Red Scare: A Brief History

#REDSCARE# The Red Scare was an American campaign of persecution directed against Communists and suspected Communists after World War I, especially from 1950 to 1954, during the early stages of the Cold War (1947–91). It represented a response to domestic paranoia regarding Soviet Communism that had been stoked by numerous events in United States history, such as the Russian Revolution and Moscow’s activities in Europe during World War II (1939–45). At its peak, it was also a minor cause of anti-Communist legislation by the U.S.

The Context

The history of Red Scare was a terrifying time for Americans. First coined by Arthur J. Goldberg, who was a United States ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1953-1961, this era saw a new era of paranoia fueled by distrust and fear. Worries started following the release of Senator Joseph McCarthy's hearings on communism within America in 1950. This led to what became known as McCarthyism and were characterized by unfair accusations targeting liberals and progressives as Communist sympathizers or security risks because they opposed anti-Communist witch-hunts. People were fired from their jobs, blacklisted, and imprisoned with little evidence of wrongdoing.

The Rise

While the Red Scare existed from roughly 1918 to 1921, it's more accurate to say that the years 1918-1920 were a bit of a delayed introduction.

Citizens in the United States had been living in an era of paranoia and intolerance for some time, even before World War I. At this point in history, xenophobia was strong against certain immigrant groups such as Jews, Italians, and Eastern Europeans. Blacks were also discriminated against; many people saw them as foreigners even though they had roots here before there was any United States. It all began with that war. When America joined forces with other victorious countries after World War I (such as France), citizens became unnerved and paranoid by foreign powers infiltrating their society at every level- in politics, business and culture. It soon spiraled into what historians call the First Red Scare. The government began to investigate individuals who were suspected of being radicals or radicalized immigrants. These suspicions would have terrible consequences for Americans like Emma Goldman, Alexander Berkman, Ricardo Flores Magón and Eugene V. Debs who advocated anarchism, socialism or communism. The McCarthy Era is considered to be the Second Red Scare because Senator Joseph McCarthy persecuted those he believed held anti-American beliefs during the Cold War - when Russia seemed like a bigger threat than Germany ever was.

The First Red scare 

The Red Scare of 1919 was in response to the Bolshevik's overthrow of Russia and their implication in revolutionary activities against western capitalists. The Russian Revolution had severely shaken up the global power dynamics. The roots of international capitalism were then threatened by an ideology that emphasized anti-capitalist values such as global worker solidarity, general strikes, and independent trade unions. This initiated a Red Scare at home in the US when over 6,000 workers were blacklisted for suspicion of subversive thoughts or actions. Counterterrorism units were established by U.S Intelligence that were characterized as getting people before they get us. The First Red scare lasted approximately three years until the conservative political climate changed in 1922 and our national attention shifted to some other form of hysteria

The Fall

The red scare began on October 20, 1948 when Senator Joseph McCarthy gave a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia. This speech is also known as the Communist Conspiracy Speech. McCarthy stated that he had here in my hand a list of 205 names of members of the Communist Party who were working for the government. Soon after this speech, a Senate Committee led by Senator McCarthy was formed to investigate Communists who might be working for the government. The committee soon became known as the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). HUAC's goal was to find out whether or not any Communists or Communist sympathizers had infiltrated American society and pose a threat to democracy and our country. HUAC's methods included subpoenaing people they suspected of being Communists and then interrogating them. People would have to answer questions about their political beliefs and tell the truth or face perjury charges. These people were often forced to name other people they knew that were Communist which often lead to their arrest as well. HUAC found many Americans guilty without any proof, but because most Americans trusted them it was difficult for people to defend themselves against false accusations.

The Second Red scare 

The Red Scare was a time in the early 1920s to mid-1950s when anyone with suspected Communist tendencies was seen as a security risk. The FBI and CIA led campaigns to quash what they saw as dissent and the entire issue soon became intertwined with the idea of patriotism. Families were divided by differing opinions, people's lives were ruined, and many careers and reputations were either destroyed or damaged by it all. It peaked during the Second Red Scare from 1950-1953, after McCarthy went too far and destroyed his own reputation with accusations against an entire segment of society who had done nothing wrong at all. But before he did that, he made careers for those like himself, who championed this extreme brand of patriotism. His colleague J. Edgar Hoover served as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for 48 years from 1924 until 1972, creating and leading the modern American police force. Hoover’s skill lay not only in amassing secret files on political opponents but also exploiting anti-Communist sentiment. He presided over investigations into Communists within government agencies; accused some high-ranking officials; and used intelligence reports to discredit others on dubious grounds. 

Hoover’s power grew unchecked until the late 1960s, when critics pointed out that he abused civil liberties while pursuing subversives without regard to individual rights and legal procedures.

Who first uttered the phrase Red Scare

No one really knows who first uttered the phrase Red Scare, but the term came into mainstream use following World War I. One of America's allies, Russia, was having a revolutionary uprising in order to change their government, and US newspapers often commented on the situation in scare quotes. This coverage made Americans nervous, so anytime there was talk of anyone rushing or scaring somebody else people thought that it referred to Russia. The terms Red Terror and Red Violence were also used to describe the Russian Revolution at that time. 

In an effort to catch up with other countries during World War II, American spending rose quickly and this led to inflation.

How it still influences us today

In the 1930s, while many Americans were struggling to deal with the Great Depression, America had to face another crisis – Communism. Communist ideals were gaining popularity in the United States and appeared to be on the rise. In response, the government outlawed many pro-Communist organizations and cracked down on those who appeared sympathetic towards Communists. One of their biggest targets was labor unions that wanted higher wages and better working conditions. And by 1937, over half a million people had been investigated for their supposed involvement in Communism or with Communists or sympathizing with them in some way. Government employees who were proven to have even remotely associated with any of these people would often be fired from their jobs or reassigned somewhere else just so they wouldn't have contact with people suspected of being Communists.