...religion. However, while a movement is working to politicize or publicize an idea or belief, the movement is not necessarily equivalent to, or perhaps even relevant to, the idea that underlies the movement. Much of this is true with the frequently overlooked distinction between McCarthyism and the more general anticommunism. Properly defined, anticommunism is an ideology that holds that communism is morally and politically wrong. Regardless of whether the communist regime is legitimate or not according to the standards of Western democracy, the anti-communist believes that government is fundamentally wrong and should not exist. Because anticommunism is an ideology (that is, is based on an idea), any person regardless of country or place in government, can be an anti-communist by virtue of the fact that an anti-communist is, by definition, nothing more than a person ideologically opposed to the idea of communism. Being opposed does not specify any action on the part of the person, however. In other words, being anti-communist does not mean a person will participate in marches against communism or boo communists in public debate. Simply put, anticommunism is a structure of ideas, not behavior, and does not contain elements of action, behavior, or demonstration. In contrast, McCarthyism was a particular political movement in the United States at a particular period. Joseph McCarthy, the notorious Senator from the state of Wisconsin, ascribed to a particular form of anticommunism...
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...Australia’s fear for communism was in 2 forms: fear of communism spreading to Australia and fear of its emergence from within Australian society. During the 1950s and 1960s events such as the Korean and Malayan Emergency, the Petrov Affair and the Vietnam War all contributed and spurred on this nation-wide fear. Two theories also developed in this time: the domino theory and the concept of forward defence. After WW2 people doubted that the subsequent peace and security would not last, it was a period of fear and tension. WW2 had justified Australia’s long-standing fear for its vast Asian neighbours, especially Japan. So when the revolutionary communism dominated China in October 1949, propagandas changed their target, portraying communism as a disease; Australia’s original fear of invasion by its Asian neighbours changed to fear of communism. The phrase ‘reds under the beds’ originated in this period, meaning that there were people that saw communists everywhere. Australia under the Menzies government ardently sought to expose communism within Australia. Menzies tried to pass the Communist Party Dissolution Bill in 1950 and was determined even after its rejection to ban the Party. He pushed for a referendum in September 1951 but that was also unsuccessful. There were many alleged communist plots, but in April 1954 came the most notable one of all: the Petrov Affair. The Petrov Affair was basically the exposure of the third secretary of the Soviet Embassy in Canberra...
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...WWII was a major historical event that shaped the United States and struck fear into its citizens. Soon following the end of WWII a new fear of the unknown began to develop within Americans which caused nationwide anxiety and panic. Many believed communism might be the next threat to challenge the United States. The growing sentiments of Senator Joseph McCarthy lead out to protect America’s freedom from communism, although his sweeping lash stripped freedoms from many of his fellow citizens. Strange as it may seem, in this period of American history both communism and McCarthyism threatened America; fear fueled the fire to a Red Scare glow before its flame would dwindle and smolder. In order to better understand these events, a more detailed look into history is needed to explain how this controversy and cultural phenomenon came to be. Understanding the Differences Is there a difference between anti-communism and McCarthyism? Despite the common belief that these two terms have the same meaning, there are indeed fundamental differences. Anti-communism can be understood as a set of beliefs, social values, or political opinions that a communist form of government is unacceptable and wrong. McCarthyism, on the other hand, was suspicious and it unfairly accused American citizens of being a communist. Lead by and named affectionately after Senator Joseph McCarthy, McCarthyism and its accusations violated American civil rights, destroyed reputations, caused employers to "blacklist"...
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...Mulloy makes brief mention of the Birchers positive view of McCarthyism, and their “attempts to revive the conspiratorial logic of the red scare,” but doesn’t give much background on the history of America’s anti-communism, or a longer conspiratorial past. That is not to say that he would disagree with Hofstadter’s claims, likely quite the opposite. Indeed, towards the end of the Birch Society’s height in the 60s, he mentions that Welch directly referenced the Illuminati, and was himself embracing some of the more traditional embodiments of the “paranoid style.” Mulloy even believes that this style of politics to some degree continues today, and one of the main reasons he wrote the book was to shed light on the “interesting and suggestive...
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...McCarthyism The Cold War was around for about 44 years and the focal point of it all was Communism. The US and Soviet were on each end of the spectrum. The Soviet was a communist nation with a hunger to grow while the US would do whatever necessary to prevent the fall to communism. These two large power houses had to build power in one direction or the other because it is almost impossible for two large powers to share the wealth. We will discuss the differences between Anticommunism and McCarthyism while looking at how the media covered this during that time. American foreign policy would be changed forever due to the push of anticommunism. Lastly, we will look at how the Red Scare changed the lives of Americans. Anti-communism and McCarthyism have some very minor similarities that should be focused on but never to be associated as being the same thing. Communism is a method to create an environment where everyone is of equal class and will work while the communist government collects all of the money and gives you only what you need. They own the land, the house, the food, the water, and anything else in between. Anti-communism is the resistance against this way of living. The United States and of course, President Truman, was totally sold on ensuring that the United States does not come under the communistic ways. Anticommunism was a methodology to do all that could be done against communism. The difference with McCarthyism is that this was a process of accusing people to be...
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...Week 1 notes Anticommunism and McCarthyism Paper Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper written between 1947 and 1954 to see how these events were covered by the media. (New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and Christian Science Monitor) About anticommunism- Anti-communism is a set of beliefs, social values, or political opinions that communism or a one party system form of government that holds all power, including the economy is not acceptable. -great anti-communist frenzy in the late 1940s and early 1950s that had corrosive effects on American life. Known to many as “McCarthyism,” after the Wisconsin senator who became the most famous and notorious voice of anti-communism for a time, the post–World War II Red Scare was a widespread phenomenon that affected almost every area of American life. The early years of the Cold War coincided with a time of economic anxiety as the nation attempted to adjust to conversion from war to peace; but by the early 1950s, the American economy entered a period of high economic growth and stability. McCarthyism during this period- Whereas, McCarthyism unfairly targeted and investigated men and women for being suspected of being a communist often destroying reputations and causing employers to place suspects names on the so called "blacklist" for fear of risking his or her own reputation (especially Hollywood) destroyed by the powerful Senator Joseph McCarthy. Throughout the late 1950's and even until the end...
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...Anticommunism and McCarthyism Paper HIS/145 December 19, 2011 ANITCOMMUNSIM AND MCCARTHYISM PAPER The differences are that McCarthyism was a radical expression of anti-communism, because anti-communism was a political belief that was against any social, cultural, political, and foreign policy that supported a government controlled state, economy, and cultural life. McCarthyism sought to fight communism by rooting out disloyal government officials through hearings, investigations, and wire tapping them to find out if they had allegiance to the communist party. McCarthy came out in the 1950's with a list of 205 spies that changed every day, but he began to target spies that no longer worked for the government (Goldfield D, 2006). They are closely related, but McCarthyism accused too many innocent people such as teachers, the army, and was finally censured by the Senate for interfering with the rights of the citizens which the article on the censorship and the symbol of McCarthyism spoke on. The press manipulated the perspectives of the nation by either promoting McCarthyism when it came out or then devaluating it when it was found out, but it was influenced by politics. I have enclosed a list of articles from Pro Quest that prove these contentions. McCarthy manipulate the press by using press clips, TV news, and publicized Republican convention to attack General Marshal, the General of the Army and other prominent government officials (Goldfield D, 2006). These televised...
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... His/145 4/27/2011 Richard Pinder At the end of World War II, there was a continuing state of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars and economic competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union, commonly known as The Cold War. These two superpowers conflicted and were competitive about many things, but none greater than the difference in government. The Soviet Union, being a communist country was highly unfavorable to the majority of the world. The United States attempted to use containment as a primary strategy to keep communism away from its shores. This strong resilience prompted the phrase, anti-communism, which simply means against communism. Even though America maintained itself as a democracy, there was a sweeping fear that communism may infiltrate the American government. Senator Joseph Raymond McCarthy became the most visible public face during this period. Senator McCarthy helped to perpetuate this fear, by making claims that there were an extremely large number of Communist and Soviet spies inside the United States federal government. This brought about the coining of the phrase McCarthyism. McCarthyism has become a common phrase for making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. McCarthy’s method used the fears of Americans to perpetuate his own agenda. During the McCarthy era, many Americans were accused of...
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...Anticommunism and McCarthyism Hist/145 November 30, 2011 Janice Harder This paper will require me to define and use quotations to defend my position to answer the questions of the difference between McCarthyism and anti-communism, the perspective of the press, the decisions of the foreign policy, and the lives of Americans. I would attempt to integrate the questions of McCarthyism, anti-communism, and the perspective of the press in the first part of the paper, because they are related. The differences are that McCarthyism was a radical expression of anti-communism, because anti-communism was a political belief that was against any social, cultural, political, and foreign policy that supported a government controlled state, economy, and cultural life. McCarthyism sought to fight communism by rooting out disloyal government officials through hearings, investigations, and wire tapping them to find out if they had allegiance to the communist party. McCarthy came out in the 1950's with a list of 205 spies that changed every day, but he began to target spies that no longer worked for the government(Goldfield D, 2006). They are closely related, but McCarthyism accused too many innocent people such as teachers, the army, and was finally censured by the Senate for interfering with the rights of the citizens which the article on the censorship and the symbol of McCarthyism spoke on. The press manipulated the perspectives of the nation by either promoting McCarthyism when...
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...the real problem and monolithic view of communism was a real threat to America during the Cold War up until the 1990s. As the relationship between American and the USSR had intensified through 1940-50s, the panic and mass hysteria in reaction to the perceived threat of communism inversion of American values and its branches of government had lead to a series of actions that would influence America both politically and socially. It could be suggested that the growing hysteria from the public and the government towards communism has upraised due to threats caused by the USSR, as it may impact America’s ideology. The idea of the ‘domino theory’ suggested by Eisenhower states that as one state is influenced by Communism, countries surrounding it may as well be impacted thus become a communist state. In 1949, the USSR had successfully produced a nuclear bomb made people in the US confirm the fear of having traitors at the heart of the government. The loss of China had also created a negative impact on the reaction of the United States, thus make people believe the ‘domino theory’. The majority blamed the loss of China was due to weak-minded individuals by right-wing press and the so-called China lobby. Other incidents happen to support the domino theory, such as the Korean War, which encouraged U.S to put military power into South Korea to oppose an invasion of communism by the North. The invasion seem to let America realize that if communism is not effectively pressed down, their...
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...its existence, the Cold War appeared to be something that was constantly present and unchanging. However, revolutions in Europe and Asia after 1953 continued to shape the Cold War until revolution inevitably destroyed in 1989. In 1954, after failing to contain communism in Korea, America involved itself in the Vietnam Conflict. At this time, France had just lost control of its colonial holdings in Vietnam. After the French were defeated by a communist contingent lead by Vo Nguyen Giap at Dien Bien Phu, the French decided that they could no longer retain their Indochinese colonies. In the summer of 1954, France and Vietnam signed the Geneva Peace Accords. It was agreed that Vietnam would be temporarily divided along the 17th parallel such that the north would be communist and the south would not be. As a result of this, the United States decided to intervene in the South Vietnamese affairs in an attempt to contain communism as they had in Korea. It was at this time that the American National Security Council (NSC) published its 68th paper (NSC-68) in which they introduced the policy of rollback. NSC-68 guaranteed the liberation of nations under communist dictatorship for the purpose of gradually eliminating communism until it was no longer a national issue to be concerned over....
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...How far do you agree with the view that the development of the Cold War in the period 1945-50 was the result of Stalin’s foreign policy? Development of the Cold War, in the five years between 1945 and 1950, could be argued as taking place for a number of reasons and due to various individuals. It could be easy to simply site Stalin as the main reason responsible for it’s outbreak and growth, clear through his approach on communist expansion, use of Red Army and inability to uphold agreements. However for a war of any kind to develop there is always more than one party involved and the USA and it’s president Truman could also be said to have contributed to the developing of Cold War, arguably being equally aggressive as Stalin – taking an Iron fist on dealings with Russia through policies such as the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, as well as his direction over the US involvement in the Korean War. However issues such as Britain and Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech, as well as the birth of McCarthyism in America, can also be seen as hindering relations between the two superpowers of the Cold War and therefore playing a role in it’s development. Whether Stalin was to blame for the Cold War can also be judged and evaluated through the use of sources, offering a number of interpretations, from extreme Orthodox and Revisionist views to the more diplomatic reasonings of the post revisionist stance. It is correct to say that development of the Cold War, between...
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...1947-1991 was waged around the policy of containment, the democratic idea to limit communism to the areas already under Soviet control. President Truman of the United States passed the Truman Doctrine whose foundation was in containment. America’s fear of communism was so great they implemented their policy across the globe. Throughout the Cold War, the United States never had physical confrontation with the Soviets, but America fought to end the spread of communism in China, Germany, Cuba, Guatemala, Korea, and Vietnam. The communist ideals of Karl Marx inspired revolutionaries in Russia, such as Vladimir Lenin, and his socialist reforms began to spread across Eastern Europe and Asia in the 1920s. Chinese...
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...1953, two aides to Senator Joseph McCarthy returned to the United States after traveling to several European posts of the United States Information Service (USIS) – a government agency founded to disseminate pro-American propaganda to foreign peoples through public speakers, films, and literature. These aides, Roy Cohn and David Schine, were tasked with investigating USIS posts for subversives, communists, and materials that would spread anti-capitalist messages. They were deeply disturbed by the literature they found on the library shelves of USIS posts: literature belonging to authors such as by W.E.B Du Bois, Herman Melville, and John Steinbeck. Cohn and Schine recommended to the State Department that over 30,000 books be removed from USIS facilities, as they felt those works espoused views that were pro-communist, and therefore, anti-American. The State Department carried out what Cohn and Shine recommended, but the pair’s actions in Europe were not seen in a positive light by the European and American presses. The two men...
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...consequently causing an initial rise in tension. Although at the time Stalin and the Soviet Union were solely thought to be to blame for the intense rise in tension during 1945-1949, there were more subtle and underlying issues which provoked more aggressive and inflammatory actions from the USSR which created this illusion that the East was the main instigator of tension. Stalin’s pragmatic political ideas of communist expansion contributed greatly to the increase in tension in the late 1940s; following the ACC granting the USSR a zone of the newly distributed Germany, the Ussr wanted to expand their communist sphere of influence outside of their controlled zones and with the annexation of Eastern Poland came the opportunity to introduce communism even though they had declared through the council that Poland should have the right to choose their own government through free elections. This policy of free elections to those nations who had lost the right to self-govern during the war had been supported in the Atlantic charter by Roosevelt and Churchill in 1941 where it stated that “people should have the right to choose their own form of government”. However, the Atlantic charter was dismissed by Stalin in many countries including Poland, Czechoslovakia and Romania where elections were rigged to allow the communist parties existing within...
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