first red scare
CAUSE
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In the aftermath of World War I the threat of communism hit America. Russia turned communist in 1917 when the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the czar and royal family. The ideas of Karl Marx's socialist world survived through the the years and posed a threat to the USA.
During World War I the nation received an influx of immigrants from all around the world especially from European countries. This was due to the availability in the work field since the men were fighting a war overseas. When the idea of communism was presented Americans feared for their way of life.
The early 1920s experienced many labor revolts because workers weren't paid enough to live. Employers refused to raise wages therefore employees fought back. The fight against employers was taken as a sign of communism since it paralleled the working class revolt in russia. The American Communist party formed in the USA, in 1921 soon after. American paranoia became real and a fear of immigrants surfaced.
Later in 1922 the USSR officially formed; straining connections between USA and Russia. Thereafter foreign policies underwent an isolationist approach and the nation experiment its greatest years of prosperity. This was before the worst economic depression in history devoured the country.
During World War I the nation received an influx of immigrants from all around the world especially from European countries. This was due to the availability in the work field since the men were fighting a war overseas. When the idea of communism was presented Americans feared for their way of life.
The early 1920s experienced many labor revolts because workers weren't paid enough to live. Employers refused to raise wages therefore employees fought back. The fight against employers was taken as a sign of communism since it paralleled the working class revolt in russia. The American Communist party formed in the USA, in 1921 soon after. American paranoia became real and a fear of immigrants surfaced.
Later in 1922 the USSR officially formed; straining connections between USA and Russia. Thereafter foreign policies underwent an isolationist approach and the nation experiment its greatest years of prosperity. This was before the worst economic depression in history devoured the country.
second red scare
EFFECT
- HUAC and McCarthy conducted investigations of American communists
- Space Race against Russia (flex muscles)
- Advancements in technology
- Nationalism
In 1939 the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany was signed. This event discouraged many American communists. After the Soviets and Germans agree to allow Poland’s dismemberment many intellectuals abandoned the communist party and Stalinism.
The House Committee on Un-American Activities became an official committee in 1945 and was established to investigate “un-American propaganda”. HUAC began with hearings towards Hollywood in 1947. Of the many studio executives and some actors that assured the committee of their loyalty and anti-communism, the Hollywood Ten refuse to testify, citing the 1st Amendment. In 1950 all the members of the Hollywood Ten got sent to jail.
In 1946 Walter Reuther wins presidency of United Auto Workers. Reuther defeated a communist which led to other large unions to also reject communist leadership. American labor has long been resistant to communist influences.
In March 1947 Truman signed the Executive Order 9835, a federal employee loyalty program which authorizes the attorney general to prepare a list of “totalitarian, Fascist, Communist, or subversive” organizations. Resulted in 1210 firings and 6000 resignations.
Whittaker Chambers accused U.S. diplomat Alger Hiss of spying for the Soviets in 1948. Convicted of perjury though supporters claim, Hiss he was framed. Congressman Richard Nixon gains a reputation as an anticommunist when he is given secret documents allegedly hidden in a pumpkin.
Senator Joseph McCarthy begins attacking the State Department on February 1950. Claiming he had the names of 205 Communists, McCarthy charged General George Marshall, among others, as an agent of communism.
McCarran Committee encouraged witnesses to identify left-leaning friends in 1951. Diplomats, labor leaders, professors, and schoolteachers were investigated. Many refused to testify on 5th Amendment grounds, though many assumed this this was an admission of guilt.
In 1953 Julius & Ethel Rosenberg were electrocuted. Convicted on espionage charges, the Rosenbergs were believed to be part of the Fuchs spy ring which passed atomic secrets to the Soviets.
Senate censures McCarthy 67-22 for conduct “unbecoming a member of the Senate”, on December 1954. The two-month Army McCarthy hearings centered on who promoted an Army dentist and ended when lawyer Joseph Welch asked “Have you no sense of decency?” in response to McCarthy’s personal attack on another lawyer.
In 2014 Russia invaded Crimea and the Ukraine in hopes to rejoin both countries with Russia. The country did not recognize Crimea as a country and the Ukrainian government. Putin, president of Russia and former member of the KGB led the invasion. Russia has made it clear that its annexation of Crimea is permanent. Russia's land grab violated and threatened world peace and was asserted as illegal. Putin still defends the soviet-era of Russia. Looking back at the first and second red scares the threat of the war on communism may still be present today.
The House Committee on Un-American Activities became an official committee in 1945 and was established to investigate “un-American propaganda”. HUAC began with hearings towards Hollywood in 1947. Of the many studio executives and some actors that assured the committee of their loyalty and anti-communism, the Hollywood Ten refuse to testify, citing the 1st Amendment. In 1950 all the members of the Hollywood Ten got sent to jail.
In 1946 Walter Reuther wins presidency of United Auto Workers. Reuther defeated a communist which led to other large unions to also reject communist leadership. American labor has long been resistant to communist influences.
In March 1947 Truman signed the Executive Order 9835, a federal employee loyalty program which authorizes the attorney general to prepare a list of “totalitarian, Fascist, Communist, or subversive” organizations. Resulted in 1210 firings and 6000 resignations.
Whittaker Chambers accused U.S. diplomat Alger Hiss of spying for the Soviets in 1948. Convicted of perjury though supporters claim, Hiss he was framed. Congressman Richard Nixon gains a reputation as an anticommunist when he is given secret documents allegedly hidden in a pumpkin.
Senator Joseph McCarthy begins attacking the State Department on February 1950. Claiming he had the names of 205 Communists, McCarthy charged General George Marshall, among others, as an agent of communism.
McCarran Committee encouraged witnesses to identify left-leaning friends in 1951. Diplomats, labor leaders, professors, and schoolteachers were investigated. Many refused to testify on 5th Amendment grounds, though many assumed this this was an admission of guilt.
In 1953 Julius & Ethel Rosenberg were electrocuted. Convicted on espionage charges, the Rosenbergs were believed to be part of the Fuchs spy ring which passed atomic secrets to the Soviets.
Senate censures McCarthy 67-22 for conduct “unbecoming a member of the Senate”, on December 1954. The two-month Army McCarthy hearings centered on who promoted an Army dentist and ended when lawyer Joseph Welch asked “Have you no sense of decency?” in response to McCarthy’s personal attack on another lawyer.
In 2014 Russia invaded Crimea and the Ukraine in hopes to rejoin both countries with Russia. The country did not recognize Crimea as a country and the Ukrainian government. Putin, president of Russia and former member of the KGB led the invasion. Russia has made it clear that its annexation of Crimea is permanent. Russia's land grab violated and threatened world peace and was asserted as illegal. Putin still defends the soviet-era of Russia. Looking back at the first and second red scares the threat of the war on communism may still be present today.