Communism: The Case Of Mccarthyism And Julius Scales

Republican Wisconsin senator, Joseph R. McCarthy, was originally a quiet senator who was fairly unknown and had done nothing extraordinary previous to 1950. The senator changed all that when he delivered a speech in February 1950, in which he leveled allegations that the State Department employed numerous Communists. He claimed to possess a list of these Communist employees, although that list was never produced (Tindall, George Brown, and David Emory Shi). Senator McCarthy’s attempt to gain publicity with his outlandish accusations worked. Since the first Red Scare years before the fifties, many Americans continued to be terrified of Communists and their potential ability to corrupt and overrun America. Senator McCarthy played on these fears, and he continued to claim communism had infiltrated every aspect of America; politics, culture and all of American society. Because of the similarity of events from the first Red Scare, this time period of the early fifties in America is often called the second Red Scare. The second Red Scare in America’s history actually began in the late forties, previous to McCarthy’s emergence in 1950, and it continued on throughout the fifties lasting at least a dozen years (Storrs, Landon R. Y.) McCarthy’s short era during the second Red Scare actually lasted only four years, but because of his outspoken and arrogant persona, as well as his ability to inflict fear and persecution on innocent people, this entire span of time went down in the

Although prosperity filled the 50s, controversy and dissatisfaction surrounded it also. As the picture "Senator McCarthy Extinguishes the Torch of Liberty" conveys, McCarthyism hushed the freedom of speech. (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey A127)The man who gave McCarthyism a name, Joseph McCarthy, ruined many lives by accusing tons of Americas of being Communists for about 5 years. The post-cold war paranoia about spies and infiltrates in the American government escalated the allegations to a whole other level, despite the lack of evidence. Many people lost their jobs, went to jail, or became shunned by the public. Senator McCarthy conducted countless numbers of speeches, investigations, and hearings. His actions proved to be so terrifying that very few spoke out against him. Only when taking the claims to the military did the people finally take a stand. Weeks afterward, the Senate condemned McCarthy for “practicing conduct unfit for a member.”

In addition to the persecution of many innocent people by this man, the greater danger lies, as you point out, in that those who should be eliminated from public life as being unfit or subversive, can now defend themselves by stating that it is merely another McCarthy smear.’ This evidence helps support the claim that McCarthy helped create the Red Scare, because people listened to his accusations due to the fact that they were afraid,and because they were afraid they were more likely to believe anything that he said which led to more

Due to this specific part of freedom, people were not supposed to be treated any differently by the government for their political belief, but senator Joseph McCarthy did not respect the individual liberty which was given to each person. McCarthy decided that since he had more power being senator of Wisconsin, it meant he had the power to take away the liberty of a man and divert a man’s beliefs by disrespecting and treating them differently due to their political stance.

During the late 1940s and early 1950s, the idea of communist subversion was becoming frighteningly real. These fears came to define–and, in some cases, corrode–the era’s political culture. For many Americans, the most enduring symbol of this “Red Scare” was Republican Senator Joseph P. McCarthy of Wisconsin. McCarthy spent almost five years trying in vain to expose communists and other left-wing “loyalty risks” in the U.S. government.In February 1950, appearing at the Ohio County Women’s Republican Club in Wheeling, West Virginia, McCarthy gave a speech that boosted him into the national spotlight. Waving a piece of paper in the air, he declared that he had a list of 205 known members of the Communist Party who were “working

In the 1700's and 1800's the United States was plagued by diseases like cholera and measles, however in the mid to late 1900's the U.S. suffered from a different kind of disease that infected its citizens and stripped them of their fundamental rights; McCarthyism. During the 1950's, the junior senator of Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy, started a campaign to expose all communists. Although trusted reporters like Edward R. Murrow and Congress members like Margaret Chase Smith confronted Senator McCarthy, he was still able to tarnish the reputations of hundreds of falsely accused people. There were a variety of different reasons and methods behind McCarthy becoming extremely powerful, he was able to accomplish this through manipulating, lying and

She discusses how Senator Joseph McCarthy capitalized on public anxieties about communism to fuel his crusade against alleged communist sympathizers. Hayssen highlights the tactics of intimidation and censorship employed by McCarthy and his supporters, which led to widespread paranoia and the erosion of civil liberties. By drawing parallels between McCarthyism and the Salem witch trials depicted in "The Crucible," Hayssen underscores the themes of manipulation, hysteria, and the abuse of power that permeate both historical contexts. Richard H. Rovere's analysis in "McCarthyism in Retrospect" provides further context for understanding the parallels between McCarthyism and "The Crucible." Rovere reflects on the lasting impact of McCarthyism, noting how the era was characterized by a climate of fear and conformity.

McCarthyism was a time of political hysteria and a figurative witch-hunt that swept through the American society during the 1950s when Anti- Communist figures like Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Committee on Un- American Activities stalked the land- McCarthyism. McCarthyism is when accusations of treason are made without any prior or proper evidence. Joseph McCarthy was a Republican from Wisconsin, and he was elected to Senate in 1946. He officially rose in power when he made a speech accusing 205 people of being communist and infiltrating the US government. Conservatives in the United States began to fear that anyone with any affiliation with the Communist Party or Russia was a threat to the nation. McCarthy was able to use the fear of others as his advantage. McCarthyism finally reached its peak when 36 televised interviews took place to investigate espionage. Many in turn suffered unemployment or imprisonment. Later, many of these verdicts were overturned and labeled as unconstitutional and illegal. In both the witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts, the trial of Bertram Cates in Hillsboro, Tennessee, and the McCarthy Era, corrupt people used the fear of others for of reasons of hatred, similar to Senator McCarthy. These power hungry people pick a convenient scapegoats as a way of improving what they believe to be right and abandoning all reason in the face of fear. However, The Crucible, serves as a more lasting response to the McCarthyism trials and its modern day

McCarthy was the senator of Wisconsin and he makes no name for himself. It is a list of 200 members of the Department of State that are referred to as Communists. The punishments of being accused of being a Communist is it could lead to “loss of employment and destroyed reputation, could be jailed.” (McCarthy’s List). The people could lose their jobs and be jailed if they do not confess or release information on former Communists. If they refuse they would be punished with a series of false accusations that could not be justified. It did many damage to peoples lives and careers. The people felt threatened because if they do not release the information their careers would be over and they would have no life. The people did not known what to do. Finally, McCarthy did not find any communists and his “personal power collapsed in 1954 when he accused the Army of coddling known Communists.” His false accusations resulted in his downfall. The people were threatened because their lives could have been taken away from them with no concrete

Joseph McCarthy is a desperate and unlikeable U.S senator who uses fear against others, which leads to the use of the horrific use of McCarthyism. Mccarthy is not a supporter of communists, “Thus he spread terror among his peers. His Republican colleagues were torn between fear of his prowess and willingness to use his attacks on President Harry Truman” (“Joseph”). McCarthy claims that people working within the U.S government are communists and that they should be exposed. Mccarthy blames others so people see him as a hero for saving the country from communist. His desperateness causes him to accuse his peers of being communists. For that reason people do not want to be around him because of the “terror” he causes and “spreads”. Mccarthy wants to do everything to address the problem of communism. Therefore, to prove that there is a problem going on, “McCarthy claimed to have in hand a list of 205 people in the U.S. State Department

McCarthyism has a lot to do with America 's history, even still today examples of McCarthyism are seen in america . Most victims of mccarthyism are hollywood actors and famous people because they impact american society more than regular people. Famous people such as Helen Keller, Leonard Bernstein , Burl Ives, Pete Seeger, Artie Shaw, Zero Mostel, Charlie Chaplin, Langston Hughes, Orson Welles, and Dolores del Rio were blamed for supposedly being part of the communist party. But that was not all, there was also another 205 average people that were blamed for being a part of the communist party as well. McCarthy’s committee then started investigating the United States Army. His charges kept affecting more and more powerful people.

“I have here in my hand a list of 205 people that were known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping the policy of the State Department” (Joseph McCarthy). Joseph R. Mccarthy was junior senator of Wisconsin from 1947-1957. He quickly took it upon himself to “rid” the United States of all communists that had any association with the Soviet Union in the midst of the Cold War. McCarthy accused thousands of people as being “communists”. Once accused, these people lost their jobs, their homes, their friends and, in extreme cases, their lives. The country turned itself inside out with fear. But how did McCarthy gain so much power? McCarthy ruled through tactics of fear, manipulation and punishment.

Throughout our childhoods, it is human nature to point fingers at others, saying ‘he did this' or 'she did that,’ but what if these indiscriminate accusations resulted in something as malevolent as death? This is precisely what happened during the Salem Witch Trials where many people were accused of being witches without any concrete evidence. Innocent people were executed for things that they hadn’t done. History seems to repeat itself as a mere 200 years later; McCarthy accused numerous people of being communist during the 1950s. Miller writes The Crucible about the Salem Witch Trials to critique the process of McCarthyism.

Joseph McCarthy 's time in office was a very intense and nerve racking period since he used brutal force to track down suspected communist. In the excerpt “How McCarthyism Worked” states, “Taking advantage of people 's concerns about communism, McCarthy made one

Joseph McCarthy, the notorious US senator who causes the McCarthyism era in the 1940s to the 1960s to arise, deceives the American people to lose trust with each other because of suspicion of Communism. McCarthy does not have a really great reputation before following the route of corruption. He simply over exaggerates the growing tension of Communism credits from President Harry Truman’s speech. His reign continues to grow until, “In early 1954 he opened hearings investigating the promotion of an Army dentist, Irving Peress, who was suspected of being a Communist. The Army-McCarthy hearings were televised and made for grand theater as McCarthy sparred with the Army's counsel Joseph Welch” (Capps). Joseph McCarthy is an arrogant and an overconfident man who thinks he can win every court cases until the very end. He believes that whatever