Mccarthyism

McCarthyism was very popular among American citizens after the Second World War. Despite the fact that it was intended to be helped by the fears and suspicions of the American people, it only lasted for a short period of time. McCarthyism appealed to the citizens of the United States very easily due to the previous “red scare” and other communist fears. During the Second World War, their fears became even more severe because of the powers that the communist nations had demonstrated. The appeal of McCarthyism was due not only to the power shown in previous wars by the communists, but also the members of government who attempted to scared the people even further, to gain support. After WWI, starting in 1919, a fear of Communism swept our nation. Many Americans looked to Communism with contempt and there also was an underlying fear that communism would affect the United States. The Communist party was present in the United States. Through the efforts of Communist International, the Communists held a favorable spot in America, aiding blacks and unions with their causes. However, once WWI came into place, it all ended. The Red Scare appeared in 1919, and in it people feared communism within the United States. With the recent bomb threats and radicalism of groups such as the IWW, strong in the United States, there came an urge in the public to the repeal of such radical tendencies. The Palmer raids, led by A. Mitchell Palmer, one of the victims of a bomb threat, worked to uncover thousands of communists on May Day. This led to nothing major. After this incident, fears in America concerning slavery subsided. However, Communism fears were already instilled on Americans and it would be hard to get rid of these fears (McCarthyism). After the Second World War, these fears were raised once more by the actions of the Soviets. A containment doctrine was implemented to contain communism and to stop any further spread it might attempt. After the Second World War, the goal

Cited: "McCarthyism -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 19 Mar. 2009 . Nash, Gary B. American people creating a nation and a society. New York: HarperCollinsCollege, 1994.