II spread confusion and chaos throughout the United States. Americans were already resisting Communism and other totalitarian type governments, and as some new issues arose, fear and distrust caught the people of the U.S. Citizens started to fear that Communists were among regular U.S. citizens. The federal government workers, immigrants, film makers, and actors are just some of the people that were caught and charged with having Communist views. The [|Second Red Scare], a short lived, yet chaos-filled period of time, caused the United States to vigorously attack Communism and preserve Democracy.

**__Federal Actions__** The federal government stepped up efforts to avoid chaos and political problems. The McCarran Internal Security Act, passed in 1950, passed by the Congress over President Harry Truman's veto, made illegal any support of a totalitarian government, and also prohibited the travel and employment of people related to Communist organizations. The act also created detention camps for subversives. This was a significant step by the federal government to tighten exclusion laws. Also, the Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) worked to seek out individuals with any Communist beliefs in many organizations. Film makers, actors, writers, and even the Boy Scouts were analyzed for any Communist influence. The McCarran Internal Security Act and the HUAC worked to ensure that Communism would not gain ground in the U.S. In the 1951 Supreme Court Case of [|Dennis et al. vs United States], the court supported the Smith Act of 1940. The Smith Act made it illegal to teach or support the, or join an organization with plans to, overthrow of the government by force. There was, however, criticism of these governmental actions. Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union stated that these anti-Communist laws and organizations were violating the First Amendment which granted the freedom of political views and participation in political organizations.

**__Loyalty Review Board__ **
After being put under pressure from Republican critics, in 1947, the Truman administration set up a Loyalty Review Board to investigate more than three million federal employees. The board was to find out if any of the employees had any Communist connections. Thousands of civil service employees and officials resigned or lost their jobs because of the Loyalty Review Board.

__**Espionage Cases**__ As the federal government tried to enforce its new laws and policies, several people, most of them innocent, were persecuted for having connections with Communism. The Hiss Case is one of these cases. In 1948, Alger Hiss, an official in the State Department, was put on trial after Whittaker Chambers, a confessed Communist, reported Hiss's name to the HUAC. Richard M. Nixon gained his popularity by convicting Hiss, in 1950, of passing secret documents to Chambers. Another, and even more popular, espionage case was of the Rosenbergs. The FBI presented Julius and Ethel Rosenberg to trial for assisting the Soviets in developing the atomic bomb. In 1953, the two were executed. These two espionage cases, along with several others, raised eyebrows, as well as questions, from the American public. The citizens of the U.S. wondered if these people were truly involved in the crimes that they were charged with. The citizens also questioned if there were any more Communist advocates in the federal government or any other high role offices.

__**McCarthyism**__ The Communism issue was once again ignited with the work of [|Joseph McCarthy], a Republican senator from Wisconsin. In a 1950 speech, McCarthy listed the names of more than 200 Communists working for the State Department. He also stated that he had detailed information on these Communists. This raised confusion along with questions and eyebrows. In a minuscule period of time, the Wisconsin senator gained huge popularity and power. He appealed to the working class Americans using his "take the gloves off, comments, usually aimed at the upper class. [|McCarthyism] spread quickly as numerous innocent people were caught and trialed for holding Communist views. Blacklists, listing the names of the individuals who were accused of having Communist connections, were created in several industries. People whose names were on the blacklist were prohibited from working. McCarthy did not have much evidence for his claims; in fact, he was unable to find even a single person that had Communist connections. However just the belief that there were Communists among the U.S. citizens was enough for McCarthy to raise chaos and confusion. In 1954, McCarthy's world came tumbling down as his "reckless cruelty" was exposed on television. He accused the Army of prohibiting him from continuing his "search" for Communists. The Army, in response, accused McCarthy of trying to acquire preferential treatment for a McCarthy consultant. A hearing was held during a televised Senate committee. McCarthy's lies and plans were exposed to the public via the television. McCarthyism vanished immediately, and Joseph McCarthy died three years later.


 * __Sources__**
 * American History (textbook) - Alan Brinkley
 * United States History: Preparing for the Advanced Placement Examination (AMSCO) - John J. Newman / John M. Schmalbach
 * The Princeton Review: Cracking the AP U.S. History Exam (2010 Edition) - Tom Meltzer, Jean Hofheimer Bennett, and Susan Babkes
 * Barrons AP United States History Flash Cards - Michael R. Bergman and Kevin D. Preis
 * Picture: Is This Tomorrow - []
 * Picture: Anti-Communism - []

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