McCarthyism,+Entertainment+and+the+Red+Menace

__ **McCARTHYISM, ENTERTAINMENT, and the RED MENACE** __

COMMUNISM: Communism was the form of government used by the U.S. opponent during the Cold War, the Soviet Union.
==== Communism is a form of government in which the government determines the structure of daily life and society. All wealth and products are supposedly distributed evenly, but officials in government get a larger share. This form of government seems to have good intentions, but the abuse of it made Americans oppose it, and some would go to extreme measures to exterminate it from the United States. ====

**//McCARTHYISM//** **Joseph McCarthy**- Joseph McCarthy was a Wisconsin senator who's ideas and actions created "McCarthyism." Joseph McCarthy came from a "devoutly Catholic" family, and as he became a young man was always involved in politics, and lies ties to those positions. McCarthy was known to try to avoid taxes, and was an overly confident man. Even as a circuit judge, McCarthy lied about his coworkers in order to "move up the ladder" in government. Despite his reputation, government officials, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) supported McCarthy, because they shared the common goal of getting rid of Communism from the United States government. McCarthy would turn out to be extremely "un-American" himself, by lying about government officials, and causing unemployment to innocent people.

**McCarthyism**- McCarthy lead a "witch hunt" to find communists called McCarthyism, which was "creating the most widespread and longest lasting episode of political repression in American history," according to Ellen Schrecker. Some anticommunists lawfully tried to diminish communism in the U.S., and promoted their ideology, and not themselves personally. Others, like Joseph McCarthy, accused innocent people of being communists, mainly to assert their power in government. McCarthy would broadcast that he had names, or blacklists of people who were supposedly involved with the communist party, which was completely false. McCarthy would use specific numbers, such as 205, to make his lie more believable. The widespread fear of communism throughout the U.S. made it easy for McCarthy to deceive citizens into thinking their good friends were communists. Another fear McCarthy manipulated was that of unemployment. If one was on this blacklist, they would be removed from employment immediately. This scare would show just how far people would go to keep their jobs, even if it meant turning in your neighbor as a communist, with full knowledge that it was not true. "The Hollywood Ten" and the Rosenburgs are examples of people being persecuted, executed, or unemployed without evidence of being guilty.

**The End of McCarthyism**- McCarthy began to become more assertive with his lies. He began to accuse higher up government officials and even military officers of supporting communism. This aroused suspicions about McCarthy's credibility, and lead to the Army-McCarthy hearings. This trial exposed McCarthy's lies, and the senate voted 67-22 to be removed from government. McCarthy did not start or end the fear of communism, but took it to an extreme level that lead to skepticism with government.

media type="youtube" key="fqQD4dzVkwk" height="315" width="420" align="center" **//ENTERTAINMENT//** Entertainment was a major way that the Cold War and the fear of communism became publicized. Many political cartoons (as shown on the right) were either promoting anticommunism or mocking the antics of the government while "hunting communists." Radio, and especially television, were very popular during the time of the Cold War, which made it easy to use them as a form of propaganda. Movies and radio shows such as "I Married A Communist" and "I Was a Communist for the FBI" were created to make the public fear communism, and suspect anyone of being part of the Communist Party. "The Hollywood Ten" case portrays just how adamant the government was of keeping pro-communist ideas out of the movie industry, when ten men were removed from their employment because they were accused of being communists. //** T **** HE RED MENACE **//

The Red Menace is related to the "Red Scare" in the way that they are both the fear of communism and conspiracy in the United States.

This fear known as the Red Menace took over the United States, and corruption added to the hysteria. "Red Menace" comes from the color red constantly being related to communism from the Soviet Union's Red Army. The Red Menace became the title for newsletters (as shown on the right), groups, and movies. The particular movie, "The Red Menace" is about an ex-GI who joins the communist party and is later hunted by it. The Red Menace was the driving force behind anti-communist propaganda, and allowed communist fear to be manipulated. The government denied people's rights by wire tapping, and gathering information without permission to find alleged communists. Some government officials sincerely wanted to remove communism for the better of the country during the war, but people like Joseph McCarthy started the hysteria that turned into the Red Menace. Civilians had a twisted view of communism, and were made to believe communists were evil and did not deserve to live in America. Neighbors would try to outdo each other when it came to being American, and would not hesitate to turn in others in order to save themselves from being accused. The Red Menace did not only show corruption in the government, but revealed the true colors of many.

This clip from the movie, //The Red Menace// (1949), descriptively shows how if one person media type="youtube" key="dXO88iyOyK8" height="283" width="378" align="right" did not agree with the ideas of every other democrat, they were labeled a communist and were treated extremely poorly in the U.S. The last scene of a close up of a newspaper depicts how morals were compromised, with criticism for searching for a killer, because the victim was a communist.

**//SIGNIFICANCE & IMPACT//** SIGNIFICANCE: The Joseph McCarthy scandal portrayed just how easily a corrupt official could be hidden if he was accusing everyone else but himself. Entertainment at this time helped the war gain support from some, and criticism from others. Propaganda was unavoidable during any war, but during the Cold War the propaganda was promoting people to turn against each other in the United States, and not rally support for winning the war. The Red Menace had such significance that it was hard to put down, even when corruption was exposed, like McCarthy. IMPACT: The long term impact of the hysteria caused by McCarthy, entertainment, and the Red Menace is a awareness of corruption in the future. It also made a lasting bad reputation of communism during the Cold War. McCarthyism, entertainment, and the Red Menace caused controvery throughout the Cold War, but signified how these issues could be resolved.

**//WORKS CITED//** "Joseph McCarthy." Historic World Leaders. Gale, 1994. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 23 Apr. 2012.

Schrecker, Ellen. "McCarthyism." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 3rd ed. Vol. 5. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 181-183. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 23 Apr. 2012.

HEALE, M. J. "Anticommunism." Encyclopedia of the Great Depression. Ed. Robert S. McElvaine. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. 50-51. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 24 Apr. 2012.

HYDER, JOSEPH PATTERSON. "McCarthyism." Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence and Security. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 251-253. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 25 Apr. 2012.

Abrams, Nathan. "The Hollywood Ten." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 2. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. 434-436. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 30 Apr. 2012.

Borstelmann, Thomas. //The Cold War and the Color Line//. 1st ed. Harvard University Press, 2001. Print.

Hanes, Sharon, Richard. //Cold War Almanac//. 1st ed. 1. Thomson Gale, 2004. 100. Print.