The Age of McCarthyism

History > U.S. Baby Boom Years 1945-1965
Political Science > Communism

This paper analyzes the actual threat to American institutions and values posed by the Communist party during the age of McCarthyism.

2,810 words () | 4 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the era of McCarthyism, from the late 1940s to the late 1950s, was characterized by an anti-Communist fervor that was closely associated with investigations engineered by Senator Joseph McCarthy. The author points out that one of the primary claims of anti-Communists, such as Senator McCarthy, was that Communist agents had infiltrated many important American institutions in the service of the interests of the Soviet Union. The paper relates that, while historians dismiss McCarthy's allegations as wildly exaggerated and politically self-serving, it is generally acknowledged that Soviet espionage in the United States was a reality. The author underscores that it is clear that the majority of party members at the end of the 1930s were not interested in the destruction of the United States as a fifth column for foreign interests but instead were interested in furthering social justice in the United States.

Table of Contents:
The Need for Critical Analysis
The Threat of American Communist Espionage
The American Communist Party
The Question of Proportionality

From the Paper:

"This is an important document as it reveals a broader understanding of the Communist Party than the McCarthyism hysteria would suggest. Far from being a threat to "American institutions and values" it would appear, from Howard Johnson's words, that the Communist Party seemed to represented the ideal of American values. Note, in particular, how Johnson addresses the issue of subversion. As students of history, we must recognize that many Communist Party members joined as it offered an organized means of challenging aspects of American society - such as racial segregation - that were both legal and supported by powerful political interests, but nonetheless immoral and inhumane."

Sample of Sources Used:

Douglas, William. "The Black Silence of Fear." In Ellen Schrecker, ed. The Age of McCarthyism. Second Edition. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2002, pp.271-274.
Friedman, David. "A New York City Schoolteacher in the Party." In Ellen Schrecker, ed. The Age of McCarthyism. Second Edition. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2002, pp.110-112.
Johnson, Howard. "A Communist in Harlem." In Ellen Schrecker, ed. The Age of McCarthyism. Second Edition. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2002, pp.109-110.
Schrecker, Ellen. The Age of McCarthyism. Second Edition. New York: St.Martin's Press, 2002.