Two distinct and contradictory images dominate our understanding of Eisenhower, McCarthy, and the communist question. On March 4, 1954, the editorial cartoonist Herbert Block took on one of the most controversial issues of the time in his daily offering in the Washington Post. He featured two of the dramatis personae of the day: President Dwight[…]
It originated with Truman’s Executive Order 9835, which required that all federal civil service employees be screened for “loyalty.” The so-called “Attorney General’s List of Subversive Organizations” (AGLOSO) was one of the most central and widely publicized aspects of the post–World War II Red Scare, which has popularly become known as “McCarthyism.” AGLOSO burst into[…]
Conspiracy theories constituted the political software of many cycles of American politics. Originally published by Prologue (Spring 2002), the United States National Archives and Records Administration, to the public domain.
National and state officials initiated loyalty checks to identify and remove from office suspect government workers. “Un-American” Activities As fighting during World War II raged on, Allied leaders Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill grew suspicious of Joseph Stalin’s postwar plans for the Soviet Union. They came to realize that the Russian dictator could not be[…]
He ruined the reputations and lives of many people by accusing them without credible evidence. Introduction McCarthyism was a term coined to describe activities associated with Republican senator Joseph R. McCarthy of Wisconsin. He served in the Senate from 1947 to 1957. In the American political lexicon, the term has its origin in a March[…]
One from 1917 to 1920, and another longer one from 1947 to 1957 with Joseph McCarthy’s infamous witch hunt. Introduction A “Red Scare” is the promotion of a widespread fear of a potential rise of communism or anarchism by a society or state. The name refers to the red flags that the communists use. The[…]
America has not yet emerged from conflicts over what it means to be a “true American.” Consequently, historical assessments of the Cold War and its ramifications in American culture vary widely. Internal and External Conflict During the Cold War, the debate about what it meant to be a true American expressed tensions that had been[…]
This witch-hunt harmed even more people than did the Red Scare, often trying to throw people under both buses. Introduction The lavender scare refers to a witch hunt and the mass firings of homosexual people in the 1950s from the United States government. It contributed to and paralleled the anti-communist campaign known as McCarthyism and the Second[…]
“Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist party?” Introduction In the 1950s, thousands of Americans who toiled in the government, served in the army, worked in the movie industry, or came from various walks of life had to answer the above question before a congressional panel. Senator Joseph McCarthy[…]
Each one immediately followed wars – World War I and II. Introduction A “Red Scare” is promotion of widespread fear by a society or state about a potential rise of communism, anarchism, or radical leftism. The term is most often used to refer to two periods in the history of the United States with this[…]
An embarrassing end to a career and ironic end to a life. By Gina K. Logue Roy Marcus Cohn (1927–1986) is best known for his work as the chief counsel to Sen. Joseph McCarthy, the Wisconsin Republican whose interrogations of alleged communists during the cold war “red scare” contributed to a chilling effect on freedom[…]
“Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist party?” Introduction In the 1950s, thousands of Americans who toiled in the government, served in the army, worked in the movie industry, or came from various walks of life had to answer that question before a congressional panel. Senator Joseph McCarthy rose to[…]