One way in which fear of communism showed itself in the USA in the early 1950’s was in the phenomenon known as McCarthyism. This is a topic that sometimes comes up in the exams so we need to know what McCarthyism was, how it affected the USA and how and why it came to an end.
Read your Edexcel textbook Chapter 7 pp 77-86 and complete the following tasks.
1. Who was McCarthyism named after? Page 82 will help.
MCCarthy was able to heighten and exploit a fear of communism because that fear already existed. Complete the spidergraph below to show why many Americans were frightened of Communism in the 1950’s. Try and include as many reasons as you can. pp 78-81 will give you plenty of reasons.
Why the Fear?
2. What was the Federal Employment Loyalty Program (FELP) and how was it designed to protect the USA from communism?
3. What was the HUAC and what was its purpose?
4. Who were the Hollywood Ten and what happened to them?
Alger Hiss and the Rosenbergs
Carefully read the information on pp 80-81 on Alger Hiss and the Rosenbergs.
1. Who were they, what happened to them and what effect do you think this episode had on the fear in the USA about communism?
Senator Joseph McCarthy comes to prominence.
1. What motives do you think McCarthy had for trying to publicly expose communists in the US government?
2. Why were many other politicians reluctant to criticise McCarthy or his methods even if they disagreed with him?
3. Why did some Americans support what McCarthy was doing?
McCarthy’s methods.
McCarthy was very good at accusing people of being communists or communist sympathisers. He was not so good at actually producing any solid evidence. For a start he couldn’t seem to make up his mind on how many communist spies there were working in the government. The numbers kept changing and he finally ended up with 57 which was nicknamed the ‘Heinz Variety figure’ after Heinz baked beans tins which have a 57 on them. When McCarthy could not find actual evidence against the people he accused he was quite prepared to make evidence up. Photographs were altered, letters and documents were forged. McCarthy often shouted at and bullied those forced to appear before him. People had their lives ruined by McCarthy and his accusations. Being smeared a communist even if they were innocent was enough to lose people their jobs and friends. A famous victim of McCarthy was Charlie Chaplin who left the USA in disgust and moved to Switzerland.
SOURCE A
To the right you can see a cartoon by a man called Herblock published in 1955. It shows McCarthy. What message is it giving about McCarthy and his methods?
McCarthyism ends
How did the following factors lead to McCarthy losing his influence and power? pp84-85 will help you
McCarthy begins to attack senior generals in the US military
In 1954 McCarthy’s investigations were televised
Ed Murrow a very popular TV journalist and presenter began to investigate McCarthy on his TV show ‘See It Now’
Other journalists began to openly criticise McCarthy and his methods
In December 1954 McCarthy was publically reprimanded by the US Senate and lost his position. He was forced to ‘retire’ and became a bitter man proclaiming that he had done nothing wrong except stand up for the USA. President Eisenhower joked that McCarthyism was now McCarthywasm. McCarthy continued to divide US public opinion. He died in 1957.
Source B Senator McCarthy was a patriotic American and a determined opponent of Communists. And because of that every ‘liberal’ commentator lost no opportunity to vilify (attack) him....No man in public life was ever persecuted and maligned because of his beliefs as was Senator McCarthy. Chicago Tribune, May, 1957
Source C This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy’s methods to keep silent....We proclaim ourselves-as indeed we are-the efenders of freedom or what’s left of it, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home. The actions of McCarthy have caused alarm and dismay....he didn’t create the situation of fear; He merely exploited it, and rather successfully. Ed Murrow on ‘See It Now’