HUAC+and+McCarthy+12-13

McCarthyism and HUAC

The term McCarthyism was coined by Herbert block in a //Washington Post// cartoon (March 29, 1950).

"Is this Tomorrow?" a propaganda comic book (published in 1947) that emphasized the fears of the nation being taken over by Communism.

= McCarthyism  = Due to the rapid escalation of the Cold War and expansion of Communism throughout the world, domestic fear of communism spread throughout the nation. And some, like Senator Joseph McCarthy, liked to take advantage of this great fear of the people. He, in fact, used this fear of American citizens to advance his own interests when he accused many (even innocent people) of engaging in communist affairs or supporting communism. But when he couldn't prove his claims, many Americans began to fear that the red chase going too far. However, McCarthyism had its origin in America even before McCarthy began to use it against innovent victims. McCarthyism, in essence, simply referred to the practice of accusing people of disloyalty, subversion and treason without proper evidence, which also became known as the Second Red Scare or the witch-hunt of the 1950s.

= HUAC  = Established in 1934, the HUAC was an investigative committee in the US House of Representatives which was created to examine suspected cases of disloyalty and unpatriotic behavior towards the US government. In fact, this government organization came into existence to prove that many actors and writers were communists. They believed that Hollywood movies were brainwashing American citizens and outwardly presenting communist propaganda to the nation. Once someone was formally accused of being a communist, they were branded forever and barred from getting jobs. The Committee investigated Hollywood, but were never able to confirm any of the charges.

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A short video clip explaining the rise of McCarthyism in America and its possible impact on the nation as a whole.

= "Major Players"  =

Nations involved: Mostly the **United States** (as this was a domestic response to the Cold War and fear of the spread of Communism in America, not just abroad)

People of prominence:

**Joseph McCarthy (1908-1957)** -a Republican Senator from Wisconsin who is infamously known for his attacks on suspected communists without evidential support.

**The Hollywood Film Industry** -Many actors and directors were forbidden from working in the United States when they were accused of portraying communism in their movies or being involved in communist affairs through the unofficial Hollywood blacklist.

**Dwight D. Eisenhower** Many people, like Eisenhower, were against McCarthy and his persecution of suspected communists that often targeted innocent people. Eisenhower disliked this practice, but could do little to stop the anti-red movement as it seemed like most of the nation was supporting it.

= Dates  =

*1950 - 1956 - The period that became known as the Second Red Scare.


 * 1938 ** House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was established to investigate "subversion."


 * 1948 ** Hiss Case - Richard Nixon prosecuted Alger Hiss, a congressman who was accused of being a communist.

**Feb. 9, 1950** Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCartney made a speech before a group of government officials, accusing 205 Communists of infiltrating the government but without presenting concrete evidence to support his claims.


 * 1954 ** the Army-McCarthy hearings took place, in which McCarthy lost much of his popularity, as the citizens were able to witness McCarthy's lack of evidence when accusing people of being Communist.

= Outcome  = As a result, many movie studios became very cautious about their products and actors, in order to avoid being wrongly accused by the HUAC. They were especially careful because even simple association with someone who was suspected of communism was enough to be accused. However, many soon realized that some of these accusations were made without supporting evidence, and in some sense, that the red chase was going too far.

= How this influenced the Cold War as a whole  = The HUAC was initially established during the Cold War to contain and control the spread of communism, not only abroad, but in America. For the most part, the HUAC was not quite successful in finding adequate evidence to support their accusations. However, great fears of communism at home led to a lack of trust in all Communist countries across the world. The fear and hatred of Communism that McCarthy spread across the nation was so strong that it led America into many quasi wars against the Soviet influence. Korea, China, and Vietnam all encountered conflict with the Americans throughout the Cold War.