McCarthyism (AQA GCSE History)

What was the Impact of McCarthyism on the USA? - Summary

McCarthy was a US senator who created a second Communist scare in the USA. McCarthyism affected various sectors of US society. McCarthy’s targets included government officials, teachers, actors, entertainers and ordinary citizens. McCarthy subjected thousands of people to investigations, interrogations and public hearings known as "witch hunts".

McCarthy’s actions had a damaging impact on people’s lives. Around 9,500 government officials were dismissed. Over 15,000 people resigned out of fear of being fired. Approximately, 600 teachers lost their jobs. Many artists and actors were blacklisted. This means that they were unable to work again.

McCarthyism also included censorship and a lack of free speech. Society branded anyone who was liberal, a trade union member or showed sympathy for the poor as a ‘Commie.’  This created an anti-democratic atmosphere and stopped progress in areas such as civil rights.

McCarthyism impacted US politics and foreign policy. The fear of Communism fuelled by McCarthyism contributed to the escalation of the Cold War. It influenced the creation of containment which the US government followed for decades. It also affected the USA’s domestic policies. The government implemented loyalty oaths and government surveillance programmes. They also spread anti-communist propaganda.

The Development of the Red Scare

• Much of the American population in the 1940s feared Communism in 1940s  because:

  • Many US citizens had a longstanding fear of communism since the Red Scare in the 1920s

  • An increase in prosperity meant that Communism became more of a threat to US citizens

    • They wanted to achieve the American Dream rather than share their wealth

  • Many communist countries had dictators. US citizens believed that Communism threatened democracy and the USA as the ‘Land of the Free’

• The development of the Cold War caused a Second Red Scare in the 1940s and 1950s:

Impact of the Red Scare on US society

• There were fears that the USSR was infiltrating the US government 

  • In 1947, Truman introduced new security checks to US government jobs

  • Any association with an un-American organisation resulted in government officials being fired

  • This happened to hundreds of people

• US citizens became hysterical that Communists were everywhere

  • ‘Better dead than Red’ and ‘Reds under the Bed’ were popular slogans in the USA

• The US government created The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1938

• The committee:

  • Uncovered Communist threats to the USA

  • Intimidated witnesses into giving the names of Communists or people who sympathised with Communism

  • Prosecuted Alger Hiss, a former US State Department official, as a Soviet spy

Who was McCarthy?

• Joseph McCarthy was an ex-soldier and Republican representative in the US Senate

• McCarthy used rumours and threats to become a powerful anti-Communist figure

• Between 1950 and 1954 he undertook a ‘witch hunt’ to uncover communists in the USA, especially celebrities and government officials

  • This period became known as McCarthyism

McCarthy's Actions

The Actions & Impacts of McCarthy

Causes of McCarthy's Downfall

• The Army-McCarthy hearings (1954) were recorded and shown on television

  • Millions of people saw the extent of McCarthy’s accusations

  • The US public saw McCarthy live for the first time

    • McCarthy’s behaviour towards the suspects was rude and aggressive

    • This shocked the US public

• The US Army charged McCarthy with using his influence to give preferential treatment to his former colleague, Private G. David Schine

  • McCarthy was acquitted of the charge

  • The accusation ruined the public’s trust in McCarthy

• In December 1954, the Senate voted to censure McCarthy

  • This marked the point when the US government turned against McCarthy’s actions

• McCarthy’s influence declined until he died in 1957