The 1950s were marked by a strong fear of communist infiltration
in the United States. The threat of communism was first introduced
after the Bolshevik Revolution, gathering the attention of other
nations. With the influence and spread of communism triggered a time
period in history referred to as the Red Scare and later on, McCarthyism.
This again prompted isolationism and ani-immigration ideologies in
America, due to potential communist influence. Fear of the spread of
communism overall had a drastic impact on societies behavior, attitude,
action at the time as a response.
The first image diplays the official communist symbol:the hammer and sickle. It repesents solidarity between agricultural and industrial workers in reference to working-class individuals. The second image is a picture of Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957).
The Red Scare was a time surrounded by fear of the rise and
spread of communist ideologies. It, "was a nationwide campaign to
avoid a communist revolution in America" (Celani). There were two
main periods the red scare is referenced in history. The first red
scare took place in 1917-1920, near the end of World War One. Anxiety
stemmed from the Bolshevik Revolution and fueled conspiracy theories
to overthrow the United State. Fear influenced and contributed to
postwar reactions, leading to hostility towards individuals who
embraced communist, socialist, or anarchist ideologies. Tensions
resulted in the nationalistic and anti-immigrant ideals, promoting
isolationism. An example of this was the reformation of a stronger
KKK community resembling nativist movements of the 1850s.
The Second Red Scaresecond red scare, also known as McCarthysim,
occurred during 1947-1954, after World War II and the beginning of
the Cold War. The alliance between the Soviet Union and the US remained
unstable and deteriorating the more development and spread there was.
The Chinese Communist Party was soon established, contributing to
tensions, as well as the Soviet Union's display of atomic bomb testing.
Paranoia of communist infiltration allowed U.S. senator Joseph McCarthy
to gain more popularity and influence. He exploited the population's
fear, claiming to have a list of potential communists or sympathizers
and wanting to expose them. He conducted investigations on various
government departments and those who criticized him. He mainly targeted
government officials, people of the entertainment industry, and
journalists. By accusing people, even without evidence, he ruined their
reputation and lives but eventually lost credibility when he started
accusing U.S. army members.
"One of the earliest uses of the term McCarthyism was in a cartoon by Herbert Block ("Herblock"), published in The Washington Post, March 29, 1950."-Wikipedia