Red ScareRed Scare: dramatic fear of communism and communist spies

spread across the nation.

An Age of Suspicion:Hunting Communists at Home

The Cold War: 1945-1960

Cummings of the Daily Express, 24 August 1953, "Back to Where it all Started"

Following the detonation of the "Bravo" hydrogen test in the Pacific, Igor Kurchatov, scientific director of the Soviet nuclear weapons program, and three other scientists wrote a report warning of the dangers of nuclear weapons. (1954)

Igor Kurchatov

Video: The World’s First Test of an H-Bomb (2:18)

“The power of one or two modern hydrogen bombs translated into an equivalent quantity of TNT is comparable to the total amount of explosives used by the fighting sides in the last world war.”

“Radiation from that blast would later bring early death to many of us on the island at that time. Some of us are still dying of radiation from Bravo.” - Bob Markey, Sr., naval officer, stationed on the island of Kwajalein, 150 miles from Bikini Atoll.

Video: H-bomb testing at Bikini Atoll (1:25)

Castle Bravo H-Bomb shot at Bikini Attoll. Largest H-Bomb ever exploded.

In 1949, the U.S. responded to the news that the Soviet Union possessed atomic weapons.

Video: “Duck and Cover” (1951 - 9:15)

Americans wondered…• How did the U.S. fail to expel Communists

from Korea? From taking over China?

• Why was the U.S. unable to prevent Soviet Union occupation of Eastern Europe?

• How had the Communists been able to develop nuclear weapons?

McCarthy’s Answers to America’s Questions…

• “Communists are plotting to take over the United States”

• “Communists and traitors hold important U.S. government jobs”

• “Many U.S. government leaders favor communist ideas.”

Some proof of his claims emerged…

Communists at the State Department:

- Hiss had lied under oath, denying that he was a part of a Soviet spy ring that sent U.S. government secrets to the Soviet Union.

- State Department official Alger Hiss was imprisoned for perjury in 1950.

- Americans, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, were accused of stealing nuclear secrets for the Soviets.

- The Rosenbergs were executed for their crimes in 1953.

Example of American fears of Communism:

Tactics of McCarthy:Tactics of McCarthy:

• Unfounded statements of fact• Guilt by association• Fake pictures• Silencing of critics – fear of being

labeled Communists

McCarthy’s reckless claims:

In 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy announced that he had a list of 205 State Department employees that were members of the Communist party.

** NEVER PRODUCED EVEN ONE NAME!

Video Clip: Video Clip:

• What social and political purposes did anti-communism serve?

• When was the Red Scare supposed to end?

Results of McCarthyismResults of McCarthyism

• Ruined people’s careers• Created unfounded fears in U.S.• Increased tensions of the Cold War• Made politicians afraid to dissent on

foreign policy• Attacked basic freedom of U.S. –

freedom of speech