Anti-Communism in America
Thesis: Fear has significant negative impacts on citizens of governments trying to end or contain differences in government systems.
Context
During the Cold War, the nation moved from domestic-oriented politics to politics centered on communism and corruption. These political themes were the basis of American’s fears of communism.
Post-war economic prosperity combined with fears of Communist infiltration also made the early 1950s a time of contrast. There were two major roles religion played during the Cold War. The first was through McCarthy, who caused fear by calling communists “evil atheists” that were going to overthrow the good Christian democracy. The second role religion played during the Cold War was that of hope. L. Ron Hubbard founded Scientology as the key to surviving a nuclear fallout. He played the controversies regarding nuclear fallout off of each other and used the fear of the American people to promote his religion. Socially, things were much different. The government did not just try to contain communism-they tried to contain homosexuality. They feared that the country’s masculinity was fragile because of the abundance of white collar jobs instead of manual labor. It was also believed that to keep national stability, they had to maintain family stability. They worked with doctors to try to promote a “sexual defense” and “contain the homosexual threat”. During the Cold War, even Hollywood was on trial. The HUAC focused on the film industry as a powerful cultural force that communists might manipulate to spread ideas and influence. Fear quickly spread, and soon, producers blacklisted anyone who was believed to be a communist or refused to cooperate with the committee. The Red Channels pamphlet was released soon after, which contained 151 blacklisted actors, directors, screenwriters, and producers. At the same time, Cold War themes were slowly making their way into movies, books, music, and pop culture. These movies haunted Americans, who were already fearful of Communists. “The radiation count on Earth has not been increased by bomb testing. The anguish of Earth has been multiplied by bomb terror. You can survive with Scientology." |
The Red Scare
Many tactics the government tried to contain communism only sparked more fear in Americans.
In 1947, the Loyalty Review Program was created to screen federal employees. More than 6 million federal employees were screened for loyalty. These employees might have become suspect for reading certain books, belonging to various groups, traveling overseas, or seeing foreign films. Overall, 14,000 employees were subject to scrutiny by the FBI, 2,000 quit their jobs, and 212 were fired for questionable loyalty, though no concrete evidence was uncovered. Rather than calm public suspicion, the Loyalty Review Program confirmed fears that Communists had infiltrated the government. Following federal government’s example, many other groups began their own trials: the University of California required their 11,000 faculty members to take loyalty oaths, and refused the 157 who refused to do so. The Taft-Harley Act of 1947 required union leaders to take oaths, and the CIO expelled 11 unions who refused to remove their communist leaders. The United States was fully immersed in the Red Scare. The HUAC was formed in 1938 to investigate Communist and Fascist activities in the U.S. Citizens feared that their telephones would be wire-tapped, or that the FBI would infiltrate their groups. The HUAC made many questionable calls, and interrogated many innocent citizens. They violated citizens’ trust: in a letter from Lillian Hellman to the HUAC, she states, “I am most willing to answer all questions about myself.” Hellman goes on to explain that she wishes to refrain from answering questions about others, but she worries that she will be required to, as her counsel said that by answering questions about herself, she waived her 5th Amendment right. This one of the many examples of the fear and distrust citizens had in the HUAC. Also known as the International Security Act, the McCarran Act made it legal to “combine, conspire, or agree with any other person to perform any act which would substantially contribute to the establishment of a totalitarian government”. It required members of the Communist Party to publish their records and register with the attorney general. It was also illegal for Communist Party members to have passports. This was an outrage to many innocent Party members, but calmed the nerves of many Americans. Senator Joseph McCarthy’s tactics turned the government’s investigation into a witch-hunt based on flimsy evidence and irrational fears. This radical practice became known as McCarthyism, and convinced many Americans that the communist problem was much worse than they once thought. Many people disagreed with McCarthy, but did not challenge his tactics, for the fear that they’d become victims of his trials. When Senate passed a vote of censure against Senator McCarthy, he lost all influence. This downfall led to many Americans looking hopefully for an end to the Red Scare. |
Historical Connections
ReconstructionDuring reconstruction, the country was socially divided. This ideologist separation would continue to reinforce the idea that the only way to live was through a certain set of beliefs, and that anyone who lived differently was wrong. This idea would become present again during the Red Scare, when people feared their friends, coworkers, and neighbors were communists.
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IndustrializationDuring Industrialization, there was much government support without government interference. This caused the underlying fear that government would interfere ever. Though this did directly cause citizens' fear of communism, it resulted in the distrust of local and federal government.
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Westward MigrationFor many people, moving West was the fulfillment of Manifest Destiny. In the 1950s, many citizens most likely still believed that it was their and their government's right to expand and take control of other countries. Though they could have viewed their government as controlling, they instead viewed the Communist Party as a threat to their rights as U.S. citizens.
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Teapot DomeThe Teapot Dome Scandal was the first instance of government corruption that went punished on a national level. The public outcry
associated with this scandal showed the already growing fear of corruption, which would only worsen during the Red Scare. |
The U.S. as a World Power1900 US Imperialism gave many people the idea that the US was and always would be the strongest country in the world. After two World Wars and a Great Depression, Americans realized that their country was not as strong as it seemed, and could easily be defeated by
communism. |
Progressive EraDuring the Progressive Era, monopolies and trusts were extremely powerful. Both these monopolies and City Bosses abused their power and took advantage of the less fortunate. This led to distrust in city government, which would be magnified significantly during the Red
Scare. |
World War IDuring World War I, government told manufacturers what to produce, took over businesses so that labor would be directly under government control, and encouraged citizens to cut back on the resources they used. This government control showed people the power of the government, and inferred the havoc a corrupted government would wreak on its citizens.
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Great Depression and New DealDuring the Great Depression, President Roosevelt was criticized for the Court Packing Plan. By increasing the number of Supreme Court Justices and appointing Justices that agreed with his policies, the Supreme Court was forced to back down from shutting down the New Deal. Some viewed this as government corruption – just another instance to add to the growing list that would eventually lead to the Red Scare.
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Current Significance
McCarthyismMcCarthyism is making a comeback in Turkey. Recently, wire-tapped conversations between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the
major television company Haberturk were leaked. There were many rumors that government had been interfering in media and judiciary, and they were confirmed. Erdogan’s conversations with Haberturk executives were to tell them to refrain from publishing “insults” against him. “We have to teach them,” said Erdogan, when talking about the media’s portrayal of government figures. By controlling the media, Erdogan is doing the same thing the U.S. government was doing in order to end communism. |
The War on TerrorToday, the American people are less afraid of communism. Instead, they fear terrorism. Since September 11, 2001, the war on terrorism has been on full throttle. The fear terrorism has instilled in the hearts of Americans has magnified National Security precautions to a new level: with random airport screenings, many innocent people of Middle-Eastern descent complain about their flying experiences. Like communism in the 1950s, Americans fear the corruption of government by terrorists, and make important decisions like voting based on factors presented by the war on terrorism. Though it is a very real threat, the fear Americans have in terrorism has caused us to become intolerant and impulsive.
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