Essay On Mccarthyism And Mccarthyism

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McCarthyism was an unnerving development in the political landscape of the United States. World War II was a war like humanity had never seen before. The atom bomb was dropped on Japan twice; ending the war soon thereafter. Relations with the Soviet Union had been deteriorating due to factors such as ideological differences, conflicting interests in Europe, and the discovery by the Americans that their Russian ally had spied on their Manhattan Project. Angry at Stalin’s annexations from the war President Truman and most Americans who had no Socialist sympathies grew to see the Soviet Union as a threat to peace and democracy. Fears of a soviet nuclear weapon fanned the flames. Indeed, it would only be four years after the war when Russia …show more content…

But there are several varieties of liberalism. Joseph McCarthy and other conservatives believed that Hollywood had been infiltrated by Communism and the Soviet Union. Conservatives were in a position of power at this point and abused it relentlessly. Any movie could now be seen as secret propaganda in support of the USSR. The fear of a black-list in Hollywood caused a bit of liberal outcry. But this was mainly among actors and other employees in the film sector. The most famous case was the Hollywood 10; who were charged with contempt. The fear of being labelled a Communist caused American movies stagnate and become similar stories. These movies were generally happy-go-lucky, pro-government or apolitical. Other forms of press faced a similar amount of danger but the main targets of the HUAC were Hollywood’s employees and government …show more content…

McCarthy began accusing members of the armed forces and high ranking generals of being Communist agents. He had no proof to show and the audience applauded the defendant’s lawyer. McCarthy and his methods were discredited. Even Ronald Reagan thought that McCarthyism was unconstitutional. The House Un-American Activities Committee was eventually abolished in 1975. It already lost most of its power before being dissolved.
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