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negative effects of propaganda
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Effects of propaganda
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The American psyche has always been a point of discussion among other cultures; they are often called stupid, ignorant and war-happy. During the McCarthy era of 1950-1954, however, they were more so being cautious of the Communist threat than being paranoid. Senator Joseph McCarthy (1908-1957) knew "how to win power, headlines and a passionately loyal following by manipulation" (Hugh Brogan). It was said "The McCarthy witch hunts were not born of fantasy," (Alan Axelrod) that is, the American people had reason to believe that perhaps there was a half-truth in McCarthy's accusations. McCarthy rose to national infamy not due to his skill or persuasiveness in the political field, but rather his saying the right thing in the right place at the right time. "He didn't create the situation of fear; he merely exploited it, and rather successfully." (Ed Murrow, "See it Now", CBS) If he had done the same at any other period in history it would have been a somewhat different story. The Americans, however, are responsible for letting it get as far as it did. McCarthy should never have been given such power, regardless of the situation. National security is the president's responsibility, the American people should vote in a competent leader who is bound by oath to the country's wellbeing. "The Cold War spawned a veritable legion of spies, including those who communicated U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviets." (Alan Axelrod) It was 1950. Robin Hood had been taken away from classrooms due to his steal from the rich and give to the poor' message, which could be correctly identified as a Communist principle, not appropriate for American children. It was three years after Alger Hiss was found to be guilty of espionage. It was the year after th... ... middle of paper ... ... who actually believed that, with mass support from others, he must be right. The next were the conservatives. Their single-mindedness on matters of national security ultimately led to their ignorant following of McCarthy. The final category is the one we can blame for McCarthy's rise to power. The leaders of the country, including politicians and people holding high positions in organisations such as the FBI, knew quite well what was going on. In the beginning they saw McCarthy not as a threat, but more so a piece they could play to score some more votes. A few months in, they were now powerless against him. The American people are typically gullible, in this case their paranoia led to their gullibility; however the people in power have a responsibility to the country. If they do not do the right thing for the country, the people will soon look for a figure who does.
“The great difference between our western Christian world and the atheistic Communist world is not political, gentlemen, it is moral,” is one of the many examples throughout McCarthy’s speech of him assuming an overconfident or superior tone. His claim to own a list of 205 names in the State Department of communist sympathizers gave support for this arrogant tone, but when asked McCarthy refused to provide anyone with the aforementioned list. McCarthy also used this tone when he said, “The reason why we find ourselves in a position of impotency is not because our only powerful potential enemy has sent men to invade our shores . . . but rather because of the traitorous actions of those who have been treated so well by this Nation,” expressing the idea that no one but the United States’ own countrymen had the strength to defeat their homeland. McCarthy’s tone throughout the article is one of absolute certainty, and gave his audience the incentive to trust
Contrary to what most think, an “Arnold Palmer” is not just a blend of tea and lemonade. One day, all might be able to swing a golf club like Arnold Palmer. Golf has been around since the thirteenth century and was introduced by the Scottish and Dutch. The main goal of golf is to reach the hole in the fewest amount of shots possible. One main difference between golf and many other sports is the lower the score the better. Regardless of the fact that the game was once banned, golf is now enjoyed by many (“The History of Golf”). Despite the images in common golf commercials, the golf swing is endlessly complicated.
The question Did Joseph McCarthy create a “red scare” or did the “red scare” create Joseph McCarthy suggests if Joseph McCarthy started the red scare or if he was trying to show others he isn’t a communist because of other people’s fears of communism in the US. In other words, McCarthy’s policy in the United States stimulated everyone to fear and watch out for Communists leading to a massive witch hunt for the Communists within the country. In my opinion, I believe that McCarthy created due to the “red scare” and wanted to build it because of the news that the Soviet Union has a nuclear bomb after the US had discovered and detonated theirs. In life and society, the evidence to support my viewpoint is pervasive.
during the Cold War era that led to the rise of McCarthyism. He discusses the effects of
Senator Joseph McCarthy used many tactics to persuade Americans to oppose communism and indict those who supported it. Communism had tangible shape, and Americans were worried that people in the U.S. would start leaning to the far left like several other countries such as the USSR and China (Schrecker). In order to prevent this, the Congressional House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was founded. The Committee's purpose was to investigate those organizations and individuals it deemed "un-American." They first went to Hollywood because the movie industry was considered "corrupted". Ten individuals, called the Hollywood Ten, were asked to testify against other Hollywood residents who were questionable com...
Murray, Robert K. Red Scare: A Study in National Hysteria, 1919-1920. U of Minnesota Press,
In 1950 Joseph McCarthy, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, began a crusade of anti-communism (Bartlett). In this period of time “the widespread accusations and investigations of suspected Communist activities in the U.S.” became known as ‘McCarthyism’ (Reeves). Many events happened during the McCarthyism era to justify his suspicions; Communism was spreading throughout Czechoslovakia and China, and North Korea invaded the South –which started the Korean War (Reeves). The accusations of Communism spread to all branches of public works; entertainment, clergy, teachers, and journalists were all investigated (Reeves). Blacklisting first appears at this time. Many people had to take oaths, swearing that they were not Communist, just to keep their jobs (Reeves). When McCarthy first began, he said that Communists made up the majority of the State Department, but when the Senate looked into it they reported no sings of Communism (Reeves). In 1949 McCarthy said to have gotten his inf...
McCarthyism, became a term that referred to Senator Joseph McCarthy from Wisconsin and the ruthless tactics he employed and institutionalized while seeking to destroy the threat of Communism to the United States government and society between 1950 and 1954. Fears of communism and self-promotion were utilized by McCarthy to promote himself as a politician end protector of the American way of life. Generally, McCarthyism became synonymous with the Medieval Witch Hunts and trials in that unfair prosecutions were based on fears and rumors. Both, McCarthyism and witch hunts were products of generally unfavorable times. Similarly, testimony and confessions were often forced by threat and coercion. Seemingly plausible accusations containing innuendo
America has endured many difficult times throughout history. One such time is known as the McCarthy era. During the early 1950's, "witch hunts" occurred of suspected communists. One only needed to be suspected of communism to be accused. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, in order to gain political power, capitalized on the fear of communism in the United States in the early 1950's by falsely accusing innocent citizens of political corruption, thus creating a lasting impact on the government, entertainment industry, and history of America.
Times change and people come and go, but fear is a constant, and in “The Great Fear” by J. Ronald Oakley, he describes the wave of fear that occurred in the 1950s. In 1692, the townspeople of Salem were scared into believing that they were among witches, and in 1950’s the “Red” Scare destroyed thousands of peoples lives that were accused of being Communists. Those accused in both witch hunts were put on trial, and while many were killed in Salem, the Red Scare had blacklisted those persecuted.
Beginning in the late 1940s, as the Cold War escalated between the United States, the Soviet Union and the Peoples Republic of China, the United States went through a period of intense anti-communist tensions and suspicion. Many thousands of individuals were suspected of being Soviet spies, Communists, or communist sympathizers. Although the American Communist Party was never illegal under Federal law, membership in the party or support of its goals were regarded by many as tantamount to treason. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most visible public face of this era of anti-communism. The term McCarthyism was coined that same year to describe and condemn the senator's methods, which were widely seen as demagogic and based on reckless, unsubstantiated accusations. Later the term was applied more generally to the anti-communism of the late 1940s through the late 1950s; today, it is often used even more broadly, to describe public attacks made on persons' character and/or patriotism that involve the sort of tactics associated with McCarthy.
The attitude of the citizens of the United States was a tremendous influence on the development of McCarthyism. The people living in the post World War II United States felt fear and anger because communism was related with Germany, Italy, and Russia who had all at one point been enemies of the United States during the war. If the enemies were communists then, communists were enemies and any communists or even communist sympathizers were a threat to the American way of life. "From the Bolshevik Revolution on, radicals were seen as foreign agents or as those ...
...y Wheeling speech created nationwide hysteria, and with its impeccable timing just days after the conviction of the State Official Alga Hiss for lying under oath about his association with the communist Soviet as a spy, fueled the fight on communism. (citation) McCarthy war on communism during the “Second Red Scare” did not leave any individual safe from accusations. He attacked government agents, entertainment industry workers, educators, union members, and alienated the left-wing Democrats. McCarthy helped to create the atmosphere of suspicion and panic with his growth in media coverage. McCarthy’s words made for big headlines and the media was quick to cover his stories. This exposure helped facilitate American approval of McCarthy and empowered him to make more accusations on those suspected of subversion. In 1953, McCarthy headed the Government Operations Commit
With the onset of the Cold War, a growing Red Scare would cripple American society – effectively plunging the nation into mass hysteria and unrest over the fallacious threat of communist infiltration. This reaction was precipitated by Republican senator, Joseph McCarthy, in his speech, “Enemies from Within”, delivered in Wheeling, West Virginia, on 9 February 1950. McCarthy paints communists in a particularly harsh light to generate anti-Soviet sentiment within the American public. He uses juxtaposition to engender both indignation and fear in the audience to achieve this effect.
As for McCarthy he accuses anyone he sees. He even began to question the integrity of