George A. Romero is a director that is well known for his famous zombie movies; Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Dawn of the Dead (1978). Even though they were made years apart from each other they both still share more than just the fear of a zombie apocalypse. During the times of the makings of both movies America was in the middle of the second red scare and the Cold War. George A. Orwell’s works reflect these conflicts and peoples fears of communism in his movies.
The second Red Scare arose in the 1940’s after the Second World War when the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union intensified. There was a rise in hysteria over the threat that was posed by communists (Red Scare). The spread of communism in Eastern Europe by Stalin and the Soviet Union, China by Mao Zedong, and Korea made people fearful that it would infiltrate America as well (The Cold War: Red Scare). Due to this heightened fear President Truman issued Executive Order 9835, which authorized the attorney general of the United States to list Fascist, Communist, or Subversive organizations and made membership or sympathetic association with such organizations grounds for dismissal (Red Scare-Again):
EXECUTIVE ORDER 9835
PRESCRIBING PROCEDURES FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF AN EMPLOYEES LOYALTY PROGRAM IN THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH OF THE GOVERNMENT
WHEREAS each employee of the Government of the United States is endowed with a measure of trusteeship over the democratic processes which are at the heart and sinew of the United States; and
WHEREAS it is of vital importance that persons employed in the Federal service be of complete and unswerving loyalty to the United States; and
WHEREAS, although the loyalty of by far the overwhelming majority of all Government ...
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... the fear of communism, to some degree, during the time period. Both movies show zombies as the common enemy or as the communists during the time period and portray innocent Americans trying to find safety and survive the possible over taking of the zombies, or communists in the country.
Works Cited
“The Cold War: Red Scare”. Ducksters.com. Technological Solutions, inc (TSI). May 2014. Web. 13 May 2014.
“Cold War”. History.com. A&E Television Networks, LLC. 2014. Web. 13 May 2014.
“Red Scare”. History.com. A&E Television Networks, LLC. 2014. Web. 13 May 2014.
“Red Scare- Again”. Apstudynotes.org. StudyNotes, Inc. 2014. Web. 13 May 2014.
“What Was the Cold War?” historylearningsite.co.uk. Historylearningsite.co.uk. 2013. Web. 13 May 2014.
Wilkison, Kyle. “The "Second" Red Scare: Fear and Loathing in High Places, 1947-1954”. Collin.edu. n.p. n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
Victor Harplin’s black and white film, White Zombie, and W.B Seabrook’s short story, “Dead Men Working in the Cane Fields”, both were produced in the early twentieth century and were among the first works to capture the nature of the zombie. The zombie being a unique monster, it originated in the folkloric and ritual practices of the New World, specifically in the Republic of Haiti (The Sub-Subaltern Monster). They both centralize around Zombies, however they do differ in the way that they are portrayed. Both were set in Haiti where the zombie originated. Also around this time the U.S. occupied Haiti and American businesses were moving to the island. America was going through serious social change in this time as well. Both women and African Americans were trying to get more rights. Women were also acting more provocative and doing things that would have been seen as inappropriate at the time. The social mold was being shattered. America was in a boom period with big business and new technological innovations. Also both the story and the film relate closely to Cohen’s first thesis. These two literary works have similarities and differences to them, however both tend to play on social and political differences of the 1920’s and 1930’s.
The Red Scare was given its name because everyone feared the idea of communism (“Red”) in America. Fear, especially spread out among a group, is a dangerous and chaotic thing that can cause people to do things that they would not normally do. It can cause people to betray others close to them or not trust some people they would normally trust.
The 1950’s Red Scare did majorly impact artists and intellectuals of the time, but it also affected everyone from the average citizen to the highest ranking solider in the military. It is also very important to mention that the Red Scare also affected Canadians of the 1950’s and Canadian immigrants that lived in the area at the time. The thesis statement however is still a solid fact that can’t simply be shirked away and is a part of a moment in time that historians say is “the most despicable moment in human history.”
Night of the Living Dead is a movie released in 1968 in America directed by George Romero premiering on October 1st of the same year (Romero). The movie follows the character of Barbra and Ben and other five persons trapped in a certain farmhouse in a rural town in Pennsylvania which is attacked by a large of group non-living human beings which are not named with characterized features of a monster (Romero). In the onset of the film, the main character Barbra and her brother Johnny drive to the rural town of Pennsylvania for a customary visit to the father’s grave. When in the cemetery, Barbra is attacked a strange looking man who had been walking around the cemetery. An encounter with strange persons who aggressively
George Romero's reinvention of the zombie in night of the Living Dead (1968) is clearly a critique of elements of the American society, and the film as a whole is easily twisted into a warped view on the 'American Dream'. Themes throughout Romero’s film, dealing with controversial topics during the time that the film was made, are still, to this day debated by critics and film historians. Themes of racism and war are defined within the movie, hidden underneath the idea of carnal, cannibalistic zombies and over the top heroes who, eventually, succumb to the reanimated; despite their every effort. These themes are colored over and painted to hide beneath subtle references to the typical American Dream during this time, and Romero does quite the good job at it too. This dream, whilst continuously changing in the everyday lives of modern Americans, can be loosely defined as a national ethos of the United States, or a set of ideals dealing with freedom and the opportunity for success - an upward social status that can be achieved through hard work and effort.
Romero and Brooks both have a passion for the undead. As they further their careers with zombies our society is becoming more fascinated with the idea of the undead. In the beginning Romero did not call his creature’s zombies but as his fans started to he went along with the idea. These brilliant authors both modernize their work to appeal to our society. The idea of a slow gut eating zombie transformed into a fast eating zombie after the living. Both authors do a good job showing their own personal ideas but at the same time some of their characteristics of zombies are similar. Romero and Brooks are talented authors who show what they believe in through their works for everyone else to read.
"47a. The Red Scare." The Red Scare [ushistory.org]. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.
George Orwell wrote his novel in 1948, “inspired” by the communistic regime in the Soviet Union Russia and the future of the socialism. His novels had gained extraordinary popularity in America during the years of Cold War. The novel shows the dark realm of the communism and fitted well into American’s perception of the terrors of the Soviet Unio...
Ferrell, Robert H., and Peter Szatmar. "The Villains Of The 'Red Scares' Of 1950." Phi Kappa Phi Forum 90.3 (2010): 10-11. Business Source Complete. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
"The Cold War Home Front: McCarthyism." The Cold War Home Front: McCarthyism. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
James, C. (1999, May 31). "That 50's Cocktail of Hellman, Hammett and the Red Scare." New York Times, pp. E1.
The end of World War I, according to some European historians, occurred on May 8, 1945 or V-E Day. A day marking the change of the world’s enemy from Nazi Germany to Communist Russia. Fears of Communism, the totalitarian government of Soviet Russia, were invited through the use of propaganda in the media by the United States government. Illustrating this type of propaganda is the motion picture, The Red Menace released in 1949 by Republic Motion Pictures provides acumens of the fears and concerns on the minds of Americans during a period in America’s history known today as the Cold War.
Dell Zheng 802 March 24. 2014 Social Studies Social Studies Exit Project Draft Within the early and mid-1900s, there were several moments in American history in which we feared that our democracy would be overridden by communist influence and infiltrated by communist groups. These two events were labeled the Red Scare, a time in which “reds” or communists, were feared to be taking an active participation and role within our democratic government. The first Red Scare occurred in the early 1919-1924 after the First World War and the second Red Scare occurred after the World War Two between 1947-1954.
Murray, Robert K. Red Scare: A Study in National Hysteria, 1919-1920. U of Minnesota Press,
Web. The Web. The Web. 14 May 2014. Stanley, Jay.