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The Cold War at Home: The Second Red Scare. 1949: Anxiety over Communism. 3/49: Soviet Union detonated an atomic bomb China: had been locked in a civil war since the 1920s Nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek Communists led by Mao Zedong
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1949: Anxiety over Communism • 3/49: Soviet Union detonated an atomic bomb • China: had been locked in a civil war since the 1920s • Nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek • Communists led by Mao Zedong • U.S. tried to back the Nationalists, but were unsuccessful • Communists claimed victory
Soviet Domination in Eastern Europe and the Communist takeover in China shocked the American public and fueled a fear that communism would spread around the world
It didn’t help that during WWII, as many as 80,000 Americans belonged to the Communist Party!
Loyalty Review Board • Anti-Communist Republicans began accusing Truman of being “soft” on communism…so… • Executive Order 9835: created the Federal Employee Loyalty Program • investigated gov’t employees and dismissed those who were found to be disloyal to the U.S.
Results of Review Board • 91 organizations were investigated because of their suspicious views (KKK, Nazi Party, etc) • 3.2 million employees were investigated (’47-’51) • 212 people dismissed • 2,900 resigned (violation of rights!)
1938: investigated loyalty before WWII House Un-American Activities Committee Investigated possible communist influence Gov’t and movie industry HUAC claimed that Communists were sneaking propaganda into films HUAC
Why the Movies? • Many Hollywood personalities were or had been members of the Communist party or supported ideas similar to communism • Movies were thought to have a tremendous power to influence the public • Hollywood had made movies favorable to the Soviet Union during the war (with encouragement from the gov’t!)
Hollywood 10 • “Friendly” witnesses (actors, directors, producers) supported accusations that Communists had infiltrated the film industry • 10 “unfriendly” witnesses were called to testify but refused • Became known as the Hollywood 10 • Said the hearings were unconstitutional • Sent to prison!
Result: Blacklisted! • Hollywood executives instituted a blacklist, a list of people whom they condemned for having a Communist background (actors, writers, producers, and directors) – careers were ruined • What effect did this have on the film industry?
Alger Hiss • Former Communist spy Whittaker Chambers, accused Alger Hiss (former high-ranking State Dept official) of spying for the Soviet Union in the 1930s • Chambers produced microfilms of documents supposedly typed on Hiss’s typewriter
Alger Hiss (cont) • Couldn’t be accused of espionage because too much time had passed • Convicted for perjury and sent to jail • Hiss claimed his Innocence However, probably was guilty
The Rosenbergs • March 1949: Soviet Union detonated an atomic bomb • 1950: Klaus Fuchs admitted he gave Soviet Union information about America’s atomic bomb
The Rosenbergs (cont) • Ethel and Julius Rosenberg (minor activists in the American Communist Party) were connected to the case and tried and found guilty of espionage • Executed! • Evidence later showed that Julius was guilty; Ethel’s role was probably minor
McCarthyism • Joseph McCarthy – Republican Senator from Wisconsin • Election time was near and McCarthy needed something…
McCarthyism (cont) • McCarthy charged that Communists were taking over the government • Made one unsupported accusation after another • Claimed to have 205 names (then 81) of Communists in the State Department • Blamed Democrats for allowing Communists to infiltrate the government
Reaction • At first his fellow Republicans did little to stop him • 1954: McCarthy claims the US Army is full of Communists • Resulted in a televised investigation • McCarthy bullied witnesses and alienated the audience • Senate condemned him • Died 3 years later