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Red Scare is the promotion by a state or society of widespread fear of a potential rise of communism or radical leftism.

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Red Scare occurred during 1919-1920 in the United States, which they feared immigrants and dissidents mostly the ones that embraced communism, radicalism and socialism.

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The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, which led many to fear that immigrants, particularly from Russia, southern Europe, and eastern Europe, intended to overthrow the United States government.

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This video tells us more about the impart it had in our American History.

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Is the practice of attempting to minimize threat of communism and detaining suspects deemed to be a security threat or disloyal to the United States.

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This second article gives us more information on how Americans felt towards communists.

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Citation: C N Trueman "The Red Scare in the 1920"
historylearningsite.co.uk. The History Learning Site, 22 May 2015. 16 Aug 2016.

America may be famed for its Jazz Age and prohibition during the 1920's, and for its economic strengthbefore the Wall Street Crash, but a darker side existed. The KKK dominated the South and those who did not fit in found that they were facing the full force of the law. Those who supported un-American political beliefs, such as communism, were suspects for all sorts of misdemeanors.

The so-called "Red Scare" refers to the fear of communism in the USA during the 1920's. It is said that there were over 150,000 anarchists or communists in USA in 1920 alone and this represented only 0.1% of the overall population of the USA.

However many Americans were scared of the communists especially as they had overthrown the royal family in Russia in 1917 and murdered them in the following year. In 1901, an anarchist had shot the American president ( McKinley ) dead.

The fear of communism increased when a series of strikes occurred in 1919. The police of Boston went on strike and 100,000's of steel and coal workers did likewise. The communists usually always got the blame.

A series of bomb explosions in 1919, including a bungled attempt to blow up A. Mitchell Palmer, America's Attorney-General, lead to a campaign against the communists. On New Year's Day, 1920, over 6000 people were arrested and put in prison. Many had to be released in a few weeks and only 3 guns were found in their homes. Very few people outside of the 6000 arrested complained about the legality of these arrests such was the fear of communism. The judicial system seemed to turn a blind eye as America's national security was paramount

However, far more people complained about the arrest of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti.

They were arrested in May 1920 and charged with awages robbery in which 2 guards were killed.

Both men were from Italy and both spoke little English. But both were known to be anarchists and when they were found they both had loaded guns on them. The judge at their trial - Judge Thayer

- was known to hate the "Reds" and 61 people claimed that they saw both men at the robbery/murders. But 107 people claimed that they had seen both men elsewhere when the crime was committed. Regardless of this both men were found guilty. They spent 7 years in prison while their lawyers appealed but in vain. Despite many public protests and petitions, both men were executed by electric chair on August 24th, 1927.

Vanzetti and Sacco

Throughout the 1920's and 1930's a culture developed within America which both feared and despised communism. This stance against the "Reds" only become diluted when America and Russia allied against a common foe in the Second World War.

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The Red Scare in the 1920 - History Learning Site

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The Red Scare in the 1920 America may be famed for its Jazz Age and prohibition during the 1920's, and for its economic strengthbefore the Wall Street Crash, but a darker side existed. The KKK dominated the South and those who did not fit in found that they were facing the full force of the ...

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The effect of this was that innocent people were deported that was based on assumptions. They did a variety of constitutional violations.

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This article gives a brief description of the Red Scare and how it impacted the American HIstory

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Contents

1. First Red Scare: 1917-1920

2. Cold War Concerns About Communism

3. Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee

4. J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI

5. Hysteria and Growing Conservatism

6. Red Scare Impact

The Red Scare was hysteria over the perceived threat posed by Communists in the U.S. during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, which intensified in the late 1940s and early 1950s. (Communists were often referred to as "Reds" for their allegiance to the red Soviet flag.) The Red Scare led to a range of actions that had a profound and enduring effect on U.S. government and society. Federal employees were analyzed to determine whether they were sufficiently loyal to the government, and the House Un-American Activities Committee, as well as U.S. Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, investigated allegations of subversive elements in the government and the Hollywood film industry. The climate of fear and repression linked to the Red Scare finally began to ease by the late 1950s.

First Red Scare: 1917-1920

In the United States, labor strikes were on the rise, and the press sensationalized them as being caused by immigrants bent on bringing down the American way of life. The Sedition Act of 1918 targeted people who criticized the government, monitoring radicals and labor union leaders with the threat of deportation.

The fear turned to violence with the 1919 anarchist bombings, a series of bombs targeting law enforcement and government officials. Bombs went off in a wide number of cities including Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, D.C., and New York City.

The first Red Scare climaxed in 1919 and 1920, when United States Attorney General Alexander Mitchell Palmer ordered the Palmer raids, a series of violent law-enforcement raids targeting leftist radicals and anarchists. They kicked off a period of unrest that became known as the "Red Summer."

Cold War Concerns About Communism

Did you know? FBI director J. Edgar Hoover was quick to equate any kind of protest with communist subversion, including the civil rights demonstrations led by Martin Luther King Jr. Hoover labeled King a communist and covertly worked to intimidate and discredit the civil rights leader.

Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee

J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI

The information obtained by the FBI proved essential in high-profile legal cases, including the 1949 conviction of 12 prominent leaders of the American Communist Party on charges that they had advocated the overthrow of the government. Moreover, Hoover's agents helped build the case against Julius Rosenberg (1918-53) and his wife, Ethel Rosenberg (1915-53), who were convicted of espionage in 1951. The Rosenbergs were executed two years later.

Hysteria and Growing Conservatism

Public concerns about communism were heightened by international events. In 1949, the Soviet Union successfully tested a nuclear bomb and communist forces led by Mao Zedong (1893-1976) took control of China. The following year saw the start of the Korean War (1950-53), which engaged U.S. troops in combat against the communist-supported forces of North Korea. The advances of communism around the world convinced many U.S. citizens that there was a real danger of "Reds" taking over their own country. Figures such as McCarthy and Hoover fanned the flames of fear by wildly exaggerating that possibility.

As the Red Scare intensified, its political climate turned increasingly conservative. Elected officials from both major parties sought to portray themselves as staunch anticommunists, and few people dared to criticize the questionable tactics used to persecute suspected radicals. Membership in leftist groups dropped as it became clear that such associations could lead to serious consequences, and dissenting voices from the left side of the political spectrum fell silent on a range of important issues. In judicial affairs, for example, support for free speech and other civil liberties eroded significantly. This trend was symbolized by the 1951 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dennis v. United States, which said that the free-speech rights of accused Communists could be restricted because their actions presented a clear and present danger to the government.

Red Scare Impact

Americans also felt the effects of the Red Scare on a personal level, and thousands of alleged communist sympathizers saw their lives disrupted. They were hounded by law enforcement, alienated from friends and family and fired from their jobs. While a small number of the accused may have been aspiring revolutionaries, most others were the victims of false allegations or had done nothing more than exercise their democratic right to join a political party.

Though the climate of fear and repression began to ease in the late 1950s, the Red Scare has continued to influence political debate in the decades since. It is often cited as an example of how unfounded fears can compromise civil liberties.
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First Red Scare: 1917-1920 Cold War Concerns About Communism Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI Hysteria and Growing Conservatism Red Scare Impact The Red Scare was hysteria over the perceived threat posed by Communists in the U.S.

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Gives us a video of describing on how it evolved and a very descriptive exquisite article.

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Defining McCarthyism and the Red Scare

The Red Scare, which gained notoriety during the First World War, represented the widespread concern that Americans had developed over the fear of communist (or anarchist, during the First World War era) subversion within society. Americans believed, especially during the Cold War, which was a period of tension between the United States and Soviet Union, that communism was attempting to infiltrate every aspect of their lives. While this is not necessarily the best analogy, you can relate the widespread fear of communism during the Cold War as being similar to the heightened alert Americans had toward terrorism and suspected terrorists during the beginning of the modern century.

Instigating this fear was Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy was a Republican senator from Wisconsin and was the leader behind the ethos of McCarthyism. The term was created in 1950 by Washington Post writer Herbert Block. Simply put, McCarthyism was the practice of attempting to minimize the threat of communism by accusing and detaining suspects deemed to be a security threat or disloyal to the United States. Investigations ranged from the federal government (especially the State Department), to Hollywood, to the general American public.

No one was safe because McCarthy was the judge, jury and executioner. McCarthy's vitriolic campaign of identifying and eliminating suspected communists raged from roughly 1950 to 1954. This was a rude awakening to Americans who thought the trials and tribulations of the Cold War rested outside of the United States borders.

A Period of Great Fear

With the onset of the Cold War following the Potsdam Conference in 1945, Americans were made to believe that communists were figuratively lurking around the corner. This fear of the 'red menace,' or communism, spurred a great reorganization in federal policy both internationally and domestically.

The Truman Doctrine, created by President Harry Truman, established the basis for protecting the nation from communist subversion. As a result, anti-communist groups such as the House Un-American Activities Committee, or HUAC, rose to prominence. However, Senator McCarthy took the battle against communism further than ever imagined.

Beginning in 1950, McCarthy targeted individuals within the United States who were suspected communists. His witch hunt began at the federal level. He accused individuals, such as General George Marshall, who served both as Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense under Truman, and Secretary of State Dean Acheson of supporting communism. McCarthy targeted the United States Army and, eventually, President Truman himself when he made the decision to remove General Douglas MacArthur from power during the Korean War.

McCarthy's search eventually trickled down to the ground level as he began attacking artists, musicians, writers and movie stars. Names you might recognize include individuals such as Charlie Chaplin, Langston Hughes, Pete Seeger, J. Robert Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein. McCarthy contended that all of these individuals worked within communist organizations and/or belonged to the Communist Party of America. Additionally, McCarthy's wanton accusations often led to those who were not famous and worked in the private sector being ostracized from their respective profession.

Supporting McCarthy

As reckless as McCarthy's anti-communism campaign was, he enjoyed support from a select group of powerful individuals. Most conservative members of Congress backed McCarthy's tireless search. Why? The simple answer is because a good portion of McCarthy's campaign attacked liberals and members of the Democratic Party. Supporting McCarthy helped conservatives gain notoriety and votes during national elections.

McCarthy also had the support of the Roman Catholic Church due to its anti-communist stance. It also helped that John F. Kennedy, a prominent Catholic, future President of the United States and quite possibly the only Democrat to do so, supported McCarthy. All of this powerful political backing helped McCarthy escape federal libel and defamation suits.

The Downfall of McCarthyism

McCarthy's aggressive campaign of routing out suspected communists eventually ran out of fuel. Two major hearings brought about the downfall of McCarthyism: the Army-McCarthy Hearings and McCarthy's censure, both in 1954.

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mccarthyism and the red scare: definition

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causes & effects - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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McCarthyism and the Red Scare: Definition, Causes & Effects - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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The Red Scare, which gained notoriety during the First World War, represented the widespread concern that Americans had developed over the fear of communist (or anarchist, during the First World War era) subversion within society.

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Roaring 20s video

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History Brief: The Red Scare in the 1920s

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#redscare
#coldwar
#unitedstates
#societunion
#mccarthyism
#worldwar
#1919-1920
#bolshivikrevolution
#anarchism
#americanlegion