McCarthyism in the USA

What happened to the Rosenbergs?

The Rosenbergs were convicted of passing American nuclear secrets to the USSR. Both were convicted and executed.

Why was the USA under pressure from the perceived threat of communism by 1950? (2 points)

• The USSR had successfully tested atomic technology in 1949, the same year that China became a communist state.

• In 1950, China formed an alliance with the USSR, and the spectre of a monolithic communist enemy loomed large in US thinking.

What did NSC-68 warn?

NSC-68 warned that the Cold War was ‘a real war in which the survival of the free world [was] at stake’ and therefore Americans must show their ‘ingenuity, sacrifice and unity’.

What was there a growing mood of after the Second World War?

Anti-communism

What did the House of Un-American Activities do?

This committee carried out extensive investigations on the patriotism and political affiliations of Hollywood filmmakers - it had investigated a large number of high profile movie figures.

What sparked the movement claiming that Truman was too soft on communism? (3 points)

• In January 1950, Alger Hiss was convicted of perjury as he had lied about passing on information to the USSR while working for the US State Department during 1937–38.

• This revelation sparked a wave of criticism of President Harry S. Truman’s foreign policy.

• He was accused of being too ‘soft’ on communism and being responsible for the ‘loss’ of China.

Who was the prime mover in the movement accusing Truman of being too ‘soft’ on communism?

The prime mover in this movement was Senator Joseph McCarthy.

What was McCarthy’s orchestrated pressure on Truman’s administration designed to do?

McCarthy’s orchestrated pressure on Truman’s administration was designed to tighten the government’s attitude towards the notion of a communist global plot that threatened the USA.

What idea did McCarthy promote?

McCarthy promoted the idea, in the context of the Alger Hiss affair, that there was an army of communist conspirators working within the US government, influencing its policies.

Who was another significant figure in the McCarthy years?

Another significant figure in the McCarthy years was the head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover.

How did Hoover view teachers? (2 points)

• Hoover often referred to teachers as ‘Reducators’, a reference to the nickname of ‘Reds’ that was commonly used to describe communists.

• Hoover spouted his rhetoric claiming that such people were undermining America’s traditions and customs, and questioning the correctness of the American way of life.

Make three points about McCarthy’s downfall.

• In 1954, McCarthy made the incredible claim that ‘Reds’ had infiltrated the US Army.

• A skilful legal defence by army counsel Joseph N. Welch finally destroyed McCarthy.

• In a televised confrontation, Welch said, ‘Senator ... you have done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last have you left no sense of decency?’

What happened in December 1954?

In December 1954, the US Senate voted in favour of McCarthy being guilty of having brought the US army into disrepute. This finished McCarthy and all those who had joined his anti- communist bandwagon.

What did McCarthyism emphasise? (2 points)

• McCarthyism emphasised the urgency of moving US policy away from a Eurocentric focus and towards policies with a more determined ‘Asia first’ viewpoint.

• He took the view that containment had consolidated the West’s position in Europe against the threat of aggressively expansionist communism, but Asia was much less secure.

When did the prioritisation of Asia in containment become particularly urgent?

This prioritisation was particularly urgent in view of the creation of a new communist monolithic state in China in 1949, and the alliance of mutual cooperation formed between China and the USSR.

What did McCarthy fear?

McCarthy feared that Truman’s apparent indifference to the spread of communism in Asia may become an element of the USA’s Asia policy.

What did McCarthy’s anti-communist rhetoric coincide with?

McCarthy’s anti-communist rhetoric coincided with Truman’s reluctance to support Jiang Jieshi in the face of growing communist power during the Chinese Civil War.

What view did McCarthy fuel?

McCarthy fuelled the view that the Korean War would not have happened were it not for Truman’s failure to support the Chinese nationalists against Mao Zedong, and his failure to recognise the importance of the threat of the continuing spread of communism in Asia.

How had Truman tried to resolve the Chinese Civil War?

Truman had tried to resolve the Chinese Civil War by bringing the communists and the nationalists together, rather than through aiding the nationalists against the communists.

What served to strengthen the shift towards a more ‘Asia first’ policy?

The connection between those in America who already rejected the Eurocentric focus and the McCarthy factor served to strengthen the shift towards a more clearly defined ‘Asia first’ policy.

Why could Britain no longer maintain its early pre-war role as the USA’s main partner in Europe? (2 points)

• By the 1950s, Britain was becoming increasingly concerned about what it saw as the USA’s more aggressive Cold War thinking.

• Britain was concerned, for example, that the USA’s aggressive stance over Korea might lead to the USSR destabilising Europe while the international community was focused on Asia.

Why was the USA’s growing ‘Asia first’ thinking dangerous as far as Britain was concerned? (3 points)

• It necessitated increased defence spending by Britain at a time of continuing austerity.

• The conflict in Korea appeared, in the eyes of the British, to place in jeopardy the stability and territorial status quo that the creation of NATO had established.

• The globalisation of the USA’s role was not what Britain saw as being in its interests.

What was Britain’s primary concern? (2 points)

• Britain’s primary concern was to remain a close ally of the USA and it was this that assumed an overriding priority.

• As such, Britain made a significant military contribution to the allied war effort in Korea.