In the 1960's the Cold war paranoia of communism affected the lives of everyday people. The Word communist not only became a bad word but also a serious accusation. The practice of communism became evil and all those who were believed to be communist were thought of as evil too. Hollywood, during this era did a good job of portraying real issues and showing the realities and even possibilities of events occurring. The Cold war era was a time of fear and the first time the Americans felt threatened by a country that matched our abilities and power. America believed that right under their very nose conspiracies by communist were taking place, which is the basis for the movie "The Manchurian Candidate". .
This film accurately displays cold war paranoia. Its plot describes exactly what was going through the minds of the United States citizens. They feared infiltration by communist in places of power like political offices. Joe McCarthy's accusation during that era played a huge part in the creation of the movie's plot. In 1950 McCarthy made a speech accusing 205 government workers for being apart of the American communist party. Some admitted and henceforth lost their jobs. The films shows viewers what could happen if these communist were not weeded out of the government and in a sense justifies McCarthy's fear. Frank Sinatra, an actor in the movie, helps viewers realize the severity of communism. His character realizes the threat and knows that something must be done to keep this from escalating. He realizes that the future of this country could be hindered by the infiltration of communist.
The movie constantly uses patriotic images like the flag. It's seen in the caviar and on numerous occasions in the background. Also, there are constant references to Lincoln. His pictures and statues lurk throughout the video. For example, at the costume party, Iselin dressed up as president Lincoln.