Anti-Communism in America

After World War II, only two world superpowers remained: the United States of America and the Soviet Union. The contradictory political regimes of the democratic United States and the communist Soviet Union were believed to be mutually exclusive which increased bitterness between them. Inevitably, the apparent tension between the two superpowers led to the Cold War which lasted about 45 years. It was war without bloodshed or battle, instead it was a metaphorical war where the U.S and the Soviet Union increased their weapons and fought for political influence, one always wanting to excel or maintain within the range of the other. The United States’ desperate need to contain the communist political ideology from spreading any further and meet the Soviet Union’s increased development of nuclear weapons led to the their involvement in the Cold War. The impact the Cold War had on life during the 1950’s and 1960’s can be measured through the creation of the House Un-American

The Cold War, a period of sustained political and military tension between the USA and the USSR, resulted in various viewpoints concerning the cause of the tension emerging. Until today the question remains unresolved, even after the 1991 release of Soviet archives. The main point of disagreement relates to the roles that ideology played in the events between 1945 and 1949. Was it the strongly opposing ideologies, capitalism and communism, or power and material interest that drove both superpowers to the decades of struggle for global supremacy.

At the end of the 1940’s and the beginning of the 1950’s, the United States were in the midst of the Second Red Scare and a fear that Communism might over throw the American way of life. Cold War tensions were at an all time high, which only fueled the widespread fears of Communist subversion. It was here that Senator Joseph McCarthy became a public face when he began making claims that the U.S. Government, as well as many other areas of the country, including the entertainment industry, had been invaded by Soviet and Communist spies, looking to destroy America from within. Hearings before the House Un-American Activities Committee, Hollywood Blacklisting, and anti-communist activity from the FBI soon followed. McCarthy was under intense analysis

During the 1950’s, Communism was a major fear that Democratic nations such as America were afraid of because of its radical ideas. The actions taken due to the Red Scare and the rise of McCarthyism were necessary and completely justified to protect America’s freedom and government from Communist power. With an increase of Communistic nations invading other countries and forcing their ideas upon them there was an uproar of fear in the United States. The Domino Theory was a legitimate fear of if one nation falling to communism, every nation around it would fall as well. Focusing their attention to VIetnam especially, America increased military control in these regions. Multiple Legislative actions taken by the United States such as the creation of the HAUC and the Espionage and Sedition acts were necessary to stop threats to America’s freedom. The heated tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War contributed to the fear of an attack from the East. Senator McCarthy’s convincing accusations lead to many accurate accusations as well as the rise of McCarthyism. Valid points were brought up about president Roosevelt’s New Deal policies of having capitalistic characteristics. While some actions did take away the civil liberties of some Americans, and were not always accurate, they were necessary to protect American Democracy, as well as the safety of the citizens.

Between 1945 and 1960, the United States was confronted with a colossal predicament. A Cold War had emerged between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. This war did not involve any direct attacks between the two, instead indirect confrontations. Subsequently, the war took a massive toll on the U.S. An era of high tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union posed a communist threat to America.

The United States developed into a world super power following World War II. Many of the Allies were deeply affected by the war financially and were struggling, thus leaving a vacuum that needed to be filled. The United States was thrust into the position of “policing” and assisting nations around the world. The Cold War was in many ways a psychological illusion however there were many factors that led to this illusion which were well founded. The Cold War stemmed from a multitude of factors, the difficult war against Nazi’s and Japan, Stalin behaviors were not trustworthy, Berlin blockade, Poland puppet government, the fall of China, the build up of arms and the birth nuclear weapons all fed fear-based anti-communist policies. In

Following the Second World War, the United States had gotten involved in the Cold War. The United States and Soviet Union had become the two superpowers, vividly proving their strengths in the most recent war. These strengths, however, caused a rivalry to form between the two, and would affect the United State’s domestic policy and American society throughout the Cold War. Communism and the threat of war were the most prominent aspects which affected the United States both economically and socially.

Tension built up with countries that practiced communism just as the U.S. expected but not to the level it did. The leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev delivered a speech claiming that the United States is attempting to take over the world. In her speech she says “‘Today the anti-communism” slogan is being used as a smoke screen to cover up the claims of one power for world domination.” (Document G, Khrushchev, 1956) Nikita Khrushchev was trying to convince countries to deny the

There are many opinions on who started the Cold War, whether it be the USSR’s fault or the United States. With old trust issues rising up again, the next forty years resulted in constant tension and aggression between the two rival powers. But, when it’s time to place the blame for this tedious conflict, it is clear the United States can be blamed, for they were constantly imposing their greater power, and led the USSR to lose their trust due to international acts of aggression from the US. From 1945-1991 the US took action abroad to stop the USSR from gaining more global power, they misinterpreted Soviet motives, and threatened the USSR with acts of aggression through major bomb threats. With both nations having different motives after WWII,

In this paper I will discuss what actions and thoughts added up to cause the cold war. The cold war lasted from September 1, 1945 to about December 25, 1991. That is about forty-five years, which is an extremely long time. The cold war was a global competition basically between two sides, the Free World, which was led by the United States of America, and the Communist World led by the Soviet Union. The struggle took place through indirect military conflict, and direct competition in the areas of economics, diplomacy, culture, space exploration, and political theory. It also involved nuclear stand offs, espionage, and global competition for other nations. The cold war has established the framework for most

From 1900 to 1945, the United States of America (US) witnessed a great transition in their economic, cultural and political spheres. From the isolation movement in the early 1900’s, the US thereafter acknowledged that their position in the world was to be a developer of a new world order. Therefore with the American entrance in World War II, the US had a political motive after achieving victory to create a postwar world that was independently connected politically and economically. However, with the Soviet Union fighting alongside the US a new policy had to be made to ensure cooperation for postwar peace. But with two radically different ideologies postwar peace would not be influenced by cooperation, but rather by economic and military force.

After World War II, within the year of 1947 began America’s Communism paranoia: McCarthyism. It started when President Truman was criticized about congress “not being tough enough in containing communism”, therefore wanting more information about the executive-branch employees. Congress then commenced a deep inspection of Hollywood. Congress accused actors/actresses, filmmakers, directors, and so on, thus holding Hollywood communist hearings which were held by the House Un-American Activities Committee. The group of screenwriters and directors known as the “Hollywood Ten” originated from the audit in which they publicly protested for the right of freedom of speech, right of assembly, and freedom of association. The result was the Hollywood’s

According to Whitfield, America had begun to despise the principles of communism to such an extend that it, “Became more loathed than organized crime, exacerbating fears that were to distort and enfeeble American culture throughout the 1940s and 1950s...” (220). Writer Mickey Spillane was said to have been given a “license to print money” when added to a list of fictional writes that stood firm on his anti-Communist manner (223). Among the ten most published novels of the 1950s, he had written six of those ten. His best selling novel, I, The Jury sold over 3 million copies. It was about a young woman who had been politically persuaded by communists and a man who tried to change her political standpoint. The American majority held a solemn demeanor regarding communism which is evident in the sale of Spillane’s novels. Hollywood was visited by the HUAC in 1947 and greeted by the movie industry with the Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals. A faction that concluded, “Anyone who is not fighting Communism is helping Communism” (223). Whitfield concludes that the effect of all these things were, “ The suffocation of liberty and the debasement of culture itself” (220). In his secondary source, Whitfield suggests that American culture was thwarted specifically by destruction of creativity

The cold war developed from a dispute between two radical philosophies; however, is the United States to blame for beginning the war and its destruction of mankind? The Cold War was a time of uncertainty, terror, and tension. With the fear of falling under a totalitarian government; containment policies were established in the late 1940’s. This paper will analyze the strategies used during the cold war to prevent the spread of communism and/or the domino theory.

“The Cold War became a dominant influence on many aspects of American society for much of the second half of the twentieth century. It escalated due to antagonist values between the United States, representing capitalism and democracy, and the Soviet Union, representing communism and authoritarianism” (Tradshad, par. 1). This long lasting war had a lot of negative effects on the American people, but also helped many in a positive way of becoming free citizens. Although most people had feelings of hatred toward the Soviet Union, a sense of fear swept over the United States and many actions had to be taken to keep the enemy and their influences out. 4 done.