The First Red Scare1920- The First Red Scare was a post-war, World War I, hysteria that stemmed from patriotism. Following the end of World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution, Unionists, mostly the average working man, went on strike and such strikes were viewed as Communist. Thus, a fear of "Reds" flourished. The first major strike occurred in a Seattle shipyard in 1919 where some 60,000 workers went on strike. The Seattle strike was viewed as anti-American and many news channels broadcasted it as such. Federal troops and policemen were sent to forcibly put down the strike. The Seattle strike caused a domino effect. Many other strikes such as the Boston strike on September 9th. Boston policemen went on strike and rumors flew that a Communist takeover was at hand. The Communist hysteria spread even throughout the government. However, in the spring of 1920, twelve attorneys drafted a report detailing the violation of civil liberties by the Department of Justice. The court upheld the report. Newspapers and employers too began to switch sides. Employers saw a major decline of production as many immigrants accused of being Communist were deported. Eventually, the public, as a whole, calmed and the First Red Scare finished its course.
|
The Second Red Scare1947- The Second Red Scare, like the previous, occurred following the end of a war, specifically, World War II. After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union were the two most dominant nations economically and politically. However, the Soviet Union and the United States were always in conflict due to differing ideologies. When the Soviets developed the atomic bomb in 1949, the U.S., fearing for its safety, decided to create the Hydrogen bomb, a bomb more destructive than its predecessors. Thus an arms race pursued and American's feared a nuclear war. In 1950, Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy began his anti-communist campaign. In a process generalized as "McCarthyism," Joseph McCarthy and the House of Un-American activities led by Martin Dies (a KKK supporter) imprisoned many political figures (mainly leftists and those of the Communist party) and Hollywood actors. Those targeted by the HUAC and McCarthy were blacklisted and many fled the United States. One notable example is the Hollywood Ten where figures such as Dalton Trumbo were accused of having Communist ideals. The Second Red Scare came to an end when Joseph McCarthy targeted the United States Army and CBS anchor Edward R. Murrow. McCarthy had not shown a shred of tangible (or even reasonable) evidence for his accusations and his credibility and campaign declined. Thus, the Second Red Scare was on the verge of non-existence.
|
|