Fear, Paranoia, and the Era of McCarthyism

The era of McCarthyism in United States History was a time of communist fear transforming into communist hysteria. After the war was over, much of Europe was in ruins, and the Soviet Union had gained power over the continent and was spreading its influence, gradually but surely. Americans feared subversion at home and soon became very paranoid. Admitting one had been a communist at any point would be enough for him or her to be arrested under the Smith Act, simply because someone was a communist and communists were believed to overthrow governments, thus making anyone with communist sympathies guilty. When Senator Joseph McCarthy began to represent the widespread fear in the United States, ranting about communist conspiracy and suspicion about the government at home, guilt by association became the allegation, and nobody was truly safe.

Anti-communism became the language for a new, more defiant vision of America, and Senator Joseph McCarthy had launched his own witch hunt. McCarthy said that the enemy was winning without taking a single shot, and asserted that, “One communist on the faculty of one university is too many, one communist on the American advisory at Yalta was one too many, even if there was only one communist on the state department, that would still be one communist too many.” McCarthy would come to be viewed as the most significant demagogue in American history, after having done major damage to the state of the country during this period and to the lives of many people. He told people to be vigilant all the time and to make sure they did not have communists “teaching the sons and daughters of America.” McCarthyism meant that fear, suspicion, and guilt by association ruled American society. All people were susceptible to being attacked and having their careers wrecked. The era of McCarthyism was vicious, and the purpose of McCarthyism was not only to defeat but to destroy.

The anti-communism crusade focused on figures in Hollywood and the entertainment industry and political figures, in addition threatening average Americans. One famous group whose reputations were ruined because of McCarthyism and the ubiquitous paranoia that came with it was the Hollywood Ten, who was imprisoned and blacklisted because they did not deny connection to communism. Another example of a celebrity whose career became impeded was singer Paul Robeson, who was open about his communist support. This made him very unpopular in the United States. People came to a concert of his to demonstrate, and this quickly turned extremely violent. He was ultimately blacklisted as well by concert venues in the United States in addition to record labels and film studios, who were afraid that if they had anything to do with Robeson, they too would be accused of being communists.

To be a liberal also meant to be a communist and a spy. At this time, Richard Nixon turned his anti-communism crusade into a weapon for Republicans. However, some Republicans could still be accused of being soft on communism or being communists themselves. During the Cold War, politicians did not want to be accused of being soft on communism, so they had to make sure they had strong anti-communist credentials. Even people in the government who were very powerful felt they had to be on the right side of McCarthyism as well, as they were frightened too. In fact, Dwight Eisenhower knew he would need the approval of McCarthy to get elected. The fact that Eisenhower had led D-Day, and even he recognized that he could not win the election unless he got McCarthy on his side showed to just what extent McCarthy’s power went during this era. McCarthy even accused George Marshall, responsible for the Marshall Plan, of treachery.

Everyone in America was terrified of the atmosphere in the country during the era of McCarthyism, and even powerful judges could not overlook the omnipresent fear, which led to lives being lost. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg would become the only people during peacetime to be executed for espionage. At their trial, Judge Jerome Frank stated, “If I were as young as you are, I would be sitting there saying the same things you're saying, arguing the same points you are arguing, making the same argument that these planned executions are invalid. But, when you are as old as I am, you will understand why I cannot do it.” Frank stood up, turned his back, and walked away, as he knew that if he had done something to saved the Rosenbergs’ lives, he would have been labeled a communist.

The basic political strategy of McCarthyism involved uniting racially prejudiced people by telling them that their prejudices were all the same thing: communism. People believed the idea that anyone who advocated for civil rights was a communist, and many people also thought that communism was actually a Jewish plot. Anti-semitism and communism melted together, and it did not take much for racists to believe that communism was anti-American too, meaning they should support anti-communism as well. McCarthyism brought more people together by appealing to what or who they hated; the easiest way to gain numbers was by combining people’s hatred.

Race hatred and the politics of fear had begun to merge, and at the same time, communism was also gaining force abroad. America’s nuclear monopoly was over, now that the Soviets had successfully detonated an atomic bomb, and communism had now taken over China, the most populous country. Many people believed this meant that there had to be some sort of conspiracy or plot. Even as President Truman said the United States was not going to turn into a “right wing totalitarian country to deal with a left wing totalitarian threat,” the FBI was using the same methods as the communist party was accused of using. They would talk to children about parents, parents about children, and neighbors about neighbors. This was very dangerous because people could easily accuse others of being communists whom they just did not like or were competing with. This system was transforming into something that was extremely perilous and went beyond national security.

No networks had the courage to attack McCarthy; however, after the Republicans won the presidency and Congress, McCarthy refused to be quiet, and his image crumbled. He had gone too far, attacking Republicans and the army, causing political opinion to swing away from him and his enemies to finally gain courage. A move was made to censure him, and although he fought it, his power continued to collapse when politicians walked away from him. In addition, Herb Block created many editorial cartoons that made people really think, despite the risk of being anti-McCarthy, which also played a role in contributing to others’ attacks on McCarthy. Nonetheless, after McCarthy was brought down, McCarthyism continued to linger, and Americans still feared being sold out as communists. Overall, the era of McCarthyism in United States History serves as a clear illustration of the extent to which threats to people’s control can spark substantial fear and the ability of that fear to warp people and drastically change society.

Sources:

McCarthyism documentary

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/herblocks-history/fire.html

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