Topic 8: The Cold War at Home

Cold War length + start/end dates

44 years. 1947 - 1991. Ended when Soviet Union dissolved

HUAC

House Un-American activities committee. Investigated + censored Communist Hollywood workers, fired and blacklisted the suspects

Red Scare

Everyone hates people tied to communism because they could be supporting the Soviet Union

Détente

“Relaxation” → diplomacy policy toward Soviet Union by Nixon

Nixon

REPUBLICAN president who wanted to be diplomatic with the communist powers ! (including urging the United Nations to recognize the communist Chinese government as well)

SALT I

Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, prohibited manufacture of nuclear missiles by both US and Soviets

Reagan

Republican president, hated communism. “Communism anywhere threatens freedom everywhere.”

Provided financial + military aid to anti-communist gov. and uprisings, like Grenada and El Salvador

US

Isolationist → interventionist during Cold War

New rising world power after Japan defeated

Soviet Union

Communist, disintegrating

By 1989, every other communist state in the region replaced their gov. with a non-communist one

Subversives

Those who attempted to overthrow the government

Hollywood 10

10 Hollywood workers who defied Congress’ right to ask about their beliefs. Imprisoned and fired.

Alger Hiss

Wartime policy advisor accused of passing secrets to Soviet Union. Denied it, but Chambers and Nixon weren’t convinced

Paul Robeson

Black singer open about his communist sympathies. Welcomed in Moscow but NOT. America.

Peekskill Riots

Racist, antisemitic mob who threw stones at cars passing by Paul Robeson’s concert, targeting interracial couples

Ethel and Julius Rosenburg

• Couple accused of spying for Soviet Union. Sentenced to death.

• They had young children.

• Raised arguments about how constitutional this kind of condemnation was

Jerome Frank

Leading liberal judge in the Rosenburg case. Afraid to rule in their favor because then he would be accused of being a communist.

Red-baiting

Encouraging hatred against and trying to out communists

McCarthyism

• Blamed people in State Department (specifically Democrats) for sending secret US info to China, causing them to turn communist

• Even Supreme Court joined in, condoning violation of civil rights in the name of national security

McCarthy

• Would make lists of alleged communists within the government

• 1953 - became chair of permanent subcommittee against communism

• People ended up hating him

LGBTQ+ in the military

Joined to meet others of their kind. Policing was less strict there during WWII. The government dishonorably discharged them when no longer needed for the war.

Weird ways of catching LGBTQ+ people

• Sending good-looking cops to gay bars, arresting men who showed attraction

• Recruiting medical professionals trained to spot homosexuals “based on behavior”

• Watching for secret phrases people used (this is when “gay” became a “bad’ word)

Executive Order 10450

1953 order to FBI directing investigation of all federal employees for homosexuals. Companies could also refer non-government working, suspected gay people to FBI for investigation