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THE RED SCARE

Delve into the tumultuous events of the Russian Revolution, rise of Communism, and the US response during the Red Scare period. Explore the fear, political movements, bombings, Palmer Raids, and the impact on society.

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THE RED SCARE

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  1. THE RED SCARE 14.1

  2. Russian Revolution • Part 1 = March 1917 • WWI goes badly for Russia • Czar Nicholas II abdicates • New Russian leader =Alex Kerensky • Pledges to remain in WWI • This is very unpopular. • Russians start looking to more radical ideas.

  3. Russian Revolution • Part 2 = November 1917 • Lenin promises “peace, land, and bread” • Bolsheviks (“majority”) • Peace with Germany • Out of WWI • Civil war ensues • Reds vs. Whites • Reds win in 1920, establish USSR

  4. Russian Communism • Openly hostile to American beliefs • The gov’t owned all land and property. • A single political party controlled the gov’t. • The needs of the country always took priority over the rights of individuals. • “Communism cannot be isolated or it will fail. IT MUST EXPAND WORLDWIDE.”

  5. Russian Communism • Lenin dies in 1924. Stalin takes over. • Forces peasants onto collectivized farms • Use of terror to do so • Great famine resulted. • Estimates of3-60 million killed

  6. Russian Communism • Is this fear justified? • It seems to be isolated on the other side of the world.

  7. Communist spread? • Is fear of communism justified? • Hungary goes communist • Germany almost goes communist

  8. US Response • During WWI, bombs sent to court buildings, police stations, churches, homes • Tied to violent immigrant anarchist groups • BOI (FBI) begins to track their movements • Approved by President Woodrow Wilson • In 1919: • 1,000s go on strike in Seattle • More mail bombs sent to US gov’t officials • Including Seattle mayor • Espionage Act passed (draft, etc.)

  9. Schenck v. U.S. • Charles Schenck mailed anti-draft letters. • Jewish-American socialistw/ sympathies towardGermany • Secretary of local SocialistParty • Sent 15,000 leaflets urgingpotential draftees to refuseto serve • Calls on the 13th Amendment • Serving in military = “involuntary servitude”

  10. Schenck v. U.S. • Arrested & convicted under Espionage Act  6 months • “The question in every case is whether the words are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent.” • “The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic.” • Unanimously upheld by Supreme Court

  11. More Bombs • June 1919, bombs detonate in 8 cities • 1 near FDR • 1 at USAG Alexander Palmer’s house • Seen as “continuation” of Russian Revolution

  12. More Bombs • These bombs were sent by 1 specific group, led by Luigi Galleani. • Bombs came w/ a note: • “Class war…You were the first to wage it…The darkness of your laws…There will have to be bloodshed, murder…We will destroy to rid the world of your tyrannical institutions.”

  13. Palmer Raids • Alexander Palmer • Assassination attempts made 2x • “hyphenated Americans… poured the poison of disloyalty into the very arteries of our national life: such creatures of passion, disloyalty, and anarchy must be crushed out” -Woodrow Wilson

  14. Palmer Raids • Palmer begins to raid houses of suspected communists, socialists, and anarchists. • “Any movement, however cloaked or dissembled, designed to undermine the government, will be met with unflinching, persistent, aggressive warfare.” • Palmer arrests 10,000 from Nov. 1919 to Jan. 1920 • Luigi Galleani was deported along w/ 8 others. • Dec. 1919: 249 Russian radicals deported on “Soviet Ark” • Jan. 1920: 6,000 arrested (mostly IWW) • 4,000 in one night

  15. Public Opinion Falls • Palmer announces a Communist revolution on May 1, 1920. • The public gears up. • Nothing happened. • People realize the lack of threat. • People realize the disregard for civil liberties. • People realize they don’t like Palmer.

  16. Exported Immigrants • Many of the deported radicals became loyal citizens of the USSR… • …until Stalin had most of them shot in the 1930s as potential traitors.

  17. Sacco & Vanzetti • Accused of robbery & murder  ARRESTED(~$16,000 from shoe factory) • Italian anarchists hadalready been red-flaggedfor the better part of adecade. • They were radicals andItalian. • They were followers ofLuigi Galleani.

  18. Sacco & Vanzetti • Convicted & executed. • Riots of protest in London, Paris, and Germany. • Seen as result ofthe Red Scare.

  19. Feeding the Fear • Labor strikes rose from175/month to 370/monthduring 1919. • Cause: Communist agitators? (probably not) • Cause: poor labor conditions (initial post-war recession) • Standard of living had declined since WWI because of inflation and static wages.

  20. Boston Police Strike • No pay increase since beginning of WWI • Steps to form a union; 19 fired • Entire police force strikes • Riots broke out. • Massachusetts governorCalvin Coolidge: • “There is no right to strikeagainst the public safety byanybody, anywhere, anytime.” • Called out volunteer forceand state guard

  21. “Crime against civilization” • End of the strike • Coolidge hires an entirely new police force(mostly returning servicemen) • New force gets higher wages, more vacation days, and city-provided uniforms • Striking former-officers were denied reentry

  22. Strikes • Steel and Coal workers strike also. • Most strikes are blamed on communists. • Most Americans opposed unions & strikes(seen as anti-America & violent) • Strikes declined asthe economyimproves in 1920.

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