The Red Scare 1947-1957

After WWII ended, the Cold War began. The United States and Soviet Union were the two major world superpowers. President Truman adopted a policy of “containment” to halt the spread of Communism around the globe. The Truman Doctrine also pledged US support to any country who sought to remain democratic and free.

1949- Mao Zedong took power in China, Communism was growing in Italy. There was a sense that we had “lost” China and were about to lose half of Europe as well The reason? Democratic administrations (Roosevelt and Truman) had harbored Communist sympathizers.

The Political Spectrum L_________________________________R (liberal) (conservative)

Senator Joseph McCarthy (R) Wisconsin was looking for an issue to raise his national profile in preparation for a run for the Presidency. He chose an anti-communist platform.

Definition of McCarthyism: The fear, suspicion, and scapegoating that surrounded McCarthy, his accusations and the general curtailment of civil rights during the Cold War era. It was a witch-hunt style campaign to silence critics of the Cold War.

“I have here a list of 205 names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in the State Department.”

McCarthy became a household name, capitalizing on people’s fears. He was soon one of the most powerful men in America. Later he would be hotly criticized for his tactics, but only after he’d ruined thousands of reputations.

House UnAmerican Activities Committee (HUAC) Subcommittee of the House of Representatives Purpose: To root out “subversion” of the American system The Question: “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?”

What did people fear? Infiltration of the federal gov’t by members of the Communist party Espionage Harm to “the American Way of life” Threat of Communist expansion throughout the world

The Hollywood Blacklist In October 1947, a number of persons working in the Hollywood film industry were summoned to appear before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, which had declared its intention to investigate whether Communist agents and sympathizers had been surreptitiously planting propaganda in U.S. films.

The studios cooperated by vetting every employee through the FBI before agreeing to hire them. Many people, including Arthur Miller, were urged to sign “loyalty oaths”. Arthur Miller testifying before HUAC, 1956

Blacklisted! Actual and suspected Communist Party members were prohibited from working. People who were blacklisted by the studios-writers, directors, and actors-never worked again, fled the country, worked under aliases, or even, in one extreme case, committed suicide.

The Crucible as an allegory Miller’s examination of the Salem Witch trials was meant to draw a parallel between the injustice of the witch-hunt in Salem and the tactics used to root-out Communists in America. The level of threat posed by a person’s real or supposed associations or beliefs was often greatly exaggerated.

Fall out Hundreds were imprisoned, some 10,000-20,000 lost their jobs. In many cases, simply being subpoenaed by one of the committees was sufficient cause to be fired. Many questioned, imprisoned or fired DID have a past or present connection to the Communist Party. But for the vast majority, the potential to do harm to the nation and the nature of their communist affiliation were tenuous.

Produced all over the world The Crucible speaks to anyone who has lived in a society where the questioning of authority and of the general opinion leads to rejection and punishment.

Arthur Miller 1915 -2005