Ap Us History 2001 Dbq Essay

Further events, such as McCarthyism and Senator McCarthy’s false accusations led to the further growth of the Red Scare. The Red Scare led to hysteria amongst U.S. citizens, common Americans went to the extreme to build shelters in case of warfare. (Doc C). As lifestyles of Americans were threatened, it was justifiable of U.S. citizens to find ways to protect themselves. While the Second Red Scare went to an extreme, Eisenhower’s administration helped diminish the fright American citizens felt. Eisenhower’s administration took many actions to strengthen anti-communist states and prevent the spread of communism. One example would be the use of former President Truman’s containment policy to prevent ware between the U.S. and the USSR. Another example would be, to prevent the Soviet Union from attacking the U.S., the Eisenhower administration began massive retaliation or the mass building of nuclear weapons. This would help the United States save money and cause our enemies to think twice before starting an attack. The USSR building nuclear bombs themselves put the U.S. at risk (Doc E), this should be taken with a grain of salt though because the potential of a war and destruction was too much of a risk for both countries to attack. This potential put both countries back at a stalemate position. Ultimately, massive retaliation acted as a protective barrier for the U.S. and American citizens, calming the fear of