1.
Unit 9: The Cold War

2. DOT GAME

3. “Who’s a dot?!”
Each of you will receive a card. Some will have dots; more of them will be blank. Do not let others see your card at any time.
Look at your piece of paper secretly to see if you have a dot. Do not let anyone know whether or not you have a dot.
Then put the piece of paper out of sight.

4. Goal
If you do NOT have a dot, you are trying to create the largest group possible of non-dotted people.
If you create the largest group of non-dotted people, you win.
If you have a dot, your goal is to be the only dotted person in a group.
If you are the only dotted person in a group, you win

5. Playing The Game
You will have 5 minutes to talk to each other in order to figure out who has a dot.
Look for people who seem suspicious.
If you think someone has a dot, call out them out.
If you have a dot, try to bluff to convince others that you don’t.
If you’re asked to leave a group, you need to leave.

6. DOT GAME

7. Debrief
For those who were dots, how did you convince others you were not a “dot”?
Who was accused of being a dot?
Did you accuse anyone else of having a dot? Why?

8. The Red Scare & McCarthyism

9. What is communism?
a political theory leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs

10. Background: Communism in America
During the Great Depression, tens of thousands of Americans had joined the Communist Party
After WWII, membership declined
Better economic situation
Soviet Union the new enemy

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12. Spies in the US Alger Hiss: Klaus Fuchs: Spied for the Soviet Union
Admitted to spying for S.U. in the Manhattan Project

13. Fear of Communism
During the Cold War, politicians encouraged fear of Communism
Worried about expanding Soviet Influence
Truman administration began to investigate members of the Communist Party
1947: EO 9835 (aka the “Loyalty Order”): All federal employees were analyzed to determine loyalty
6.6 million Americans were investigated

14. The Red Scare 1940s – 1950s Hysteria over communism
Soviet Union has a red flag, so people from the S.U. were called “Reds”

15. HUAC
Congress began the House Un-American Activities Committee to investigate Communist “infiltration” of America
In 1947, HUAC called Hollywood directors, writers, actors, and producers to testify
Asked: “Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party?”

16. HUAC & The Hollywood Ten
A group of directors & producers refused to testify
“Hollywood Ten”
Served jail terms from 6 months-1 year
Studios began “blacklisting” people who were accused of having Communist ties
The 10 individuals who defied HUAC were Alvah Bessie (c ), Herbert Biberman ( ), Lester Cole (c ), Edward Dmytryk ( ), Ring Lardner Jr. ( ), John Howard Lawson ( ), Albert Maltz ( ), Samuel Ornitz ( ), Robert Adrian Scott ( ) and Dalton Trumbo ( ). 

17. McCarran Act (1950)
Unlawful to promote any action that would lead to a totalitarian dictatorship
Immigrants deported if they were suspected
Internment camps for “dangerous or disloyal” people
Truman vetoed it…
“One of the most un-American acts I have ever witnessed in my political career”
But Congress overrode his veto

18. How to spot a communist

19. Joseph McCarthy
In 1950, Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy gave a speech in which he declared: “I have here in my hand a list of 205 [people] who were known to the secretary of state as being members of the Communist Party and who, nevertheless, are still working and shaping policy at the State Department.”

20. McCarthyism
McCarthy: Sensational charges that communists in the US needed to be stopped
He created & played on a culture of fear

21. Hoover & the FBI FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover
compiled extensive files on suspected subversives
Wiretaps
Surveillance
Infiltration of leftist groups
1949: Convicted 12 leaders of the American Communist Party on advocating to overthrow the government
Ethel & Julius Rosenberg:
Convicted and put to death in 1953
Still unsure if guilty

22.
Unit 9: The Cold War

23. How McCarthyism Worked
Just being accused could lead people to lose their jobs
Thousands saw their lives disrupted
hounded by law enforcement
alienated from friends & family
fired from their jobs
Most were victims of false allegations or had done nothing more than exercise their democratic right to join a political party

24. Why did people go along with it?
Elected officials from both parties sought to portray themselves as staunch anti-communists
Few people dared to criticize the questionable tactics used
Membership in leftist groups dropped as associations could lead to serious consequences
Dissenting voices from the left side of the political spectrum fell silent on a range of important issues

25. Dennis vs. United States
In 1951 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that
free-speech rights of accused Communists could be restricted because their actions presented a clear and present danger to the government

26. End of McCarthyism In 1954, televised hearings by the Army began
It became clear that McCarthy was pursuing baseless charges – and targeting anyone who spoke out against him
Senate formally condemned him
Resolution 301

28. McCarthyism Today
McCarthyism is a term now used for witch hunts, typically those that are politically motivated.