Joseph McCarthy WitchHunts

McCarthy was the Senator of Wisconsin. He was a Right Wing Republican

In 1950 China turned communist, the war began in Korea and the USSR had a bomb

In Virginia 1950, he claimed there were communists in the state department. Claiming he had a list of 205. When asked to show this list he changed his claim to 81, then 57, then just a lot.

'Tydings Commitee' was set up to looking into his claims. No evidence was found and he was called 'a fraud and a hoax'

Nevertheless 100's of people their jobs as a result of his accusations

He became known as the Witch Hunter General and was employed to weed out communists.

He was supported by the FBI, whose head was J. Edgar Hoover and the Roman Catholic Church, who felt that communism was bad as it did not have a God.

Das Kapital- Marx and Engels- 'Religion is the opium of the masses'

Communism promoted being rewarded now rather than in the afterlife.

In 1952, Esienhower takes over as president

In 1953 tensions die down as the Korean war ends and Stalin dies

In 1954, McCarthy claims there are communists in the army. People reject this view and feel he has gone too far. He went on TV to explain his claim, similar to a public trial. However no evidence was found.

This was the end of McCarthy's influence.