McCarthyism

The end of the Second World War was supposed to represent in many ways the

tying of loose ends. It was supposed to mark the end of imperialism, the end of tyrannies, the end of repression, and the beginning of a dream that Woodrow Wilson had already envisioned in previous years. Instead, the Second World War only marked the beginning of another era of repression and intolerance which would be felt throughout the entire world. Right after the conflict was Stalin immediately acted to tighten the iron grip he already had on the Soviet Union. Soon he would try to extend his control over Eastern European countries. Many times his rule would not be welcomed. In Hungary many would try to fend off Soviet invasions, hoping that the United States would eventually intervene and help them defeat the Soviet army. Even though the Americans never intervene like the Hungarians hoped for Stalin soon realized that he would have to resort to extreme measures in order to assert his power over the rest of Europe. At the same time the United States and Western Europe would work together to make sure that the Soviet Union would not grow any larger. In fact, the Americans would go as far as implementing the Marshall Plan, a project in which they would assist Western Europe with countless resources. When Stalin tried to interfere with this plan the Americans would go on to carry out the Berlin airlift in which they would use airplanes to unload resources on Germany. It became clear that the United States and the Soviet Union had both emerged as the greatest global powers. It also became clear that both of these nations had very different visions for the rest of the world.

Although the Soviets were condemned by many for their actions of intolerance

against insurrections they were not the only ones that were carrying out persecutions against others. The United States would soon also make their own exhibitions of bigotry and violence against others. As the Soviet Union became more and more powerful Americans became very suspicious that the shadow of Communism would soon loom over America. These suspicions at first did not lack any evidence or reason. The Soviets had indeed found ways to infiltrate into the United States in many ways. In fact, then the United States dropped the atomic bomb in Hiroshima they thought they had just used a weapon that had been constructed in complete secrecy. However, some members of the Manhattan project and the American government would soon find out that Stalin and Soviet government officials had already heard about the construction of the atomic bomb. In fact, the Soviets were already starting a project of their own. The news stunned some Americans. It made them realize that sooner or later they and the Soviets would enter an arms race that could potentially put them at odds with each other and deplete the resources of each country. When the United States formed NATO and the Soviet Union led the Warsaw Pact it became very clear that the two countries were no longer allies. Communists had just become the main public enemies of the United States.

Test of the First Atomic Bomb That Was Created by the Soviets

The reputation of Communists as spies and infiltrators only continued to grow

in the late 1940’s and the early 1950’s. In addition, the Communist forces in China had declared victory and established the People’s Republic of China while at the same time Communist North Korea began to invade pro-Western South Korea. The so-called “Red Menace” became more and more real to many Americans. Millions of Americans were now living under the threat of a possible nuclear attack. This paranoia and fear soon turned into hate and suspicion. Afterwards Joseph McCarthy would soon burst into the scene to encourage the hate and the suspicion towards the Communists, particularly those who had been born in the United States. The rise of Joseph McCarthy to the spotlight of politics had been an unprecedented one. Up to that point he had never been a prominent figure in American politics. However, after he claimed that there were hundreds of Communists in the American government many people would soon begin to follow him and his anti-Communist ideas. Nevertheless, Joseph McCarthy was not the only American politician who was openly attacking Communism. The House Un-American Activities Committee began a campaign that was designed to extirpate communist subversion at home. Their targets included left-wings in Hollywood and liberals in the State Department. In 1950 the Congress of the United States passed the McCarran Internal Security Act, a law that required that all “subversives” in the United States submit to government supervision.

All of these events and factors contributed to the rise of Joseph McCarthy and the

growth of anti-Communism in the United States. McCarthy’s zeal and patriotism made popular among many other patriotic Americans who wanted to see the United States ultimately triumph over Communism all over the world. However, McCarthy’s fall was just as fast as his rise. After having accused 205 members of the State Department many began to question his tactics, including President Dwight Eisenhower. When McCarthy was put in charge of the Committee on Government Operations he launched even more expansive investigations of the alleged Communist infiltration of the federal government. Despite any proof of subversion, more than 2000 government employees lost their jobs as a result of McCarthy’s actions.

McCarthy’s political career took a drastic turn when he decided to go after and

expose Communist infiltration of the armed services. He thought that doing so would only add more to his popularity and the aura of invincibility that surrounded him. Nevertheless, when the hearings were televised people would soon begin to realize that Joseph McCarthy was a demagogue full of lies. They saw how McCarthy intimidated witnesses and offered evasive responses when questioned. It was a shameful moment in his career and in American politics.

All in all, McCarthy’s career was an example of how a political career based

on demagoguery could fail so easily. It was also an example of unreasonable he and other anti-Communists had been. His fall helped many Americans realize that although Communists were still a threat to the United States they were not as much of a menace as they seemed to be, and that bigotry was a big mistake. Even now in our modern society we have cases of bigotry against certain groups of people, but history has shown over and over again that bigotry only leads to irrational fears and unjustified paranoia.

McCarthy-Army Hearing