Anti-Communism and McCarthyism In the 1940s and early 1950s following World War II the communist Soviet Union was aggressively expanding. This expansion created a threat to America, and the beliefs it was built upon. The fear of communist expansion and control created an anti-communist movement throughout the American government and its people. Anti-communism did not just create foreign concerns but also domestic concerns in the public and government. Truman in the late 1940s, started to introduce doctrines that moved for the “containment” of communist expansion and influence in Europe.
On February 9, 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy launched his crusade against "communism" as he saw it. The speech delivered in Wheeling, WV was infamous for its reference to members of Congress who McCarthy accused of being members of the Communist Party. The insinuation was that these men were silent enemies working in favor of the Soviet Union for the downfall of the American government and way of life. In the Wheeling speech, McCarthy played on the Cold War and Red Scare fears (fear of a communist takeover) by asserting that the communist world, particularly the Soviet Union, was in a showdown with the democratic nations led by the United States. He charged that there were 205 communist spies in the state department who were selling out the United States.
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.
Student Number: 27048382 Modern History Essay ‘With reference to the quote and your own knowledge, assess the impact of the Terror on Soviet society in the late 1930’s. In the late 1930’s, the purges and show trials which comprised the Terror, had a significant impact on Soviet society. The Communist party was coerced in powerlessness, the working class suffered considerably, both physically and psychologically, and copious members of the intelligentsia were exiled or killed as a direct result of the Terror. Furthermore the military was damaged, as many of the leaders of the Party’s formerly powerful Red Army were purged. The purges and show trials aimed to terrorise Soviet society into compliance with Stalin’s regime, and ‘remove potential enemies,’ to allow Stalin to found an almost entirely ‘new’ Communist party, which comprised of ‘more dependable’ members.
War communism creates vast resentment and mass famine but sole aim is winning the war, Trotsky’s influence in the military Opening/Closing Sentences: War communism was a harsh policy adopted to ensure the Bolsheviks could grind out a result in the civil war. War communism led on to many other factors that caused opposition, hence I believe it to be the single most important factor. Paragraph 4: Bourgeoisie and Religion Content/Examples: Natural enemies of the
The Red Scare was a period in which many Americans feared that communism would thrive, and the capitalist system in the United States would be threatened. (1947-1957) 2. This was a fragile time for Americans, having just ended one war, and then thrusting into a new one. The fear of Communism has always somewhat paralyzed Americans, except this second Red Scare was particularly fueled by Senator Joseph McCarthy. B. McCarthy’s reasons for his accusations were that he had proof that citizens of the U.S. were in fact members of the Communist party.
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. McCarthy successfully exploited the relevant situation in order to rise in power; he became considerably popular in the media and gained a reputation as a fear monger. Therefore, when television reporter Edward R. Murrow of See It Now gradually exposed McCarthy for his unethical use of the media, he was commonly viewed as the only one brave enough to speak out against him. The plan worked, but at a great cost. McCarthy eventually lost much of his power, but due to financial troubles with NBC, See It Now was discontinued.
Throughout history there have been bourgeois and proletarians, in ancient Rome patricians, knights, plebeians and slaves (57). Marx argues that “the immediate aim of the Communists is the same as that of all other proletarian parties: formation of the proletariat into a class, overthrow of the bourgeois supremacy, conquest of political power by the proletariat" (67). He also considers the changes that by wanting to abolish private property, the Communist are seen as destroying the "ground work of all personal freedom, activity, and independence" (63). However, he explains how a laborer, proletarian, doesn’t properly own any property creating capitalism, a property which works in favor for the exploitation of the worker. Marx
As if to reinforce the fear of communism, two spies working on behalf of the Soviet Embassy were discovered in an event known as the Petrov Affair and reignited the fear of communism which became stronger than ever before. The government’s seemingly desperate response to communism, such as sending Australian troops overseas in forward defence and in the hopes of displaying loyalty to America in return for support in a potential attack, also added to the fear of communism among citizens as they realised their own government saw communism as a menace. It is evident that events such as the Petrov Affair, a direct result of the Cold War, made Australian society extremely anxious about the threat of communism and this lead to substantial tension within the community. Unease within society became quite apparent as people became more concerned over national security and the government continued to send troops overseas to fight in wars against communist powers. During the 50’s and 60’s, there were many political and social protests within Australia and it was evident that the nation was split on many issues, especially those regarding war.
Allen Ginsberg’s “America”: Political Analysis on Tone Allen Ginsberg’s “America” is based on political critic with cynicism towards the Democratic America and makes use of a conveying this anger through a scornful tone. Ginsberg’s upbringing, his mother being an active member of the Communist Party, contributes to his views of a, “Socialistic society in United States based off of Russia’s Communism”. Ginsberg’s accusations may seem extreme but they at time in which the faced the Cold War stand still that uncovered the intentions of countries involved (“Cold War 1945-1960”). To help analyze the poem from a political perspective it is worth being familiar with the history of American-Russian relations. From about 1945 to 1960 the Cold War took place between “the democratic west led by the America, land of capitalistic dreams; the other end of the spectrum consisting of nations led by socialistic ideas by Karl Marx, and Russia took to the forefront as the leader of the great Soviet Union” (“Cold War 1945-1960”).