A DIVIDED UNION? THE USA 1945-1970 (key issue 1)

• October 1917 - Bolshevik Revolution in Russia set up communist state.
• Communist views despised by USA who followed a capitalist system.
• 'Red Scare' - the fear of communism to the USA by immigrants from Eastern Europe. Built up by press and public officials.
• WW2 - despite allies during war, lots of mistrust between USA and USSR.
• Yalta Conference, February 1945 - USA and USSR were able to make some agreements about their approach to the post-war world.
• Post WW2 - tension between USA/USSR escalated with development of atomic bomb and Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe.
• March 1946, Churchill talked of an 'iron curtain' separating West and East Europe.
• Truman doctrine - USA policy of containing Communism. Led to involvement in Korean war.
• Marshall Plan - Introduced by the USA in 1947 to provide aid to countries that had been badly effected by the Second World War.

'The enemy within'.

• Federal Employee Loyalty Programme (FELP) was designed to check the security risks of people working in government.
• Checks did not uncover any cases of spying but 1952 more than 6.6 million federal workers had been examined. 3000 forced to resign, 200 were sacked.

The FBI

• J. Edgar Hoover - director of FBI - was a strong anti-communist and used the FELP to investigate government employees.

The Hollywood Ten

• House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) looked into communist infiltration in the film industry.
• Ten writers and directors were asked if they had ever been members of the Communist Party, they refused to answer. Were sacked and spent a year in prison.

• Red scare gathered momentum due to the impact of two high-profile court cases.
• Alger Hiss (1948)
  • Accused of being a spy by Whittaker Chambers, a former communist.
  • Interrogated but little evidence.
  • 'Pumpkin Papers' of government documents incriminated Hiss.
  • Sentenced to 5 years in prison (1950).
• The Rosenburgs (1949)
  • Accused of giving atomic secrets to the USSR.
  • Sentenced to death (1953).
• The McCarran Internal Security Act
  • Restricted freedom of Communist members.

• Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin in 1950 created hysteria about communism.
  • 9th February 1950 - McCarthy claims he has names of 205 communists who work in the State Department.
  • Claims fluctuated but no proven cases of spying.
  • A senate committee was set up to investigate the claims and they were decided to be a 'fraud and a hoax'.
  • The committee chairman was branded a communist by McCarthy and later lost election against a McCarthy supporter.
  • Politicians afraid to speak out against him.
  • McCarthy was made Chairman of the Government Committee on Operations of the Senate.
    • Able to investigate state bodies.
    • Gained mass support across America.

• The role of President Eisenhower - McCarthy attacked his own party as he seemed to think he could attack anyone with impunity.
• The role of the army - he began to accuse army in 1954 - aggressive questioning of witnesses and bullying tactics allowed public to see 'real man'.
• The role of the media - in March 1954 a television programme was released condemning McCarthy. Journalists attacked him.
• Lost chairmanship and ended power.
• Died in 1957.

• Words 'red', 'pinko' and 'commie' became synonymous with unsound characters.
• Created a climate of fear.
• Spying on neighbours.
• Hatred of communism never died away.
• People who wanted to change the USA were seen as communists e.g. civil rights for black Americans.