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Fear of Communism Spreading to the U.S.
From 1945 - 1954, a number of Eastern European nations, China, and North Korea all were influenced by the Soviet Union to some degree and became Communist. The general fear that the U.S. would be next in line to be 'sunk by Communism' began to spread throughout the country. Uncle Sam needed to do something to make sure that didn't happen. The result was a series of investigations about how prevalent Communism was in the the United States.
The House Un - American Activities Committee
Many people were called to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee about their knowledge of people and organizations that supported Communism in the U.S. The first major focus of the committee was the movie industry. This picture (taken in October of 1947) shows then actor/union head and future President of the U.S. Ronald Reagan answering questions. The link below provides his testimony to that committee. He is also shown briefly in a video clip on the bottom of this webpage giving testimony.
Guilty By Suspicion
Guilty By Suspicion (1991) is a 1 hour and 45 minute movie about how the U.S. government focused on making sure the film industry in this country was free from Communist influence. Robert De Niro stars as David Merrill, a film director in the 1950s that has been called to appear in front of the House Un - American Activities Committee. Although the movie is fictional, it is based on how real peoples lives were affected by this era in history and shows the tough decisions that they had to make. There is a chance that we will watch this entire film at some point during this class.
Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism
Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin led a number of investigations and made several accusations of communist infiltration of the U.S. Government and society in general. A vast majority of these ended up being unfounded, but the scare it caused throughout the country ended up causing the period between 1947 - 1954 to become commonly referred to as McCarthyism
Causes and Effects of McCarthyism
(taken directly from chart on pg. 621 of your textbook)
Causes
• Soviets successfully establish Communist regimes in Eastern Europe after World War II.
• Soviets develop the atomic bomb more quickly than expected.
• Korean War ends in a stalemate.
• Republicans gain politically by accusing Truman and Democrats of being soft on communism.
Effects
• Millions of Americans are forced to take loyalty oaths and undergo loyalty investigations.
• Activism by labor unions goes into decline.
• Many people are afraid to speak out on public issues.
• Anti-communism continues to drive U.S. foreign policy
The Red Scare and House Un-American Activities Committee
This 5:30 clip focuses on the activities of the House Un - American Activities Committee. Those appearing in front of the committee in the early portion of the clip include Walt Disney and actor Robert Taylor. The Hollywood Ten and blacklisting is discussed from 2:40 - 3:45). Reagan is shown from 3:45 - 4:10. The last minute of the clip shows how Truman and most Democrats were against these investigations while Congress (and most Republicans) were in favor of them.
Paul Robeson - Civil Rights Activist and Famous Actor - Blacklisted!
The Alger Hiss and Rosenberg Court Cases
This 2:30 clip focuses on 2 spy cases that were publicly tried by the House Un - American Activities Committee. They are both listed in your book and you should know both for your test.
This clip covers the background of and more specifics regarding the Rosenberg case. I typically show the 6 and a half minute portion between 1:44 and 8:12 during class.
McCarthyism
This final 5:30 clip focuses on the exploits of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy. It discusses the supposed "list of names" that he had of famous Americans that he believed to be Communist. He rarely actually named names. At around 2:25, it discusses how the media began to question whether he was making it all up. From 3:15 - 4:30, the nearly 2 month long public investigations of Communist influence in the U.S. Army is discussed.