Miller & The Cold War: The World Outside The Crucible (Part I)

1. With BONUS SEGMENT:Fun with Etymology!!! Miller & The Cold War: The World Outside The Crucible (Part I)

2. This slide is dedicated to Allan: “Apparently a derivative of Latin crux , crucis Cross: compare the kindred words Italian crociuolo , Old French croiseul , later French croiset , creuset , < Italian croce , French croix , and see Du Cange, Littré, Hatzfeld, who suggest for the original sense ‘lamp with crossed wicks giving 4 flames’, but this is doubtful: compare cruselln. A 15th cent. Vocabulary in Wright-Wülcker 576/9 has ‘Crassipulum, Crassipularium, Crucibolum, a Cresset’, where the two synonyms appear to be derivatives of crassusfat, crassa grease; but their association with crucibolum appears to be due to popular etymology.” “Crusell: Etymology:  = medieval Latin crusellus ; also Middle Low German krusel , crusele , Low German krüsel , krôsel , kreusel , East Frisian krûsel , an oil-lamp used by country-people, etc., Middle Dutch kruysel , krosel hanging-lamp; compare also Old Frenchcroisel , croissol , and other Romanic forms, usually connected with crux and associated with crucibolum , while the German forms are treated by Hildebrand and others as diminutive of krûse”

3. Learning Goals: • Gain a good understanding of the social climate that Miller was responding to/at the time of The Crucible’s creation • Gain a good understanding of the effects of McCarthyism and why it would be a social concern for someone like Miller • Understand what it means to say that Miller’s play is an allegory for McCarthyism

4. Miller’s play is an allegory for McCarthyism • “allegory: 1. The use of symbols in a story, picture, etc., to convey a hidden or ulterior meaning, typically a moral or political one; symbolic representation... an extended or continued metaphor.” (OED Online) • McCarthyism: stay tuned…

5. THE COLD WAR • 1945-1991 with varying intensity • refers to political and military tension between the Western world (esp. USA) and the Eastern world (esp. USSR) • the two had had a temporary alliance against Germany in WWII • USSR became increasingly Communist • Communism: “a revolutionary socialist movement to create a classless and stateless social order, structured upon common ownership of the means of production, as well as a social, political, and economic ideology that aims at establishment of this social order” • Based on same root word as communal/community • from Marx & Engels’ Communist Manifesto

7. Power corrupts… Often = state ownership of means of production with centrally planned economies; state claims to represent the interests of the working class How to build structures for distribution of food, education, hospitals, etc. or whether to build at all?

8. Communism Political Spectrum Fascism Fascism Communism

9. Communism seen as threat to USA • framed as contest between free people and totalitarian regimes • US and allies had goal of “containing the spread of communism” (from the French “cordon sanitaire”) • didn’t actually go to war, no direct military action • both had nuclear weapons, which would destroyeveryone • engaged in: proxy wars, propaganda, espionage, nuclear arms race, sports rivalry, technological competition (the “Space race”) • both sides sought “détente” (relaxing of tensions) in 1971, unclear how successful this was • Interestingly… the détente ended after Soviet intervention in Afghanistan

12. So who’s McCarthy? • Senator Joseph McCarthy, gave a speech in 1950 claiming to have a list of known communists working for the state department • “I have here in my hand a list of 205—a list of 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.” • flood of media attention and creation of “loyalty review boards” and the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) to investigate • President Truman called for dismissal if there were “reasonable grounds… for belief that the person involved is disloyal to the government of the United States of America”

13. Primary targets: government employees, entertainment industry, educators and academics, union activists • FBI and J. Edgar Hoover (director of FBI) • Kept informers’ identities secret, most people did not know who accused them or of what • Illegal practices by the FBI • HUAC & Hollywood • Hollywood 10 – cited 1st amendment, right to free speech and assembly • Didn’t work, sentenced to prison for contempt of congress • Later people tended to use the 5th amendment – right not to incriminate oneself – this usually saved them from contempt charge but they would often be fired/have reputations ruined anyway • choice between becoming an informer or a “Fifth Amendment Communist”

15. Ms. Slykhuis’ Extended Metaphor of the Cold War in High School… Art = Capitalism Science = Communism Amy (American) Sonya (Soviet Union)

16. Jo (McCarthy)

19. Tomorrow: • What Miller says about the relationship of his play to McCarthyism • Discuss Introduction • Start reading Act I • So…. • Read the introduction for tomorrow, we will not be reading it out loud!