Realize that while the United States may not have been the definitive 'victor' after World War II, they still emerged as one of the most powerful countries in the world, with a broad spectrum of influence. The United States saw it as imperative for other countries to rebuild their post-war economies and political structures as democratic and capitalistic in nature, because it affirmed the idea that the American way of life was supreme.
To have a 'kink' in the system (i.e. communist sympathizers) defied the very nature of what made America 'successful' after the war. Countries like China and Korea demonstrated the threat of communism abroad. Politicians seized the opportunity to criticize communism in other countries as well as at home as a threat to American ideals.
Why do you think the McCarthy wave caught on so quickly? Why were initial 'anti-American' investigations targeted towards the Hollywood industry, and then progressed into the government and army? Why was there so little resistance until the army-McCarthy hearings?
Having someone like McCarthy after a war against nazi germany and a current war between the communist Soviet Russia must have been inspiring and motivating. McCarthy wanted no communist activity in the United States, and he wanted to and did fire everyone in the state department with any views or links to communist activity. McCarthy's voice was the beginning of an era of hate towards communism and the countries that embody it. One could argue that that still holds true to this day.
ReplyDeleteMcCarthyism caught on so quickly because america needed an "other" to point to for the worlds problems. After WW II, the American people felt as if the evil Nazi empire was gone but that victory left a hole that was ultimately filled with communism. Another reason why McCarthyism caught on so quickly was because McCarthy had a plan/list of names and went after them in a gung-ho American like fashion and i think that kind of confidence and leadership was very appealing to Americans. I think these investigations started off in the film industry first is because the film industry was very popular among democrats. it jumped to the army due to the nuclear and strategy secrets that could of been leaked too the USSR by high ranking officials.
ReplyDeleteMcCarthyism most likely caught on so quickly because almost nothing catches on faster than fear. and then they probably attacked Hollywood first because they were in the public eye and by attacking people that many admire and feel like they know in a way will cause paranoia spreading the fear and therefore power of the accusations. And when it comes to resistance if you fight back then you would be more likely to be charged as a communist and it is literally impossible to prove you dont believe something like being a communist, It's like trying to convince someone you're actually not a hipster, it's just not going to work.
ReplyDeleteThe reason McCarthy caught on so quickly was because of his ability to not back down. He wanted absolutely no ties to communism in the government. He was relentless in fighting any and everything communism related. The passage says, "senators who stood up to McCarthy faced withering personal counterattack s and accusations. McCarthy struck fear in much of Washington." He caught on so quickly because he put himself out there and refused to back down from a challenge. And it worked surprisingly well as the last part says, "McCarthy struck fear in much of Washington."
ReplyDeleteMcCarthy caught on quickly because people were scared and McCarthy's accusations seemed to be true to them. In this case, I think people had the mindset that it was better to be safe than sorry, so it was only right to believe McCarthy. There was little resistance because McCarthy claimed he had a list of names of people, which was believable at the time. The film industry was, and still is, a way to make people think a certain way and sort of brainwash them. During this time, propaganda was everywhere. Democrats were then targeted because of people exposing government documents. I think the finger was pointed at people particularly dealing with the government because documents are supposed to be top secret, and no one was to be trusted.
ReplyDeleteIt is known in the whole world that America has a very negative standpoint towards communism. Appearantly McCathyism is how this began:people were anxious about the soviet union's rise and communistic spread and it was good to have a man in a leading position who persecuted communism so strictly in a time that it was hated.
ReplyDeleteI am particularly interested in this connection between the rise of McCarthyism/ " Anti-American" activities and the Hollywood industry. I think media, movies in particular, has such a great influence on society. Ideas that are dangerous, such as communism, have the power to be spread through movies, etc. I think the HUAC's goal of targeting the Hollywood industry was smart, especially if there were already thoughts that directors were slipping in Russian communist ideas. By controlling all sources of media in this times of dangerous ideals could come across as to extreme however, if there were any suspicion of communists threats, then it must be addressed.
ReplyDeleteThroughout history, Americans always have held another race or party responsible for their own problems, and used those accusations as a proper distraction from the actual matters at hand. There was immense fear of communism following the cold war, and the population found it easy to point fingers at people who they are afraid of, similar to Americans accusing Asian Americans of being Chinese at the time of WWII.
ReplyDeleteBased on the reading, McCarthy seemed very intimidating to the people. On page 6 it explains, “Senators who stood up to McCarthy faced withering personal counterattacks and accusations” and “McCarthy struck fear in much of Washington. His accusations were very “loud”, which by my interpretation, means he seemed certain with whatever accusation he made. However, they were also inconsistent, which maybe kept the people on their toes? Initial ‘anti-American’ investigations were targeted towards the Hollywood industry, but then it was realized the film industry was not the only source of communists. I am actually confused with this part of the reading; I understand why Hollywood was investigated (because of apparent Soviet propaganda) but I am not sure how exactly investigation progressed into the government and army. There was so little resistance until the army-McCarthy hearings because he never revealed the names of those he accused? I am also confused with this part.
ReplyDeleteThe media is the best way to impose your ideals on to and perhaps eventually into the mass public. McCarthy certainly met all the prerequisite to 'brainwash' the american people. He even preached he had a 'list' of names. It is these pseudo facts that are the backbone to these theories that a person would want to convince a mass amount of people to believe in. Little resistance came from the acceptance of the general public, because the were willing to believe McCarthy.
ReplyDeleteAmericans have historically always been strongly against Communism. McCarthy helped to form the tensions between the US and the Soviet Union. As Jack said, Americans have always seen the need to have a scapegoat for their problems. This may also have been the case during this time period. After the war, America was both strong and able to point fingers.
ReplyDeleteGiven the fact that Communist Russia has been the biggest enemies of America, what McCarthy was doing was probably because red scare is one of those things you would rather burn it down to the ground before the flame. Pointing fingers at casts from Hollywood was hardcore and therefore maintained the pureness of Broadcast media and set a example of them to remind the mass community the existence of communism among us just to keep your guards on since the collapse of Nazis.
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