Essay On The Red Scare

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This investigation will seek to answer How was the United States impacted societally by the use of espionage and intelligence during the Cold War? and will examine the intelligence war, based on espionage, and it’s impact on American society, with the Red Scare, and ideology, with McCarthyism. While the intelligence war impacted Americans in many other ways, including politically and militarily, this review will focus solely on the societal effects. Therefore, the book, “McCarthy's Americans: Red Scare Politics in State and Nation, 1935-1965” by M J. Heale and the article “Red Scare” found on History.com, are valuable sources due to their insight into the ideologies and attitudes that developed in the United States society as a result of secret …show more content…

Paranoia plagued society on a widespread scale and encouraged many to question the loyalty of those in their community. This Red Scare lasted throughout the 1940s and 1950s and was characterized by the investigation of all government employees and their allegiance to the United States as well as by the Senator Joseph R. McCarthy’s tactics of intimidation towards anyone who disagreed with his political views . The Red Scare, a product of the use of espionage, had a negative impact on society because it caused extensive panic throughout the country that would evolve into ideologies such as McCarthyism, events such as the Palmer Raids, and the lack of security the public felt under their current government. From the perspective of an American citizen during the Red Scare, intimidation produced by Soviet Russia in terms of the increasing tensions during the Cold War encouraged high levels of paranoia and panic throughout the nation. In conclusion, the Red Scare harmed society because it was a prevalent event that caused general outcry and suspicion of Soviet activity in the United States fueling the public to support the Cold War as well as ideologies such as McCarthyism that would lead to the investigation of innocent

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