Apush Essay- 1950's Was an Era of Complancency
“The 1950’s were an era of conformity and complacency.” Give reasons for either agreeing or disagreeing with this statement.
The statement, “The 1950’s were an era of conformity and complacency”, is untrue to a certain extent. Though it is true that the post WWII America has the highest standard of living that no other countries can match, the 1950s, backed by the Second Red Scare, really had been a time period of tension and anti-communism.
The 1950s, inspired by the Soviet nuclear spying and aggression, starts off with the 2nd Red scare during Truman’s second term. During the second Red Scare, the entire nation holds itself in a great panic attack in search for Soviet infiltration in the American Government. Famous organization, HUAC (House of Un-American Activities Committee), was known for looking for communist influence in diverse organization, “blacklisting” the careers of those who are suspected or accused, making it a controversial violation of the 1st amendment. Another famous case of the Red scare would be the ventures of Joseph McCarthy. The supposed name holder of over 200 communist spies in the US government, McCarthy rode a wave of anti-Communist fear, tirelessly trying to discredit Truman administration and the Democrats. Numerous accused spy cases across America fed the panic that was driving the American public out of control. Court cases such as the Alger Hiss Case, and the Rosenberg Case fed into the public hysteria of anti-communism feelings.
Besides the fear for Communism, the Cold war itself was advancing through the 50s. By 1949, China’s ugly civil war resulted in the victory of the Communist Party, dubbed as “The Loss of China” by eager republicans trying to attack Democrats. By the start of the 1950s, the Korean War came immediately, following suite with the Chinese Civil war. From WWII, the Koreas had decided to separate at the 38th parallel. However, North Korea launches its surprise attack in attempt to unify the country
The statement, “The 1950’s were an era of conformity and complacency”, is untrue to a certain extent. Though it is true that the post WWII America has the highest standard of living that no other countries can match, the 1950s, backed by the Second Red Scare, really had been a time period of tension and anti-communism.
The 1950s, inspired by the Soviet nuclear spying and aggression, starts off with the 2nd Red scare during Truman’s second term. During the second Red Scare, the entire nation holds itself in a great panic attack in search for Soviet infiltration in the American Government. Famous organization, HUAC (House of Un-American Activities Committee), was known for looking for communist influence in diverse organization, “blacklisting” the careers of those who are suspected or accused, making it a controversial violation of the 1st amendment. Another famous case of the Red scare would be the ventures of Joseph McCarthy. The supposed name holder of over 200 communist spies in the US government, McCarthy rode a wave of anti-Communist fear, tirelessly trying to discredit Truman administration and the Democrats. Numerous accused spy cases across America fed the panic that was driving the American public out of control. Court cases such as the Alger Hiss Case, and the Rosenberg Case fed into the public hysteria of anti-communism feelings.
Besides the fear for Communism, the Cold war itself was advancing through the 50s. By 1949, China’s ugly civil war resulted in the victory of the Communist Party, dubbed as “The Loss of China” by eager republicans trying to attack Democrats. By the start of the 1950s, the Korean War came immediately, following suite with the Chinese Civil war. From WWII, the Koreas had decided to separate at the 38th parallel. However, North Korea launches its surprise attack in attempt to unify the country