During the 1950's McCarthyism consumed the daily lives of Americans. The term McCarthyism is a term used to describe senator Joe McCarthy's methods on the "war" against communism. This search for communists resulted in accusations that had no premises, and therefore were sometimes referred to as witch hunts. Some may be puzzled about what sparked these outlandish allegations and why the public continued to let them go on. The answer is simple: the increasing threat of communism perceived in America at the time.
Between the years 1917 and 1953 the Red Scares were in full swing. The Red Scares, named due the fact communist were sometimes also known as "Reds" because of the association with their red flag, started when communist, lead by Vladimir Lenin, seized Russia and vowed to conquer the world.
During this time, Soviet agents in Europe were to bring about the downfall of foreign nations in hopes that these countries would become communists. In August of 1919 the socialist party split and formed two communist parties, which recruited members (Zeinert 18). This worried Americans because they remembered that only a few communist were responsible for the downfall of Russia, and they felt their freedom was in jeopardy because communist believed that the welfare of one's country was more important than individual rights (Feuerlicht 13).
As a result, in 1938 the House of Representatives created the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), led by Martin Dies (Oshinsky 46). The HUAC claimed labor unions, the government, and movie industry put out Soviet propaganda disguised as entertainment due to the infiltration by Soviet agents. Also, as an effort to contain communism congress passed the Hatch Act in 1939, which made it illegal for the government to hire communists. .
Furthermore, Americans needed someone to blame, and as early as 1946 began to question the loyalty of government employees, especially those in the State Department who negotiated treaties with the Soviets after World War II.
