Red Scare and McCarthyism

Question 1

FBI

Answer 1

• The director J.Edgar Hoover was a strong anti-communist who played a role in arrests during the first red scare; They investigated Federal government departments for communist spies; Between 1947-1951 3 million government workers were investigate and 3000 fired

Question 2

House Committee for Un-American Activities (HUAC)

Answer 2

• Set up in 1938 to monitor extremist groups
• It began public hearings on the threat of communism in 1947
• Aimed to educated the public and expose traitors; In October 1947 they targeted Hollywood, questioning 41 writers, producers and directors
• This increased public reach
• 10 members refused to answer questions and were jailed for a year

Question 3

Hiss Case

Answer 3

• Alder Hiss went on trial for communist spying in 1949; Although never convicted of spying, he was jailed for 5 years for lying to the court; Many people thought he had been jailed for spying, increasing fears and seemingly validating J. Edgar Hoover’s claims

Question 4

Rosenburgs

Answer 4

• Ethel and Julian Rosenburg were named for spying by a confession in a separate trial
• They denied charges but despite weak evidence were sentenced to death and executed on 19th June 1953

Question 5

Joseph McCarthy

Answer 5

• Became Republican Senator of Wisconsin in 1946; Claimed to have a list of members of the communist party working in the US government; Called Senator Tydings “Un-American” chasing him not to be re-elected

Question 6

Methods of McCarthy

Answer 6

• Claimed to have evidence of communists in the State Department; Partisan in accusations to benefit the republicans; Accusations and hearings which were public and televised; Speeches; Aggression questioning; Calling those who disagreed with him communist; Fabricating evidence; Targeted public figures

Question 7

Reasons for McCarthy’s

Answer 7

• The televised Army-McCarthy hearing meant the public saw McCarthy’s bullying tactics; Nobody was ever convicted of spying based on McCarthy’s work; Cold War tensions had eased slightly after the ending of the Korean War in July 1953; The media produced an increasing number of anti-McCarthy articles and programes; McCarthy’s accusations became more extreme; The army found and sent evidence of McCarthy’s corruption to news reporters

Question 8

Cold war context

Answer 8

• June 1948 Stalin blocked all supply lines into Berlin; May 1949 supply lines were reopened; The communists won the Chinese civil war in 1949; In 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea; The Korean War ended in 1953

Question 9

What were the impacts of McCarthyism?

Answer 9

• People lost their jobs due to allegations; Thousands of ordinary Americans gave information to the FBI on people suspected of communism; People were seen as “red” if they had racial ideas; Fewer workers joined unions for fear of being seen as communist; Unions had less influence and rarely striked; Left wing politicians were rarely elected