REMEMBER WHEN: McCarthyism and the Red Scare in the 1950s
The United States experienced two periods of the Red Scare - after the Bolsheviks took power in Russia (1917-1920) and during World War II. One example of this was the Palmer Raids, a series of violent law-enforcement raids ordered by US Attorney General Alexander Mitchell Palmer that targeted and arrested leftists and anarchists. The period became known as the "Red Summer."
During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in economic and political warfare, the space race, and the development and use of weapons of mass destruction. Many Americans and politicians believed that a Soviet conspiracy was underway to overthrow our government from within. Politicians used tactics called "red-baiting" to root out communists from within the government.
To expose communists in the federal government, universities, and the Hollywood film industry, the House Un-American Activities Committee was established in 1938. After World War II, the committee gained momentum as the fear grew that communist subversives were actively working to overthrow the government.
Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin became the face of the anti-Communist crusade by holding up a piece of paper that he claimed was a list of 205 names of card-carrying Communists working in the State Department. The piece of paper did not have any names on it and there wasn't a "list". He made accusations against celebrities, intellectuals, and political officials whose views were contrary to his. Many lost their reputations and their careers. Over time his accusations became ridiculous - he accused World War II hero General George C. Marshall and President Harry S. Truman of treason. McCarthy continued his anti-communist witch hunt until he was formally denounced in 1954 during the Army-McCarthy hearings, when U.S. Army lawyer Joseph Welch famously asked McCarthy, “Have you no decency?” He died in 1957 of alcoholism.
At his peak, McCarthy had a 50% approval rating. He was popular even among Republicans. Dwight Eisenhower, the party's presidential candidate, had no love for McCarthy. Nevertheless, he chose not to speak out against McCarthy and even campaigned with him in Wisconsin.
We can see McCarthy’s tactics used today:
The use shocking language to get attention and dominate the news cycle
Make outrageous proclamations
Conspiracy theories
Call out people they dislike
Not all claims are false, and the constant slippage between truth and lie creates an unstable political atmosphere where people struggle to discern what is true or false.
Photo credit: history.com