The Red Scare and McCarthyism

Question 1

When and what was the Tehran Conference?

Answer 1

1943 - the ‘Big Three’ (Stalin, FDR, Churchill) met up to discuss the rebuilding of Europe after WW2 finished. Stalin wanted German reparations, Churchill and FDR did not

Question 2

When and what was the Yalta Conference?

Answer 2

Feb 1945 - The Big Three met, agreeing to work towards establishing democracy in Europe
They had conflicting ideas of democracy - Stalin believed communism was democratic

Question 3

When did Roosevelt die?

Answer 3

April 1945 - Truman took over

Question 4

The Potsdam Condernce

Answer 4

July-August 1945 - the ‘Big 3’ met to have a final discussion about the gvt of Europe post-WW2, including the division of Germany into 4 zones. Truman was arrogant due to the 1st nuclear bomb test, attempted to order Stalin around

Question 5

Secret Telegrams

Answer 5

1946 - both countries commissioned secret reports from their embassies, and threats were reported from both

Question 6

The Truman Doctrine

Answer 6

1947 - stated that the world had a choice between communism and democracy, committed to the ‘containment’ of communism by promising to send US troops and resources to gvts threatened by communism

Question 7

Satellite States

Answer 7

1947 onwards - USSR turned many states, such as Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Hungary into these ‘satellite states’ (officially independent but actually controlled by another country)

Question 8

When did China become communist?

Answer 8

1949 - US’ intervention had failed, increasing US’ anxiety about the spread of communism

Question 9

When and what was the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 9

1948 - Stalin cut off all supply routes to West Berlin hoping to make it dependent on the USSR (1946 - US, UK and France had combined their zones)

Question 10

When was Russia’s A Bomb revealed?

Answer 10

1949 - 4 years earlier than expected, leading to fears of Soviet infiltration in the US

Question 11

When was the invasion of South Korea?

Answer 11

1950 - the communist N Korea invaded all but a small corner of S Korea by September 1950

Question 12

Which piece of evidence we now know proves some justification for the Red Scare?

Answer 12

We now know that 221 Soviet agents had infiltrated the USA, and Stalin knew more about the A-Bomb than Vice-President Truman did during the War

Question 13

What did George Keenan state?

Answer 13

The infiltration was ‘not trivial in proportions’ - he was known to be a balanced and perceptive member of the State Department providing some justification for the paranoia

Question 14

When was the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) set up and why?

Answer 14

1938 to deal with the risk of ‘Nazi subversion’

Question 15

When were the Federal Loyalty Boards established?

Answer 15

1947 - allowed anti-Reds to operate

Question 16

By 1951, how many Government employees had been affected?

Answer 16

3,000 forced to resign and over 300 dismissed

Question 17

How many states passed their own anti-subversion regulations?

Answer 17

39 - showing the widespread paranoia

Question 18

How did Richard Nixon establish his reputation?

Answer 18

By persuing the spy Alger Hiss

Question 19

When did the government tighten and how?

Answer 19

1947-8 with (excessive) loyalty and security precautions, including the Fed Loyalty Boards

Question 20

When were Alger Hiss’ trials?

Answer 20

1st in 1949, found guilty of perjury in 1950

Question 21

Which spy was convicted in the UK?

Answer 21

Klaus Fuchs for leaking nuclear secrets - soon after Hiss’ conviction, increasing paranoia

Question 22

When did McCarthy claim to have his ‘list of 205’?

Answer 22

At a speech in Virginia (a meeting) in 1950

Question 23

What did JFK say about McCarthy

Answer 23

‘The Pinks betrayed US policy in China…McCarthy may have something’

Question 24

What was McCarthy’s skill?

Answer 24

Adept at using the press and media for publicity, inciting paranoia in normal Americans

Question 25

What increased anti-Communist sentiment in the Gvt in 1950

Answer 25

Republican gains in Congress - they used this to embarrass Truman’s administration

Question 26

When and what was McCarthy made head of?

Answer 26

The Committee of the Operations of the Senate 1953 - soon overshadowed the HUAC. His meetings turned into ‘witch-hunts’; constitutional rights were ignored and silence was treated as guilt

Question 27

What suggested a risk of the Cold War becoming hotter?

Answer 27

The Korean War

Question 28

When were the Rosenburgs accused of spying?

Answer 28

1951, executed in 1953

Question 29

When was the Internal Security Act passed and what did it cause?

Answer 29

In 1950 (Congress overrode the veto), increasing political surveillance

Question 30

What led to McCarthy’s downfall?

Answer 30

His televised army trials - Eisenhower was defensive of his army, and McCarthy appeared an idiot

Question 31

Which scandal contributed to McCarthy’s downfall?

Answer 31

His assistant Roy Cohn - scandal (homosexuality)

Question 32

When was McCarthy censured by the Senate?

Answer 32

1954, lost his power base of CoOotS

Question 33

When did the HUAC find evidence of Communist sympathisers in Hollywood?

Answer 33

1947

Question 34

When was the Presidential Election?

Answer 34

1952 - Eisenhower used McCarthy to help him be elected, as he could humiliate the Democratic candidates

Question 35

Why did the Red Scare harm the civil rights movement?

Answer 35

Supporters were seen as ‘communists’, especially by Southern conservatives

Question 36

Which journalist was influential in criticizing McCarthy?

Answer 36

Walter Lipman

Question 37

When did the HUAC eventually shut down?

Answer 37

1975

Question 38

What did the purge of State departments cause?

Answer 38

Left only ‘hawks’, making Vietnam policy more extreme

Question 39

How did the Red Scare ruin lives?

Answer 39

Some people were blacklisted, meaning they could no longer work in their chosen professions

Question 40

How was unionism impacted by the Red Scare?

Answer 40

Union leaders were forced to swear they were not communist under the Tuft-Harley Act - illustrating how pervasive the paranoia was

Question 41

What is an argument against McCarthy’s significance?

Answer 41

Only circumstance and political context kept him in the public eye - in fact he had few friends even within his party, was often seen as ‘political froth’ (had no real effect), and was mostly supported by working-class Americans with no real knowledge of politics

Question 42

What is an argument against the significance of the Red Scare

Answer 42

Nowhere near comparable to the USSR’s purges