when did the red scare happen

Why did many people feared the Red Scare?

The causes of the Red Scare included: World War I, which led many to embrace strong nationalistic and anti-immigrant sympathies; The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, which led many to fear that immigrants, particularly from Russia, southern Europe, and eastern Europe, intended to overthrow the United States government;

What were three causes of the 1st Red Scare?

Red Scare

• First Red Scare: 1917-1920. The first Red Scare occurred in the wake of World War I. ...
• Cold War Concerns About Communism. Following World War II (1939-45), the democratic United States and the communist Soviet Union became engaged in a series of largely political and economic clashes ...
• J. ...
• Hysteria and Growing Conservatism. ...
• Red Scare Impact. ...

What caused the first Red Scare in America?

What caused the first Red Scare in America? The First Red Scare’s immediate cause was the increase in subversive actions of foreign and leftist elements in the United States, especially militant followers of Luigi Galleani, and in the attempts of the U.S. government to quell protest and gain favorable public views of America’s entering World War I.

What were people accused of during the Red Scare?

This paranoia about the internal Communist threat—what we call the Red Scare—reached a fever pitch between 1950 and 1954, when Senator Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin, a right-wing Republican, launched a series of highly publicized probes into alleged Communist penetration of the State Department, the White House, the Treasury, and even the US Army.

When was the Red Scare?

During the Red Scare of 1919-1920, many in the United States feared recent immigrants and dissidents, particularly those who embraced communist, socialist, or anarchist ideology.

What was the Red Scare of the 1950s?

From that moment Senator McCarthy became a tireless crusader against Communism in the early 1950s, a period that has been commonly referred to as the "Red Scare." As chairman of the Senate Permanent Investigation Subcommittee, Senator McCarthy conducted hearings on communist subversion in America and investigated ...

Why did the Red Scare happen?

The First Red Scare, which occurred immediately after World War I, revolved around a perceived threat from the American labor movement, anarchist revolution, and political radicalism.

Who led the First Red Scare?

First Red ScarePart of the Revolutions of 1917-1923"Step by Step" by Sidney Greene (1919)LocationUnited StatesCauseOctober and Russian Revolution of 1917, 1919 United States anarchist bombingsParticipantsLee Slater Overman Josiah O. Wolcott Knute Nelson A. Mitchell Palmer J. Edgar Hoover7 more rows

Why were people so afraid in the 1940s and 1950s?

Why were people so afraid in the 1940s and 1950s? They feared communist takeover and nuclear warfare. Alarming and lacked evidence, but they kept him in the public eye. How did McCarthy affect America for years to come?

What was the Red Scare quizlet?

The Red Scare. A period in the United States history when everyone was so caught up in containment of communism, and investigated people within their community for communism. Even people in the government were suspected of being communist spies.

Which of the following contributed to the Red Scare of 1919 1920?

What sparked the Red Scare of 1919-1920? Fear that the Russian Revolution would inspire Communist-inspired radicalism in the United States sparked the Red Scare from 1919 to 1920.

Which event is considered a consequence of the Red Scare?

Which event is considered a consequence of the Red Scare? Federal agents arrested (often without warrants) thousands of individuals affiliated with radical organizations and labor unions.

What was the Red Scare quizlet?

The Red Scare. A period in the United States history when everyone was so caught up in containment of communism, and investigated people within their community for communism. Even people in the government were suspected of being communist spies.

What was McCarthyism in the 1950s?

It was characterized by heightened political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals, and a campaign spreading fear of alleged communist and socialist influence on American institutions and of espionage by Soviet agents.

What was happening politically in the United States during the 1950s?

Contents. The 1950s were a decade marked by the post-World War II boom, the dawn of the Cold War and the civil rights movement in the United States.

What was the Red Scare?

United States. The first Red Scare resulted in laws such as the Sedition Act of 1918 that suppressed many forms of speech. Debs v. United States (1919) was one Supreme Court case from this time. Eugene V. Debs had been imprisoned in 1918 under the Sedition Act, for giving a speech against participation in the First World War.

What was the second red scare?

A second Red Scare came with a revival of anti-Communist feeling after World War II that lasted into the 1950 s. In both periods First Amendment rights providing for free expression and free association were endangered and put on trial.

What was the first anti-communist alarm?

The first anti-Communist alarm, or Red Scare, in the United States occurred between 1917 and 1920, precipitated by the events of World War I and the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. A second Red Scare came with a revival of anti-Communist feeling after World War II that lasted into the 1950s. In both periods First Amendment rights providing for free expression and free association were endangered and put on trial. (Cover of a propaganda comic book from 1947, image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain)

What happened to the perception that those investigating Communism had engaged in excess?

Over time, the perception that those investigating Communism had engaged in excess led to the demise of most of their abuses. Fears eventually diminished as prophecies of imminent Communist takeover proved unfounded. This article was originally published in 2009.

Which Supreme Court case was the first to establish the clear and present danger test?

Convictions under the Espionage Act and the Sedition Act were upheld in several Supreme Court cases in 1919, including Schenck v. United States, in which Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. first outlined his clear and present danger test; Debs v. United States; and Abrams v. United States.

Which cases were decided in favor of free speech?

Yet cases also were decided in favor of protection of free speech. Among them were Fiske v. Kansas (1927), De Jonge v. Oregon (1937), and Herndon v. Lowry (1937).

What laws were passed in 1950 to prevent communists from holding office?

Congress also enacted the Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950 (the McCarran Act ), which made it a crime to take actions that might contribute to a “totalitarian dictatorship” within the United States, and the Communist Control Act of 1954 , which prohibited Communists from holding office in labor organizations.

What was the second red scare?

The second Red Scare occurred after World War II (1939–1945), and it was popularly known as "McCarthyism" after its most famous supporter, Senator Joseph McCarthy. McCarthyism coincided with an increased and popular fear of communist espionage that was consequent of the increasing tension in the Cold War through the Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe, the Berlin Blockade (1948–49), the end of the Chinese Civil War, the confessions of spying for the Soviet Union that were made by several high-ranking U.S. government officials, and the outbreak of the Korean War .

What is the red scare?

A Red Scare is the promotion of a widespread fear of a potential rise of communism, anarchism or other leftist ideologies by a society or state. The term is most often used to refer to two periods in the history of the United States which are referred to by this name.

What was communism in the 1930s?

By the 1930s, communism had become an attractive economic ideology , particularly among labor leaders and intellectuals. By 1939, the CPUSA had about 50,000 members. In 1940, soon after World War II began in Europe, the U.S. Congress legislated the Alien Registration Act (aka the Smith Act, 18 USC § 2385) making it a crime to "knowingly or willfully advocate, abet, advise or teach the duty, necessity, desirability or propriety of overthrowing the Government of the United States or of any State by force or violence, or for anyone to organize any association which teaches, advises or encourages such an overthrow, or for anyone to become a member of or to affiliate with any such association"—and required Federal registration of all foreign nationals. Although principally deployed against communists, the Smith Act was also used against right-wing political threats such as the German-American Bund, and the perceived racial disloyalty of the Japanese-American population, ( cf. hyphenated-Americans ).

What laws were passed during the Red Scare?

The restrictions included free speech limitations. Passage of these laws, in turn, provoked aggressive police investigation of the accused persons, their jailing, and deportation for being suspected of being either communist or left-wing. Regardless of ideological gradation, the Red Scare did not distinguish between communism, anarchism, socialism, or social democracy. This aggressive crackdown on certain ideologies resulted in many supreme court cases over the debate to free speech. In the case of Schenk v. United States, using the clear and present danger test the espionage act of 1917 and the sedition act of 1918 were deemed constitutional.

What did the press portray as a threat to American society?

The press portrayed them as "radical threats to American society" inspired by "left-wing, foreign agents provocateurs ". Those on the side of the IWW claim that the press "misrepresented legitimate labor strikes" as "crimes against society", "conspiracies against the government", and "plots to establish communism".

What was the Kellock-Taschereau Commission investigating?

In Canada, the 1946 Kellock–Taschereau Commission investigated espionage after top secret documents concerning RDX, radar and other weapons were handed over to the Soviets by a domestic spy-ring.

Why did President Wilson use the Sedition Act of 1918?

Cole reports that President Wilson's "federal government consistently targeted alien radicals, deporting them... for their speech or associations, making little effort to distinguish terrorists from ideological dissidents ." President Wilson used the Sedition Act of 1918 in order to limit the exercise of free speech by criminalizing language deemed disloyal to the United States government.

What was the Red Scare?

The Red Scare. Truman’s last years in office were marred by charges that his administration was lax about, or even condoned, subversion and disloyalty and that communists, called “reds,” had infiltrated the government. These accusations were made despite Truman’s strongly anticommunist foreign policy and his creation, in 1947, ...

Who capitalized the Red Scare?

Although he disliked their methods, Eisenhower allowed Republican campaigners, including his running mate, Sen. Richard M. Nixon of California, to capitalize on the Red Scare by accusing the Truman administration of disloyalty.

What was the cause of the fear of communism?

The excessive fear of communist subversion was fed by numerous sources. China’s fall to communism and the announcement of a Soviet atomic explosion in 1949 alarmed many, and fighting between communist and U.S.-supported factions in Korea heightened political emotions as well. Real cases of disloyalty and espionage also contributed, notably the theft of atomic secrets, for which Soviet agent Julius Rosenberg and his wife Ethel were convicted in 1951 and executed two years later. Republicans had much to gain from exploiting these and related issues.

How did the United States attempt to unify Korea?

Not content with this victory, the United States attempted to unify Korea by force, advancing almost to the borders of China and the Soviet Union. China, after its warnings were ignored, then entered the war, driving the UN forces back into South Korea.

When did the Korean War start?

The Korean War. On June 25, 1950, a powerful invading force from the Soviet-supported Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) swept south of the 38th parallel into the Republic of Korea (South Korea).

Who was the US senator who covered microphones?

U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy (covering microphones) during an investigation into communist infiltration of the government.

Was Eisenhower successful in the Red Scare?

Thus, Eisenhower achieved all but the last of his goals, and even in that he was at least partially successful. At first Eisenhower did little to check the Red Scare, but in 1954 Senator McCarthy unwisely began to investigate the administration and the U.S. Army.

What was the Red Scare?

During the Red Scare of 1919-1920, many in the United States feared recent immigrants and dissidents, particularly those who embraced communist, socialist, or anarchist ideology. The causes of the Red Scare included: World War I, which led many to embrace strong nationalistic and anti-immigrant sympathies;

What were the causes of the Red Scare?

During the Red Scare of 1919-1920, many in the United States feared recent immigrants and dissidents, particularly those who embraced communist, socialist, or anarchist ideology. The causes of the Red Scare included: 1 World War I, which led many to embrace strong nationalistic and anti-immigrant sympathies; 2 The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, which led many to fear that immigrants, particularly from Russia, southern Europe, and eastern Europe, intended to overthrow the United States government; 3 The end of World War I, which caused production needs to decline and unemployment to rise. Many workers joined labor unions. Labor strikes, including the Boston Police Strike in September 1919, contributed to fears that radicals intended to spark a revolution; 4 Self-proclaimed anarchists' mailing bombs to prominent Americans, including United States Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer and United States Supreme Court Associate Justice (and former Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice) Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

How many radicals were arrested in the 1920s?

The largest raids occurred on January 2, 1920 when over 4000 suspected radicals were seized nationwide. Over 800 were arrested in New England from locations that included Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Fitchburg, Lawrence, and Lynn.

How did the government respond to the bombings?

The government responds. Enraged by the bombings, the United States government responded by raiding the headquarters of radical organizations and arresting thousands of suspected radicals. Several thousand who were aliens were deported. The largest raids occurred on January 2, 1920 when over 4000 suspected radicals were seized nationwide.

When did the Sacco and Vanzetti plots happen?

On April 29, 1920, several days before the arrests of Sacco and Vanzetti, Attorney General Palmer warned the nation that the Department of Justice had uncovered plots against the lives of over twenty federal and state officials as part of planned May Day (May 1st) celebrations.

What led many to embrace strong nationalistic and anti-immigrant sympathies?

World War I, which led many to embrace strong nationalistic and anti-immigrant sympathies;

When did the Red Scare start?

This paranoia about the internal Communist threat—what we call the Red Scare—reached a fever pitch between 1950 and 1954, when Senator Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin, a right-wing Republican, launched a series of highly publicized probes into alleged Communist penetration of the State Department, the White House, the Treasury, and even the US Army.

How did McCarthy's era end?

In early December 1954, the Senate passed a motion of condemnation, in a vote of 67 to 22. McCarthy was ruined—and within three years he was dead from alcohol abuse. The era of McCarthyism was over. Ike had helped bring it to a bitter end.

What was the dossier that McCarthy and Cohn were accused of?

The White House leaked this dossier to the press and Congress. McCarthy and Cohn now stood accused of abuse of power.

What did the 1950s leaders say about the Communists?

In the early 1950s, American leaders repeatedly told the public that they should be fearful of subversive Communist influence in their lives. Communists could be lurking anywhere, using their positions as school teachers, college professors, labor organizers, artists, or journalists to aid the program of world Communist domination.

When was I Was a Communist for the FBI based on a movie?

I Was a Communist for the FBI, based on a film of the same name, ran for just over a year, from April 1952 until October 1953. In this episode, from April 1953, Matt Cvetic describes his undercover assignment: "For nine years I was living on the brink of a volcano, a volcano called Communism, a volcano which is centered in Soviet Russia but which is erupting all over the world."

How did Eisenhower deal with McCarthy?

Eisenhower in 1953 improvised in dealing with McCarthy, at first trying to ignore him, then trying to outdo him in the Red-hunting business. Then he tried to seduce him with promises of new legislation to destroy Communism in America. None of these tactics worked. But at the start of 1954, the picture changed.

What was the first red scare?

The First Red Scare reached its climax during the Palmer Raids of 1919 and 1920. A series of bomb plots and explosions, including an attempt to blow up the home of A. Mitchell Palmer, America’s Attorney-General, led to a campaign against the communists. On 1 January 1920 over 6,000 people were arrested and put in prison.

How did the steel strike of 1919 affect the American people?

The strikes of 1919 instilled even more fear in the American people. During a large steel strike, the steel companies played on these anxieties by pointing out that a large proportion of the striking workers were immigrants. Communists were accused of being behind the strike action.

What were the factors that increased the fear of immigrants and communists?

These included unease over labour; news of the Bolshevik Revolution; and a push towards isolationism. All of these factors increased the fear of immigrants and communists - ‘The Reds’. The Russian Revolution of 1917 had sparked anxiety over communism.

How many people were arrested in 1920?

On 1 January 1920 over 6,000 people were arrested and put in prison. There was very little evidence against the majority of those accused, and many were released in a few weeks. However, paranoia was still rife. Palmer maintained that there were still more than 300,000 dangerous communists inside the United States.

How many anarchists were there in the US in 1920?

Additionally, in 1901 an anarchist had shot President McKinley. These events inflated fears over communists. There was believed to be 150,000 anarchists or communists in the US in 1920, which made up on 0.1 per cent of the American population. The strikes of 1919 instilled even more fear in the American people.

When was the Red Scare?

Red Scare Timeline: 1848-1927. 1848: Karl Marx and Frederic Engels write the Manifesto of the Communist Party . It declares: “ A specter is haunting Europe, and that specter is Communism.”. 1879: Josef Stalin is born in the Georgian village of Gori and christened Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili. In 1912, Lenin gives him the name Stalin — Man ...

When did the first red scare happen?

April 30, 1919: A postal clerk in New York discovers bombs in 20 packages addressed to a variety of government officials. The bombs are set to explode the next day, on May Day. The attack launches America’s First Red Scare.

What was communism dreaded by?

After the Russian Revolution, communism was dreaded by America’s business and industrial leaders. Fearing labor unrest, they treated it like the plague. According to Red Scared!: The Commie Menace in Propaganda and Popular Culture , a 2001 book by Michael Barson and Steven Heller:

What happened after the Russian Revolution?

After the 1917 Russian Revolution, Bolshevism became totally entrenched in Russian life, and in 1919 the American Communist Party was founded in Chicago. Refusing to recognize Lenin’s government, President Wilson committed arms and troops to the war against Bolshevism abroad and increased the level of anti-Communist propaganda at home. ...

What was the first red scare?

THE FIRST RED SCARE: A TIMELINE. Known to some as the Red Scare of 1919, the First Red Scare was a precursor to the Red-baiting and witch hunting that occurred in the years following World War II. During this period:

What act was passed in 1918?

1918: Congress passes the Sedition Act, which forbids anything “disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive” being either spoken or written about the US government or the Constitution.

What law made it illegal to mail literature urging treason, insurrection, or forcible?

1917: Congress passes the Espionage Act , making it illegal to mail literature “advocating or urging treason, insurrection, or forcible resistance” to the laws of the United States.

How many times has the Red Scare happened?

The Red Scare phenomenon has occurred twice in U.S history. The First Red Scare (1919-1921) was fueled by Americans’ fears that the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia would spread to the United States. The Second Red Scare was perpetuated by a number of high-profile domestic and international events, including the Rosenburg trial, ...

When did the Second Red Scare end?

This opposition brought the worst aspects of the Second Red Scare to an end by the late 1950s, although many Americans would continue to fear communism and its influence throughout the Cold War era and beyond.

How did the Korean War affect the American people?

The Korean War, which pitted communist aggressors against the U.S.-backed South Korean government, helped to convince many Americans that communist ideology was spreading quickly. The actions of Hoover and McCarthy only fueled the tension within the American populace. The United States became more socially conservative as a whole. Politicians of both parties began to portray themselves as staunchly anti-communist to seize elections. Leftist group attendances and activism dropped off out of members’ fears of being accused of being a communist. Civil liberties eroded away as the legislature and the judiciary decided that the circumstances were dire enough to permit invasions of privacy in order to combat domestic communist threats. Neighbors were accused by their peers as being communists as the hysteria grew. Those indicted were often shunned from familial relations, released from work, and persecuted by law enforcement. Generally, those seeking out communists preferred to accuse a mass amount of people, regardless of evidence (or lack thereof), as opposed to locating proof to issue an appropriate conviction.

What was the FBI's role in the prosecution of communist leaders?

The efficiency of the FBI was critical in many high-profile cases. Their evidence aided the prosecution of twelve potent communist leaders in 1949; later, in the 1950s, evidence gathered by the FBI proved Julius and Ethel Rosenberg guilty. Hysteria mounted as the government’s hunt for communist sympathizers expanded.

What was the U.S. fear of the Soviet Union?

With the Soviet Union occupying much of Eastern and Central Europe, many in the U.S. perceived their fears of communist expansionism as confirmed. The U.S. also feared that communist agents had infiltrated the federal government. A massive witch hunt to root out communist sympathizers ensued.

Who was the communist leader who fed the panic?

Senator Joseph McCarthy fed the increasing panic, using unfounded rumors and intimidation to gain notoriety as a potent government figure; with this newfound fame and influence, McCarthy denounced numerous public figures as being communist supporters.

Who was the director of the FBI during the Red Scare?

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was expanded to handle the increase in inquiries and trials of accused communist supporters. J. Edgar Hoover, then director of the FBI, was an ardent anti-communist whose influence had perpetuated the first Red Scare.

When was the McCarran Act passed?

Despite its questionable constitutionality, the McCarran Act passed the Senate in September 1950 by a vote of 70 to 7. Disgusted, Pres. Harry S. Truman vetoed it, but the veto was overridden by both chambers of Congress.

What was McCarthy's claim about the Soviet sphere of influence?

McCarthy’s claim regarding the uncontrollable expansion of the Soviet sphere of influence between 1944 and 1950—from “180,000,000 people [to] 80,000,000,000 people”—was an exaggerated misquotation of Republican Rep. Richard M. Nixon ’s comments to the House of Representatives just weeks earlier. (As was his wont, McCarthy corrected “80,000,000,000” ...

Who vetoed the McCarran Act?

Disgusted, Pres. Harry S. Truman vetoed it, but the veto was overridden by both chambers of Congress. Widespread congressional support for both the Mundt-Nixon bill and the McCarran Act reflected the tenor of American discourse about communism in the late 1940s.

Was McCarthy responsible for the Red Scare?

For this reason, the hysteria that gripped America in the 1950s has alternately been called the Second Red Scare and the era of “ McCarthyism .”. But while McCarthy was the most popular fanner of these flames, he was not personally responsible for the conflagration that engulfed the United States.

Overview

First Red Scare (1917–1920)

Second Red Scare (1947–1957)

New Red Scare

See also

Further reading

External links