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The 2 nd Red Scare. Fear of Communism during the 1950s. What was the 2 nd Red Scare?. A fear of communism in the U.S. during the late 1940s that lasted into the mid-1950s. People became paranoid about communist spies in America. Causes of the 2 nd Red Scare. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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The 2nd Red Scare
Fear of Communism
during the 1950s
What was the 2nd Red Scare?
• A fear of communism in the U.S. during the late 1940s that lasted into the mid-1950s.
• People became paranoid about communist spies in America.
Causes of the 2nd Red Scare
• 1. The Cold War—the Belief that the Soviet Union was trying to take over the world.
• 2. The uncovering of actual communist spies.
• 3. Republicans using the issue of communism as a political issue—they attack the Democrats as being “soft” on communism.
Truman’s Response to Republicans
• Executive Order 9835
• Establishes the Federal Employees Loyalty and Security Program.
• Barred communists from federal employment.
• Set guidelines for investigating present and perspective employees.
AP—McCarran Act
• Internal Security Act—Required all communists to register with the govt.
HUAC
• House Un-American Activates Committee
• Congressional committee that sought to find communists in the U.S.
HUAC Attacks Hollywood
• HUAC members feared that many in Hollywood were communists or communist sympathizers.
• Held hearing in which they interrogated witnesses.
• If witnesses did not go along and “name names” they were “blacklisted.”
Blacklisting
• None of the Hollywood studios would hire a person who had not cooperated with HUAC.
The Hollywood 10
Red Scare Influence on Hollywood
Influence on Society
The Alger Hiss Case• 1948
• Whittaker Chambers—a Time editor and former communist (now a staunch anti-communist)—accused Alger Hiss of having been a communist.
• Hiss had worked for the State Department during WWII.
• Chambers said Hiss passed govt. secrets to him to give to Russia.
• Hiss denied Chambers charges.
Chambers & Hiss
The Pumpkin Papers• Chambers claimed to have proof---microfilm
of documents given to him by Hiss.
• Chambers hid the microfilm in a pumpkin. (Thus the “Pumpkin Papers”).
• He gave the microfilm to Republican Congressman Richard Nixon of CA.
• Hiss was convicted of perjury (lying under oath).
• Sentenced to 5-years (he served 2).
The Rosenbergs• Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were
accused of giving atomic bomb secrets to the Soviets.
• They wre members of the communist party.
• They denied the charges and refused to cooperate.
• They were executed in 1953.
McCarthyism
• Named after Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy (Republican).
• McCarthy was person most famous for making accusations that there were communists everywhere (including the government).
• McCarthyism = accusing people of being communist without evidence.
Wheeling Speech
• McCarthy gives speech in Wheeling, W.Va in which he claims to have the names of known communists working in the Sate Department.
• Makes him famous.
• Never produces the names.
• Goes on to make more charges.
The Tydings Committee
• Millard Tydings (a senator from MD.) Forms a Senate committee to look into the charges made by McCarthy.
• The Tydings committee finds that there is no truth to McCarthy’s charges.
• McCarthy claims that Tydings against him because he likes communists.
Why McCarthy becomes popular
• He quickly becomes the 2nd most famous politican in the 50s (behind IKE).
• Many people were afraid of communism during the 2nd Red Scare. They thought McCarthy was helping protect the country.
• Republicans liked that he made the Democrats look bad.
Ike and McCarthy
• Republicans liked McCarthy when they were not the majority party because his attacks put the Democrats on the defensive.
• Once the Republicans get the presidency and control congress, he becomes a headache.
• Ike criticizes McCarthy in private, but does not do anything publicly.
McCarthy Committee
• McCarthy gets his own committee to investigate communists in the U.S.
• Eventually, though, he starts to investigate army.
McCarthy-Army Hearings
• Televised.
• People see what a bully McCarthy is.
Murrow attacks McCarthy
• Edward R. Murrow was a famous reporter.
• Had a TV show called, See It Now.
• Had a whole episode in which the showed McCarthy was a liar and a bully.
• Greatly discredited McCarthy.
The End of McCarthy
• Combination of Army hearings and the See It Know episode lead to people turning against McCarthy.
• Censured by Senate.
• Dies of alcoholism a broken man.
Impact of McCarthyism• Negatively impacted many people’s lives.
• Helped to intensify a period of paranoia over communism.
• Made it so leftists/ultra liberals were marginalized in American politics.