McCarthyism and the Anti-Communist Movement
Introduction
McCarthyism is often synonymous with Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist campaign in the 1950s, but as Ellen Schrecker and Phillip Deery argue in The Age of McCarthyism 3d Edition, this term is a misnomer because the anti-communist movement was much broader than just McCarthy's antics. This paper will argue that while McCarthy played a significant role in the anti-communist movement, it was not central, and without him, McCarthyism would have still occurred in substantially similar ways. This argument is supported by various historical examples from The Age of McCarthyism. The thesis of this paper is that
McCarthy's role in the anti-communist movement was significant, but not central, and without him, McCarthyism would have still occurred in substantially similar ways due to the broader political and cultural context that fostered anti-communist sentimentsit would just be known today under a different name or banner.
A Question of Loyalty
The Loyalty-Security Program, which was initiated by President Truman in 1947, was a clear example of how the anti-communist movement was more significant than just McCarthy's crusade. The program required all federal employees to undergo background checks and loyalty tests to determine whether they posed a security risk. The program continued long after McCarthy's censure in 1954, which shows that the anti-communist movement was a broader societal concern that existed beyond the senator's actions (Deery and Schrecker).
The program was not just an isolated initiative but reflected the general fear of communism that existed in American society at the time. Truman himself was a fervent anti-communist who believed that communism posed a significant threat to American democracy. The program aimed to root out supposed communist subversion within the government, which was seen...
…the nation enthralled for months (Deery and Schrecker). Hollywood has always been a hot topic in American media, and here was a giant Hollywood scandal that the media could hype to sell papers and advertising. The media, particularly newspapers, played a significant role in stoking anti-communist sentiments, framing communism as an existential threat to American values. This example further demonstrates that McCarthy was not central to the anti-communist movement, but rather one player among many who were instrumental in promoting anti-communist sentiment.In conclusion, while McCarthy played a significant role in the anti-communist movement, it was not central. Without him, McCarthyism would have still occurred in substantially similar ways due to the broader political and cultural context that fostered anti-communist sentiments. The evidence from various historical documents and testimonies demonstrates that McCarthy was not the sole driver of the anti-communist movement, but rather one…
Works Cited
Deery, Phillip, and E. Schrecker. The age of McCarthyism: A brief history with documents.
Bedford/St. Martin's, 2016.
President Eisenhower and his diplomats also chose to stop talking about the defeat of communism and instead focus on peaceful measures aimed at ending the "Cold War." And as the years passed, any attack on liberal thought which echoed "McCarthyism" automatically implied a paranoid and dysfunctional view of reality and placed the attacker in jeopardy. Congressionally, most of the members, both conservative and liberal, Republican and Democrat, considered the
Cold War’s Impact on American Life As John David Skrentny points out, the Cold War helped to remove some of the obstacles that prevented African Americans from obtaining their civil rights in the 20th century. The Communists of the Soviet Union used American racism as a cudgel with which to browbeat America for its hypocritical values and so-called freedom. America was essentially forced to respond by adopting a more liberal stance
Anticommunism and McCarthyism For a modern audience, the ideas of anticommunism and McCarthyism may be difficult to distinguish because they are frequently discussed in the same context. However, it is inappropriate to view the two ideologies as synonymous because they actually reflect two related, but very distinct, political viewpoints. This distinction is critical because there are moral issues connected to McCarthyism that should not be connected to anticommunism. Anti-communism refers to
She attempts to take a balanced, historical view and place both the hysteria and the views of the movement in an appropriate historical context. Then, no one knew that the Soviet Union would eventually be defeated, as we do today -- but nor did leftists realize the full extent of Stalin's purges, and what would transpire after the Yalta Conference of 1945 in Eastern Europe. There was some vague plausibility
Most of the American public did not know what communism or Marxism really was as an ideology, they simply knew that it was 'bad' and it was 'un-American,' although logically it could be argued that nothing is more un-American than prosecuting a person for holding certain political beliefs. The tragedies of Miller's "The Crucible" and the McCarthy hearings are that good men and women, as well as fearful and ignorant
American History McCarthyism McCarthyism is a term that originated in the early 1950s during America's campaign against the spread of Communism in Asia and other parts of the world. Technically defined, McCarthyism is "the political practice of publicizing accusations of disloyalty or subversion with insufficient regard to evidence" and "the use of methods of investigation and accusation regarded as unfair, in order to suppress opposition." These definitions of and the term itself
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now