Joseph McCarthy

Paper Summary:

This is an overall positive review of Herman's book on Joseph McCarthy. The paper sides with Herman's view that McCarthy was accurate in his perception of a communist threat to America and that his anti-communist investigations were right on target. Also agreed upon is the suggestion that the real problem with Joseph McCarthy was with the man himself and his tactics, not with his fears of the threat posed by Communism. The paper also points out some of the shortcomings of the book and, in particular, mentions the way Herman brushes off the ruin McCarthy brought to so many innocent lives.

From the Paper:

"Arthur Herman's book, Joseph McCarthy: Reexamining the Life and Legacy of America's Most Hated Senator provides us with a different view of the man who is remembered as an unscrupulous, self-serving, and hypocritical man who recklessly destroyed people's reputations and lives through his unfounded anticommunist witch hunting. Arthur Herman's re-examination of the McCarthy legacy shows that, in retrospect, his disgrace came at a certain price to historical truth. His concept of modern politics and what drove him to his unethical practices remains both unexplored and unexplained."

More papers on Joseph McCarthy:

• Analytical Essay # 123514 : "Joseph McCarthy and the Cold War"
• Essay # 26355 : "The Lesson of Joseph McCarthy"
• Analytical Essay # 120535 : "Senator Joseph McCarthy"

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