He charged that there were 205 communist spies in the state department who were selling out the United States. McCarthy warned that there were communist traitors in American government and society that were threatening to destroy the United States. He declared: "When a great democracy is destroyed, it will not be because of enemies from without, but rather because of enemies from within." McCarthy called for a "moral uprising" of Americans to drive these dangerous communists out of government and society. He also declared that the United States had lost ground in the world not as a result of foreign aggression, but “because of the traitorous actions of those who have been treated so well by this nation.” The corporate-controlled news media also shared the blame for McCarthy's ability to disseminate "great lies."
This was supported by the work of Senator Joseph McCarthy, whose extensive and often criticized work in searching out Communists in the US Administration and more general society created a hysterical fear of Communism throughout America. Beginning in 1950, but continuing until 1954, McCarthy, in his role as a United States Senator, carried out a huge number of high-profile investigations into the lives of American citizens, both public and private, and
‘How far do you agree with the view that the most important cause of the Great Terror was the murder of Kirov in 1934?’ Sergey Kirov’s murder in 1934 was undoubtedly a decisive factor in the outbreak of the Great Terror in 1936. Stalin’s claim that Kirov’s murder was part of a widespread conspiracy against the government gave him a convenient excuse to begin arresting and executing several enemies within the Communist Party whom he deemed ‘suspicious’, despite several people believing Stalin himself was responsible due to the threat that Kirov posed to his leadership. There are however other factors, such as Stalin’s paranoia, Stalin’s personal ambitions, and the ever-increasing likelihood of war between the USSR and Nazi Germany, that can also be considered potential decisive factors in Stalin’s decision to implement the Purges. This essay shall explore the aforementioned factors and attempt to evaluate their significance. It shall eventually be concluded that Kirov’s murder was a significant, but not a solely responsible, cause of the Great Terror.
The 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck took place during the beginning of the Cold War, specifically around the time when Senator Joseph McCarthy was rising to power. During his reign as the chairman for the Committee on Government Operations of the Senate, he accused several public figures of being Communists. His speeches were frequently reported on in the media, and the determined factor for censorship during the Red Scare was based on ideology, rather than actual content. Many people unjustly accused of being Communists were persecuted and discriminated, and the Republican Party began advocating the rise of ideological conformity. A great deal of the American public became extremely paranoid, and the general atmosphere of the era was nihilistic due to fear of Communist infiltration.
The world was left in a bipolar power struggle between the two main superpowers, America and the Soviet Union. Stalin, then the leader of the SU wanted to spread communism in order to strengthen the Unions hold on satellite states in Eastern Europe. The US were afraid of the threat of communism, fearful it would spread and cut all ties with their onetime allies. The Soviet Union hardened its attitude towards the West when NATO was formed in 1949 to battle the USSR. One of the major causes of tension was the Berlin blockade which caused an accelerated involvement of the US in Europe.
McCarthyism Explain how McCarthyism affected the lives and political thinking of people in the U.S. The "McCarthyism era "was started by Wisconsin Senator named Joseph R. McCarthy. He had many people that had the same beliefs. His beliefs along with his fellow "witch hunters" changed the lives of many people. The anti-Communist theme and the sanctions that were put on individuals without proper evidence.
The politicians during the war and in the film manipulate citizens into thinking that there are communists within the United States government. This force of paranoia and communism limits human agency throughout the Cold War by brain washing, manipulation, and lying to the citizens for a means of convincing them that there are communists in their government. The Manchurian Candidate uses certain film techniques such as mise-en-scene, and cinematography that influence the audience into a force of paranoia. Raymond Shaw’s agency is limited because his mother is brainwashing him and he cannot think clearly for himself. In one scene for example, Mrs. Eleanor Iselin is brainwashing her son and tells him that he is going to shoot the presidential nominee so that hopefully communists can begin taking over the United States government.
However, this simple act of trying to track down communists to save the country turned into past experiences our country had already experienced. The new found “McCarthyism” started out as a task to eliminate communist threats in this country, and it ended being much like the witch hunt trials held in 1692. McCarthy let his paranoia get the best of him on the issue of communism and ultimately ruined an entire
The disruption of government due to McCarthyism was tumultuous. It caused rivalries within the Senate, there were more appeasement issues from democrats who though they knew McCarthy was being unjust acquiesced to his antics and the FBI committed a number of illegal acts in their investigations of suspected communists. As well as the FBI there were more illegal undercover groups formed to harass communist organizations. The most formalized one was “Cointelpro”. “Cointelpro” actions included planting forged documents to create the suspicion that a key person was an FBI informer, spreading rumours through anonymous letters and leaking information to the press.
The Weimar republic faced several problems throughout their short lived stint in power. They were threatened by repeated attacks from internal enemies on both the right and left. A serious threat came in particular from the extreme forces of the right wing nationalism who despised this new democracy. They also faced problems from those in high positions that rejected them. They were also in a country plagued by a financial crisis with the majority of the population automatically having hatred for the government.