The 1950s

What is McCarthyism?

 

McCarthyism was developed during the Cold War, a period of great hostility between the communists and the non-communist nations.  It consisted of widespread accusations and investigations of suspected communist activities in the United States. Senator Joseph R. McCarthy formed this idea. Many Americans felt that communists had infiltrated the government because the U.S. was losing the war. As communism appeared more threatening, the federal government began to search for secret communists among its employees. President Harry Truman even established "loyalty boards" to investigate federal workers. He ordered dismall of any government employee whose loyalty seemed questionable.

 

The Rosenberg Trial was an important court court case during the McCarthyism era. Two American citizens,husband and wife, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for spying for the Soviet Union during World War II. Ethel's brother, Greenglass, was arrested for spying. He claimed that Julius had recruited him to collect information. The United States government charged that the information he supplied was used to build the first Soviet atomic bomb. As a result, the Rosenbergs were arrested and accused of passing secret atomic bomb information to the Soviet Union. They pleaded innocent, and were supposedly communists. In 1951, they were found guilt of conspiracy to commit espionage.

 

The Hollywood Blacklist was a policy carried out by major entertainment companines in the United States against American anertainment professsionals who were supected of being communists. Many American actors, directors, muscians, and other people in the entertainment industry lost their jobs or were denied employment as a result of the blacklist. Hollywood developed the blacklist in response to pressure from the HUAC who investigated the threat that certain groups were out to overthrow the government. The entertainment companies used the blacklists out of fear of government regulation, public dissaproval, and box office losses.

 

The HUAC; House Un-American Activities Committee investigated communists of the United States House of Representatives.  They feared that communists were a threat to the overthrow of the government. Its Interest was to search for communist influence inside and outside of the goverment. There were also investigations in the department of state; Alger Hiss and Richard Nixon were both convicted. The FBI would wire-tap phones and infiltrate suspected groups. Americans believed that this committee protected the United States from communism. Critics charged that it abused its power and violated the constitutional rights of witnesses.

 

The fall of McCarthyism began in 1954. Joseph McCarthy's investigations were criticized for accusing people of being communist without having evidence. They began to televise the hearings, which showed bullying tactics; American support started to drop. The Senate began to disagree, and passed a resolution to censure McCarthy; high mark of shame. The popularity of McCarthyism gradually declined after 1954, which was also  near the end of the Korean War. Americans began to realize that there was no evidence of someone's disloyalty. It was unnecessary and out of control.