1. Fear & Loathing in America during the COLD WAR
...Damn Commies

2. Post War America
Following WW2, America entered a period of prosperity.
The new world was a Bi-Polar World
Communism was the unifying enemy of the US.
Anyone connected
to communism
was inherently
“anti-American”.

3. The Second Red Scare 1st Red Scare: 1917-20.
During WW2 the USSR was an ally & criticism was muted, but:
1946- Iron Curtain speech
1948- Berlin Blockade/Airlift
1949- Red China, Soviet A-Bomb
1950-Korean War
1953-Convicted Soviet spies Julius & Ethel Rosenberg were executed.

4. House Un-American Activities Committee: 1938-1975
They investigated suspected threats of subversion that threatened the gov’t
After ’45 that meant communists.
1947, they investigated communist influences in the movie industry.
The “Hollywood 10” were blacklisted for refusing to cooperate.
The blacklist grew, and many in the industry were called to testify against others.
The list officially ended in 1960, but many never worked again.

5. Senator Joseph McCarthy
He grew famous investigating communists & accusing many of subversive activities.
Exploiting fear of communists, he was abrasive, hostile & known for browbeating witnesses.
The most famous investigations were into the State Dept. (50) & the Army (54).
This period of fear & intimidation was known as “McCarthyism”.
Criticism in the media eventually brought him down, esp. by Edward R. Murrow in 1954.