Joseph McCarthy and Communism

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Communism is everywhere. And many people were involved in communism around the world especially during the 1950’s. One main person involved in american communism was Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy, although negatively, was very much involved in the search for communists in the United States of America. Joseph McCarthy was born on a country farm in a little town called Appleton in the state of Wisconsin. He was born on the fourteenth of November in 1908. He grew up with parents who were very devout Catholics. McCarthy was also the fifth child out of nine children. He grew up like any other child, but he dropped out of school at the age of fourteen to work. At first, he worked on his farm taking care of the chickens. After keeping the chickens, McCarthy managed a local grocery store in the city of Manawa, Wisconsin. Finally, McCarthy decided to return to high school. He went back in 1928 which would have made him twenty years old and still enrolled. After finishing high school, McCarthy attended college at a place called Marquette University. He then attended law school and became a lawyer after graduating (“Joseph McCarthy” 1). In the beginning of McCarthy’s political career, he was already walking on thin ice. He launched a series of charges against the government. The first charge was against the communist global apparatus. McCarthy said that the organization had made a sustained attempt to penetrate the United States government and attempt to subvert its foreign policy decisions. The second charge was against the United States government itself. McCarthy said that the official defenses against foreign penetration ranged from weak to nonexistent. The third and final charge was against the government of America, ... ... middle of paper ... ...embly found this out, he was kicked off and was no longer politically involved in anything. Throughout McCarthy’s political journey, panic that arose from the witch hunt and fear of communism became very well known. That feeling became known as McCarthyism (Senator Joseph McCarthy 2). Communism wouldn’t be what it is today if it weren’t for Joseph McCarthy. Works Cited “The Cold War Museum.” Cold War Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014. . “Joseph McCarthy.” Spartacus Educational. N.p., Web. 25 Jan. 2014. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmccarthy.htm>. Cottle, Michelle. “McCarthyism.” New Republic 241.18 (2010): 16. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. Evans, M. Stanton. “Mccarthyism: Waging The Cold War In America.” Human Events 53.21 (1997): S1. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.

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