The Nuclear Age and 2nd Red Scare

A. The Hydrogen Bomb 1. Developing the H-Bomb – January 1950, Truman approves work on the hydrogen bomb – Works through “staging” nuclear fission explosion sets off a nuclear fusion explosion – Far more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in WWII

2. Testing the Bomb (Operation IVY) – First tested in November 1952 – At Elugelab Island, Eniwetok in the South Pacific – 10.4 megatons of explosives

3. Soviets get the Hydrogen Bomb – Less than one year later the Soviet Union tested a Hydrogen Bomb – Claimed that US no longer had a “monopoly” on the bomb

B. Nuclear Arms Race 1. US vs Soviets – Both the US and the Soviets greatly increased their nuclear stockpiles – Each tried to have more weapons than the other 2. MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) – By the 1950s both the US and Soviet Union had the power to obliterate the other side – Both sides developed a "second-strike" capability

– Could attack the other side after sustaining huge destruction – both sides knew that any attack upon the other would be suicide 3. Brinkmanship – Eisenhower's Foreign Policy – Be at the verge of war without ever fighting – A stand off with the costs so high that neither side would wage war

C. Fear of the Bomb 1. At Home – People built bomb shelters

– Stocked up on food that did not have to be refrigerated – Bought Pocket Dosimeters to let them know when radiation levels were safe

2. SANE – Committee for Sane Nuclear Policy – Anti-nuclear group – Argued that nuclear tests released harmful radioactive particles that led to birth defects and disease

Duck and Cover

Cold War Fears Early Cold War

A. 2 nd Red Scare 1. Where the Fears Came From – Growth of communism in the US (Communist Party of the USA) – Soviet Expansion into Eastern Europe – Communist takeover of China 2. HUAC – House Un-American Activities Committee – Created May 1938 – Investigated disloyalty and harmful foreign influences – Held hearings on Communists in Hollywood and the Government

3. HUAC and Blacklisting – People investigated in Hollywood by HUAC were often blacklisted – Blacklisting = refusing to hire – Those accused couldn’t find jobs

– The Hollywood Ten, a group of writers who would not cooperate with HUAC, were the most famous of those blacklisted

B. Spies in the Government 1. Loyalty Review Board – Truman was accused of letting Communists sneak into the government – He created this board – Investigated 16,000 federal workers – No Communists were discovered – Many institutions then started loyalty oaths and investigations

2. Internal Security Act (1950) – Required organizations thought to be communist to register with the government – Gave the government the right to arrest people suspected of treasonous activities during times of national emergency

C. McCarthyism 1. Joseph McCarthy – Republican Senator from Wisconsin ( ) – In 1950 began a campaign to expose alleged communists in the US Government

2. McCarthy’s Accusations – Communists had infiltrated the US Government – Claimed to have files on 57 communists in the Govt – His accusations were called a hoax but he simply made up more charges 3. No Challenges from the Public – Public not used to questioning government officials – Did not want to be labeled “soft on communism” – People wanted an explanation for the spread of communism and McCarthy gave them one

4. Army-McCarthy Hearings – One of McCarthy’s assistants had been drafted in the Military – McCarthy blamed communists in the military for this – A group of Senators decided to hold televised hearings on these charges

– McCarthy continued to attack military and the Army’s Attorney, Joseph Welch – People began to see McCarthy as a bully – 1954: Senate voted to condemn McCarthy, 67 to 22 – McCarthy’s lies however still destroyed careers and lives

D. Communist Fears in Pop Culture 1. Magazines – Articles published about communism – “How Communists Get That Way” – “Communists Are After Your Child”

2.Movies – Hollywood produced 40 anti-communist films – “I Married a Communist”

Comic