McCarthyism

Named for the US Senator Joseph McCarthy, a Republican of Wisconsin, McCarthyism was a period of intense anti-communism in the United States primarily from 1950 to 1954, when the U.S. government was actively engaged in countering American Communist Party subversion, its leadership, and others suspected of being Communists or Communist sympathizers. During this period people from all walks of life became the subject of aggressive "witch-hunts," often based on inconclusive or questionable evidence. It grew out of the Second Red Scare that began in the late 1940s.

Origin of the term

The term originates from March 29, 1950 political cartoon by Washington Post editorial cartoonist Herbert Block. The cartoon depicted four leading Republicans trying to push an elephant (the traditional symbol of the Republican Party) to stand on a teetering stack of ten tar buckets, the topmost of which was labeled "McCarthyism". The reluctant elephant was quoted in the caption as saying "You mean I'm supposed to stand on that?".

Related Topics:
March 29 - 1950 - Political cartoon - Washington Post - Herbert Block - Republican Party

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The Moynihan Commission on Government Secrecy reported in 1997, "The first fact is that a significant Communist conspiracy was in place in Washington, New York, and Los Angeles, but in the main those involved systematically denied their involvement". http://www.fas.org/sgp/library/moynihan/appa6.html Declassified Soviet-era documents confirm Soviet spies infiltrated the U.S. State Department in the 1930s and 1940s. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1218/is_21_126/ai_n12442119 However, based on his perceptions that the administration was not investigating Communists, McCarthy began investigations himself, and as he attacked more prominent figures within the government and military, his strength faltered.

Related Topics:
Moynihan Commission on Government Secrecy - Conspiracy - U.S. State Department - 1930s - 1940s

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McCarthy faltered in 1954 as his hearings were televised live for the first time on the new American Broadcasting Company. ABC needed to fill its afternoon slots, which allowed the public and press to view first-hand McCarthy's interrogation of individuals and controversial tactics. In a famous exchange, the Army's attorney general, Joseph Welch, rebuked McCarthy: "Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"

Related Topics:
1954 - Hearings - American Broadcasting Company - Joseph Welch

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The press was by this time quite anti-McCarthy, and reports that McCarthyism was ruining the reputations and lives of many people without credible evidence were common. Even some right-wing Republicans denounced him, among them Henry Luce and Robert R. McCormick. By the time famed CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow's highly critical "Report on Joseph R. McCarthy" aired on March 9, 1954, McCarthy's public support had all but collapsed.

Related Topics:
Henry Luce - Robert R. McCormick - Edward R. Murrow

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