Chapter 25 OBJECTIVES: Chapter 25:1 o We will trace the reasons that the wartime alliance between the U.S. and the Soviet Union fell apart. o We will examine how President Truman responded to Soviet domination of Eastern Europe. o We will examine the causes and results of Stalin s blockade of Berlin.
(Mat 24:6) And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Differences Between the U.S. and Soviet Union The U.S. and the Soviet Union had been united only in opposition to Nazi Germany. Beyond that, they had little in common.
United States Capitalist democracy Citizens believed in free elections. Economic and religious freedom Private property Respect for individual differences
Soviet Union Dictatorship Under Stalin, the Communist Party made all key economic, political, and military decisions. The Soviet people could not worship as they please They could not own private property or express their views freely Those who opposed Stalin risked imprisonment and death.
Allies Disagree on Future of Eastern Europe. By the time Stalin, Churchill and FDR met in Yalta in Feb 1945, it was clear that the allies would defeat Germany. But it was unclear how Germany and Eastern Europe would govern after the war. Soviet troops already occupied already much of Eastern Europe and some of Germany.
Allies Disagree on Future of Eastern Europe. Stalin also wanted Eastern Europe to remain under Soviet control. The U.S. And Britain sought a stronger united Germany and independent nations in Eastern Europe. At the conference, Stalin agreed to establish broadly representative governments and free elections in Eastern Europe and to divide Germany only temporarily into zones of occupation.
Allies Disagree on Future of Eastern Europe. Despite Stalin s promises, all the lands occupied by the Soviet Red Army in the spring of 1945 remained under Soviet control after the war. The Eastern European nations such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria and the eastern portion of Germany became satellite states controlled by the Soviet Union.
Allies Disagree on Future of Eastern Europe. By the time Soviet, British, and U.S. leaders met at Postdam in summer of 1945, Truman was now president and Attlee was now the British prime minister. The allies hoped that Stalin would confirm his decision in Yalta. However, Stalin refused to make a commitment to allow free elections in Eastern Europe.
Allies Disagree on Future of Eastern Europe. Truman left Postdam believing that the Soviet Union was planning world conquest and that the alliance with the Soviet Union was falling apart. This set the stage for a world wide rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The 46 year struggle became known as the Cold War because the two superpowers never faced each other directly in a hot conflict.
Meeting the Soviet Challenge Winston Churchill spoke out also against the Soviet threat. In his important speech on 5 March 1946 in Fulton College in Missouri, Truman s home state;
Meeting the Soviet Challenge Churchill saw an iron curtain forming in Europe where the Soviet Union was gaining more control by installing Communist governments and police states by crushing political and religious dissent. In addition, Churchill feared that the Soviets were attempting to spread Communism to Western Europe and East Asia. The only solution was the U.S. and other democracies to stand firm.
Meeting the Soviet Challenge Truman shared Churchill s beliefs. He was a straight forward man with humble roots from a Missouri rural community. He was the only President in the twentieth century without a college education because he could not afford it. He had a willingness to make difficult decisions.
Meeting the Soviet Challenge After the war, European and Asian countries were struggling against Communist movements supported by the Soviets. In particular, the governments of Greece and Turkey were battling Communist forces seeking to gain control.
Meeting the Soviet Challenge On March 12, 1947, Truman addressed both houses of Congress. With emotion in his voice Truman described the plight of the Greek and Turkish people. If the U.S. retreated to isolationism, the peace of the world and the welfare of the nation will be in danger.
Meeting the Soviet Challenge Congress responded to voting to give $400 million in aid for Greece and Turkey. President Truman s promise to aid nations struggling against communists movements became known as the Truman Doctrine and it set a new course for American foreign policy.
Meeting the Soviet Challenge In July 1947, George F. Kennan, an American diplomat and a leading authority on the Soviet Union introduced the doctrine of containment. This would be a linchpin of American foreign policy with a goal to keep Communism contained within its existing borders.
Meeting the Soviet Challenge Kennan contended that Stalin was determined to expand the Soviet empire, he would not risk the security of the Soviet Union for expansion. In Kennan s view, the Soviet Union would only expand when it could do so without serious risks. Stalin would certainly not risk war with the U.S. A war that might destroy his power in the Soviet Union just to spread Communism.
Meeting the Soviet Challenge Kennan stated that there was no quick easy solution. Containment would require full commitment of American economic, political, and military power.
Discussion Question: o If you were advising the President, how would you advise him on how to approach and deal with the Soviet Union and Communist expansion?
Marshall Plan Aids Europe The Containment policy first great success was in Western Europe. After World War II people in Europe were in great need of food, fuel and medical supplies with a brutally cold winter. Secretary of State George Marshall unveiled a recovery plan for Europe. He saw that a strong economy is the key for political stability and peace.
Marshall Plan Aids Europe Called the Marshall Plan, over the next four years the U.S. gave about $13 billion in grants and loans to nations in Western Europe. The program provided food to reduce famine, fuel to heat homes, and factories and money to jump-start economic growth. Aid was also offered to the Soviet satellite states in Europe but Stalin refused to let them accept it.
Marshall Plan Aids Europe The prosperity it stimulated helped the American economy by increasing trade. Finally the great relationships that aid created worked against the expansion of Communism.
ILLUSTRATION: o If you are really hungry and in desperate need of basic necessities, would you be more willing to listen to the person that is giving you food and aid?
The Cold War Heats up The Frontlines of the Cold War were located in Germany. The zones that were controlled by France, Britain, and the US. were combined to form West Germany. West Germany bordered on the east by Soviet controlled East Germany. The allies also controlled the western part of Berlin, a city tucked deep inside communist East Germany.
The Cold War Heats up West Berlin was in relative prosperity and freedom stood in contrast to the bleak life of Eastern Berliners. Stalin was determined to capture West Berlin or win other concessions from the Western allies. In June 1948, he stopped all highway, railway, and waterway traffic from Western Germany into West Berlin. Without any means of receiving aid, West Berlin would fall to the Communists.
The Cold War Heats up Stalin could block all roads and waterways but he could not block the sky. For almost a year, the U.S. and Great Britain supplied Western Berlin through a massive airlift of food, fuel, medical supplies clothing, toys, everything the residents of West Berlin needed was flown into the city.
The Cold War Heats up The Berlin airlift demonstrated to West Berlin and the Soviet Union and the world how far the United States would go to protect noncommunist parts of Europe and contain communism.
(Luke 6:35) But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Rom_12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
The Cold War Alliances In May 1949, Stalin was forced to acknowledge that his attempt to blockade Berlin had failed. The Berlin airlift was a proud moment for American and Berliners and a major success for the policy of containment.
The Cold War Alliances The Berlin airlift demonstrated that Stalin could be contained if Western nations were prepared to take forceful action. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) formed in 1949 providing military alliance to counter Soviet expansion.
The Cold War Alliances NATO consisted of 12 Western European and North American nations agreed to act together in the defense of Western Europe. They agreed that an attack on one or more nations is considered an attack on them all. This principle of mutual military assistance is called collective security.
The Cold War Alliances In 1955 West Germany became a member of NATO. In response the Soviets and its satellite states formed a military alliance called the WARSAW Pact. All the communist states of Eastern Europe with the exception of Yugoslavia were members. They agreed to defend one another if attacked. And not interfere in the internal affairs of one another however the Soviet Union continued to exert control over its allies.
Discussion Question: o Do you think there were good side and evil side during the Cold War?
Chapter 25 OBJECTIVES: Chapter 25:2 o We will examine how Mao Zedong and the communists gained power in China. o We will examine the causes and progress of the war in Korea. o We will identify the long-term effects of the Korean War.
Mat_10:21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
The Korean War Before Japan invaded China in 1937, nationalist leader Jiang Jieshi was engaged in a civil war against communists led by Mao Zedong. Although they both had a temporary alliance to fight Japan, the Civil War resumed after the war ended.
The Korean War The Soviets supported Mao and the U.S. sent several billion dollars to aid Jiang. American leaders feared that Jiang s defeat would create a communist superpower spanning most of Asia.
The Korean War Jian s regime proved unequal to the task. Nationalist generals were reluctant to fight. And while masses of Chinese people faced starvation, corrupt officials diverted U.S. aid dollars into their own pockets. By promising to feed the people, Mao won increased support.
Communists Win In China In 1948 Mao s force dominated the war. Jiang appealed for U.S. to send troops but the U.S. had no intention to send troops to support the corrupt Jiang. Jiang fled the Chinese mainland taking control of the large off shore island of Taiwan.
Communists Win In China Mao s communists took over control of the world s most populous country, renaming it the People s Republic of China. This shocked Americans with one fourth of the world s land mass and one third of its population Communist.
Americans Fight In Korea The focus of attention turned to the peninsula of Korea, separated from northeast China by the Yalu River. Once controlled by Japan, Korea had been divided into two independent countries by the U.S. and the Soviet Union after WWII. The dividing line was set at the 38th parallel of latitude.
Americans Fight In Korea In North Korea, the Soviets installed a Communist government and equipped its armed forces headed by Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of current North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The U.S. provided smaller amounts of aid to noncommunist South Korea.
North Korea Invades South Korea: American occupation troops remained in South Korean until June 1948. Their departure coincided with the Communist victory in China. Soon after, North Korea began a major military build up.
North Korea Invades South Korea: On June 25, 1950, North Korea forces attacked across the 38th parallel. The 90,000 North Korean troops were armed with powerful tanks and other Soviet weapons. Within days, the northerners overtook the South Korean capital city of Seoul and set out after the retreating South Korean Army.
U.S. Forces Defend South Korea Truman remembered how appeasement failed to check German aggression in WWII. Determined, he announced that the U.S. would aid South Korea. Within days, the UN Security Council unanimously voted to follow Truman s lead. The Soviet Union with veto power had been boycotting the Security Council sessions because the UN had refused to seat Mao s Peoples Republic of China.
U.S. Forces Defend South Korea Truman did not ask for a formal declaration of war as required by the Constitution. However supported by UN resolution, Truman ordered American troops who were stationed in Japan to move to the Republic of Korea. The soldiers were mainly occupation troops and not trained for heavy combat nor had the military equipment to stop the invasion.
U.S. Forces Defend South Korea Soon they joined their Republic of Korea allies retreating to the Southeast Corner of the peninsula near the port city of Pusan. There the allies held fast, a fresh supply of troops arrived from Japan and soldiers from other UN countries joined the American and Republic of Korea forces.
U.S. Forces Defend South Korea By September 1950, the UN forces were ready to counterattack. UN forces were commanded by General Douglas MacArthur, World War II hero who developed a bold plan. He decided to strike behind enemy lines at the port city of Inchon. Because it was a poor landing site, with swift currents and treacherous tides. MacArthur knew that the enemy would not expect an attack there.
U.S. Forces Defend South Korea MacArthur s gamble paid off handsomely. On the morning of September 15, 1950, U.S. marines landed at Inchon and launched an attack into the rear guard of the North Koreans. Communist forces began fleeing for the North Korean border. By October 1950, the North Koreans had been driven north of the 38th parallel.
North Korea On the Run With the UN mandate accomplished, the question arose should the Americans pursue into North Korea and unify the country? Truman was concerned about the action China would take if the U.S. carried the war into North Korea. Chinese leaders publicly warned the Americans not to advance near its borders.
North Korea On the Run MacArthur did not take this warning seriously. He assured Truman that China would not intervene in the war. Based on this advice, the U.S. pushed a resolution through the UN calling for a unified independent and democratic Korea.
North Korea On the Run Highly confident, MacArthur attacked north of the 38th parallel. Despite mountainous terrain and freezing temperatures, by Thanksgiving, the allied advance had reached the Chinese border at the Yalu River. Then on November 25, 1950, some 300,000 Chinese soldiers attacked South Korean and U.S. positions. Badly out numbered the UN troops were forced back.
North Korea On the Run With China now in the war, the U.S. confronted a major land war in Asia. Truman did not want to commit a huge amount of troops or even atomic weapons. MacArthur favored an invasion of China, was enraged. He distrusted Truman s policy of a limited war fought to achieve only specific goals. As a soldier, MacArthur favored total victory.
North Korea On the Run Unable to sway Truman, the general sent a letter to the House Republican leader attacking the president s policies. After the letter became public, Truman fired MacArthur for insubordination. There was a huge outcry in the U.S. and MacArthur returned home a national hero.
Stalemate By the spring of 1951, allied forces had regrouped and stabilized their position near the 38th parallel. The stalemate lasted until 1953. Small bloody battles were fought between both sides with limited results. At the same time, diplomats tried to devise an acceptable peace agreement.
Stalemate The stalemate was a key issue in the presidential election of 1952. Republican candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower promised that if elected he would end the war. Upon his election, he visited Korea, spoke to the troops and studied the enemy s defenses. Ike was convinced only strong action would break the stalemate.
Stalemate When peace talks threaten to fail, Ike threatened to introduce nuclear weapons to the conflict. That warning along with the death of Joseph Stalin convinced the communists to settle the conflict. On July 27, 1953 the two sides signed a cease-fire.
Examining the Lessons of the Korean War. There was no victory in the Korean War. The Two Koreas remained divided. It is the most tense border in the world. Family Members are separated because the country is divided till this day. Some 28,500 American troops are still in South Korea.
Examining the Lessons of the Korean War. 37,000 Americans killed and 103,000 wounded. Relations with China worsen
Examining the Lessons of the Korean War. Armed Forces racially integrated. Truman had committed U.S. troops to battle without a congressional declaration of war. This set a precedent that future Presidents would follow. The Korean War led to increased military spending. By 1960 military spending accounted to half the Federal budget.
Examining the Lessons of the Korean War. More than a million U.S. solders were stationed around the world. A new alliance like NATO was formed. Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO). Aimed to prevent Communism. Its members included Pakistan, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, et al.
Examining the Lessons of the Korean War. o South Korea has the highest concentration of Protestant Christians in East Asia. o Seventh-day Adventist Church has a significant presence in South Korea including English language schools, and a major university.
Examining the Lessons of the Korean War. o South Korea has become a worldwide economic and cultural power. o Examples: Samsung, LG, Kpop, Hallyu Wave. o North Korea is one of the most repressed impoverished nations in the world.
Discussion Question: Do you think President Truman prevented World War III by firing General McArthur or do you think McArthur was right in wanting total victory in Korea by invading China and possibly dropping a nuclear bomb?
Chapter 25 OBJECTIVES: Chapter 25:3 o We will examine the causes and results of the arms race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. o We will examine how Eisenhower s response to communism differed from that of Truman. o We will analyze the worldwide Cold War conflicts that arose at this time. o We will discuss the effects of Soviet efforts in space exploration.
Ecc_3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
The Cold War Expands o In September 2, 1949 a major shift in the balance of power occurred when a B- 29 flying over Alaska detected unusual atmospheric radiation. o The radiation cloud was drifting eastward from the direction of Siberia. o The Soviet Union had now tested an atomic bomb.
The Cold War Expands o Three months later, Truman ordered the Atomic Energy Commission to produce a hydrogen bomb, 1,000 times more powerful as an atomic bomb. o They hoped it would restore the U.S. advantage over the Soviets.
The Cold War Expands o Some scientists such as J. Robert Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein opposed developing the H-bomb, claiming it would lead to a perpetual arms race. o Others argued that Stalin would continue to develop more powerful weapons no matter what the U.S. did.
The Cold War Expands o Both nations developed and stockpiled powerful nuclear weapons, enough to destroy each other many times over. o Both sides hoped that this program of mutually assured destruction would prevent either country from actually using a nuclear device against the other.
Eisenhower Introduces New Policies o Eisenhower accepted much of Truman s foreign policy. o He believed strongly in a policy of actively contained Communism. o Eisenhower s secretary of state, John Foster Dulles was an experienced diplomat who had helped to organize the UN after WWII.
Eisenhower Introduces New Policies But Eisenhower and Dulles differed significantly from Truman and his Secretary of State, Dean Acheson. Both agreed that the spread of Communism was the greatest threat in the world. But Ike believed that Truman s approach to foreign policy had dragged the U.S. into an endless series of conflicts begun by the Soviet Union.
Eisenhower Introduces New Policies Eisenhower Favors Massive Retaliation. Eisenhower opposed spending billions of dollars on conventional forces, such as troops, ships, tanks, and artillery. Instead he focused on stockpiling nuclear weapons building the planes, missiles, and submarines to deliver them. He assumed that if there were a major war, it would be nuclear.
Eisenhower Introduces New Policies In 1954, Dulles announced the policy of Massive Retaliation. The U.S. would respond to Communist threats to its allies by threatening to use crushing, overwhelming force perhaps even nuclear weapons. Dulles believed that only by going to the brink of war could the U.S. protect its allies, discourage Communist aggression and prevent war. Dulles approach became known as brinkmanship.
Stalin Dies On March 5, 1953, Stalin died and set off a short power struggle. Nikita Khrushchev became the leader. Although a Communist and determined opponent of the U.S., Khrushchev was not as suspicious or cruel as Stalin. He condemned the excesses of the Stalin regime and inched toward a more peaceful relation with the West. He even met with Eisenhower in July 1955 at a conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
1956 American talk of rolling back communist borders and Khrushchev's talk of peaceful coexistence were taken seriously by people in Soviet dominated countries behind the Iron Curtain. People in Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia resented the control exerted by the Soviets.
1956 o In 1956 two uprisings occurred. o Workers in Poland rioted against Soviet Rule and won greater control of their government. o Since the Polish government did not attempt to leave the Warsaw Pact, Soviet leaders permitted the actions. o In Hungary students and workers organized huge demonstrations demanding that pro Soviet Hungarian officials be replaced. o Soviet troops be withdrawn o Noncommunist political parties be organized.
1956 o Khrushchev responded brutally sending Soviet soldiers and tanks to crush the Hungarian Revolution. o The troops executed many of the revolution s leaders and killed hundreds of other Hungarians and restored hardline communists to power.
U.S. Defuses Suez Crisis In the Middle East, Egypt s president Gamal Abdel Nasser tried to use the U.S.-Soviet rivalry to his advantage. Nasser wanted to construct a dam on the Nile River at Aswan. The U.S. And Britain initially offered to fund the project, but when Nasser recognized Communist China and opened talks with the Soviet Union, the Eisenhower administration withdrew its offers.
U.S. Defuses Suez Crisis o Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, placing it under government control. o The canal that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea had originally been managed by British-French company and was protected by British armed forces.
U.S. Defuses Suez Crisis Nasser s actions threatened the flow of Middle Eastern oil to Europe. Without consulting Eisenhower, Britain, France, and Israel joined forces to seize the Suez Canal, this was called the Suez Crisis. Eisenhower was outraged by these actions and rather than support his Western allies, he criticized them and refused to supply them with U.S. oil. When the three allies did not receive U.S. support, they withdrew their troops from Egypt.
Eisenhower Promises Strong Action In January 1957, the president made a statement called the Eisenhower Doctrine. Eisenhower announced that the U.S. would use force to help any Middle Eastern nation threatened by Communism. He used his doctrine in 1958 to justify sending troops to Lebanon to put down a revolt against its pro-american government.
Eisenhower Promises Strong Action Eisenhower administration also used the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in its struggle against Communism. Congress had created the CIA in 1947 for intelligence gathering. Ike gave it a new focus, on covert or secret CIA operations to protect American interests. In 1953, the CIA aided a coup that installed a new government in Iran and in 1954 in Guatemala. Both operations brought anti-communist leaders in power but created long term resentment against the U.S.
The Space Race: o On October 4, 1957, the USSR launched a tiny satellite Sputnik 1, o The following month they launched a much larger satellite with a dog named Laika successfully. o Since there was no way to return the satellite to earth, Laika died in orbit. o This shocked the Americans who long believed that they had superior technology than the Soviets. o The thought that rockets can reach American cities brought fear.
The Space Race: In a state of crisis, Congress quickly approved the national defense education act. A $1 billion program intended to produce more scientists and teachers of science. The act authorized money or loans to enable high school and college graduates continue their education in science. In addition, Congress created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to coordinate the space-related efforts of American scientists and the military.
Discussion Question: How would you contain the Soviet Union if you were president of the United States? Would you build more nuclear weapons or would you build more conventional weapons (tanks, ships, and fighter planes)?
Chapter 25 OBJECTIVES: Chapter 25:4 o We will examine President Truman and the House of Representatives fight of Communism at home. o We will examine how domestic spy cases increased fears of communist influence in the U.S. government. o We will analyze the rise and fall of Senator Joseph McCarthy and examine his methods.
Rev_12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Cold War At Home The fear that Communists both outside and inside America were working to destroy American life created a reaction known as the Red Scare. This fear was not unique to the late 40s and 50s. There was a Red Scare after the Communist call for worldwide revolution in 1919-1920 after Russia fell to the Soviets.
Cold War At Home But this Red Scare went deeper and wider and lasted far longer than the earlier one. There was paranoia that Communists were everywhere even within the government. There were some American communists working as agents for the Soviets and a handful held high ranking government positions but almost overwhelmingly all workers were loyal to the U.S.
Cold War At Home Truman created the Federal Employee Loyalty Program in March 1947. The order permitted the FBI and other government security agencies to screen federal employees for signs of political disloyalty. Some 3,000 Federal Employees were either dismissed or resigned after investigation.
Cold War At Home The order also empowered the attorney general to compile a list of totalitarian, fascist or subversive organizations. The Truman administration also used the 1940 Smith Act, to cripple the Communist Party in the U.S. This act made it unlawful to teach or advocate the violent overthrow of the U.S. government.
Cold War At Home Congress joined the search for Communists. In 1938, the House of Representatives created the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) to investigate possible subversive activities of fascists, Nazis, or Communists.
Cold War At Home o They probed every aspect of American life and held several highly publicized hearings of Communist activity in the U.S. o The best known HUAC hearing targeted the move industry in 1947. o Where investigations uncovered people who were or had been communists during the 1930s and 1940s.
Cold War At Home o A group of left-wing writers, directors, and producers known as the Hollywood Ten refused to answer questions. o Asserting their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.
Cold War At Home The meetings were heated. After the hearings, the Hollywood Ten were cited for contempt of Congress and were tried, convicted, and sent to prison. Movie executives circulated a blacklist of entertainment figures who should not be hired because of their suspected Communist ties.
Cold War At Home o The careers of those on the list were shattered. o Not until Watkins v. United States (1957) did the Supreme Court decide that witnesses before the HUAC could not be forced to name radicals they knew.
Cold War At Home o This had a powerful impact on filmmaking. o Producers now concentrated only on entertainment rather than addressing sensitive social issues.
Freedom of Speech Takes A Hit Freedom of Speech was not guaranteed. Americans lost their jobs because they had belonged to or contributed to an organization on the Attorney General s list. Others were fired for associating with people who were known Communists or for making remarks that were considered disloyal.
Freedom of Speech Takes A Hit J. Robert Oppenheimer led the Manhattan Project in WWII and was the chairman of the General Advisory Committee of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). However Oppenheimer had ties to people who belonged to the Communist Party including his wife and brother. In 1954 AEC denied Oppenheimer access to classified information. There was no evidence that he was disloyal but it questioned whether his communist ties disqualified him from holding this position.
Spy Cases Worry Americans: Alger Hiss was educated at Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Law School. Hiss helped in several important New Deal Agencies and helped organize the UN. Whittaker Chambers was a communist spy agent but turned against it because of Stalin s brutal rule.
Spy Cases Worry Americans: In 1948, he testified in front of HUAC and named Hiss as one of his contacts. Hiss denied any association at the HUAC hearings. But Richard Nixon a young member of Congress from California convinced other members of the committee to press the case. Ultimately more evidence was found and Hiss was tried and finally convicted of perjury after a second trial. The fact that someone as influential as Hiss was a Communist agent raised serious concerns.
Spy Cases Worry Americans: A scientist named Klaus Fuchs was charged with sending atomic secrets to the Soviets. The investigation of Fuchs led to the arrest of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg in 1950. The Rosenbergs were charged with conspiring to pass secret information about nuclear science to soviet agents.
Spy Cases Worry Americans: Although they pleaded innocent citing they were accused because they were Jewish and held unpopular beliefs, they were executed by the electric chair in 1953. Many believe that this punishment was too harsh.
McCarthyism In February 1950, a little known senator from Wisconsin made a speech named Joseph R. McCarthy. He charged that the State Department was infested with Communist agents. He waved a piece of paper, which he said, contained the names of State Department Employees who were secretly Communists. He never gave their names.
McCarthyism At the time of the above speech, McCarthy was finishing his first term in the Senate. He had accomplished very little in that term and was looking for a popular issue on which to focus his 1952 reelection campaign. Anticommunism seemed to the issue and he was reelected.
McCarthyism In the following four years, McCarthy put forward his own brand of anticommunism so much so that the term McCarthyism became a catchword for extreme, reckless charges. By making irresponsible allegations, McCarthy did more to discredit legitimate concerns about domestic communism than any single American.
McCarthyism Between 1950 to 1954, McCarthy was perhaps the most powerful politician in the U.S. with his accusations holding so much weight that careers were destroyed. He even attacked former Secretary of State George Marshall.
McCarthyism In 1954, McCarthy went after the U.S. Army claiming it was full of Communists. Army leaders responded that these attacks were personally motivated. Senate decided to hold televised hearings to sort out the allegations.
McCarthyism For weeks, Americans were riveted to their television sets. Most were horrified by McCarthy s bullying tactics and his twist on truth. By the time the hearings ended in mid- June, the Senator had lost many of his strongest supporters.
McCarthyism The Senate formally censured or condemned him for his reckless accusations. Although McCarthy continued to serve in the Senate, he had lost all his influence and power. His downfall signaled the decline of the Red Scare. The nation had been damaged by suppression of free speech and by the lack of open, honest debate. However, Americans had come to realize how important their democratic institutions were and how critical it was to preserve them.
Discussion Question: o If you were living in the 1950s, how would you deal with the Red Scare? Would you side with personal liberty or would you favor the compromise of individual rights just to feel safe? o Do you think if a famous celebrity today supported a terrorist group by making songs or movies that supported their cause, should he or she be permitted to continue to be a celebrity/entertainer?