In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s American’s were very scared that communism would influence our country. This period of time was referred to as ‘the second red scare’. Americans had seen the way that Russia had been transformed by communism, and did not want their country to undergo the same changes. Communism was a scary concept at the time, and it was something that we as a country definitely did not want any part of.…
1. The two Red Scares The Red Scare refers to two distinctions of anti-Communism sentiment in the US, it resulted from the fear of spreading communism during the early and middle 20th century. The First Red Scare occurred during 1919-1920, the Second Red Scare lasted for decades after World War II. According to Fitzpatrick (2009), during the World War I period, the US Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer and Rising Justice Department star J. Edgar Hoover began to take on a “red menace” to radicals, anarchists and Bolsheviks, and by 1920, they had arrested up to 10,000 alleged subversives. The American fears of the Communist world seemed to be endless in the 20s century, the tensions between the two main powers also kept highly tight all the way. When time went to the post-WWII era, a newly hysteric period came together. With the reorganization of Western power and through various issues like Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, NATO, the Korean War, HUAC and McCarthyism, the post-war world more seemed like an peaceful underway battle, between the two super powers: the United States and the Soviet Union. After the Cold War time, scholars’ opinions on the Cold War and general Red Scare had changed a lot, which can be roughly divided into 3 different stages. At the offset scholars tended to believe that America’s involvement in the armament competition and conflict was imposed by Communist pressure generated by Soviet Union and other Communist force in the world. In the middle stage, scholars began to change their mind and to believe that all the things the US did is to display its power other than anything else. When stepping into the 1990s and 21th century, academic views became more rational to rethink that the Red Scare and Cold War could not only be owed to each of the US or SU, it’s more complicated than what people thought before, both of them were to some extent drifted into the Cold War under a large scale international diplomatic…
Many results of the Cold War came that the American people feared in the aftermath of the Second World War according to Eisenhower in a press conference in 1954. The American public feared the Soviets for many reasons. On one hand the Soviets had nuclear technology and on the other their communist government frightened the American people as stated by John Foster Dulles. Because at this time China was becoming Communist as well The fear of the American public increased, however President Eisenhower addressed these fears with the safety of the American people in mind. Eisenhower made many of his decisions based on the input of others which made him a very popular president. Eisenhower's plan for communism, as drastic as it was, became one of his administration's most decisive and efficient policy.…
Life in America during the 1950 's was often described as somewhat sterile, orderly, and convenient.The media made this time period out to look like families were happy and joyous , when in reality it was time of stressed out families in the pursuit of the suburban dream life. The children of these families began to reject the lifestyles and values that their parents lead. As these children matured the 60 's began and this was the beginning of the counterculture movement. These children matured and began to make their own counter culture, consisting of sex, drugs, and rock 'n ' roll. The violence in Vietnam inspired these kids. They grew tired of it and wanted to spread peace and love. These times were characterized by passionate idealists seeking peace and a more loving world, dangerous radicals fomenting revolution, as well as non-conformists refusing to live by the laws in America. Some of these people were on ending the Vietnam war, Civil rights, or starting…
This new younger generation was not pleased with how things worked during their parents’ time. In order to create change the youth of the 1960’s created a “counter culture”. Ideally, discarding the beliefs of America and the general society. With this being said, these young adults did not grow up in hardship. They were given every opportunity from their parents, including an expensive education at a university.…
The 1960s was a severely changing time in the US. The 1960s has shaped the way the US is today. It was a very changing time period because of many reasons, such as the hippie movement, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the creation of children’s toys, but one main event that occurred in the 60s was racism. Racism in the 1960s was a huge problem between whites and colored people for years. Propaganda was the main reason; prejudice commercials, sperate water fountains, restrooms, and buildings. People such as Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister who became a civil rights activist tried to bring black and whites together by broadcasting speeches to the public ("blogspot.com").…
In chapter 11 & 12, Painter discusses the rise of the Cold War between the United States and U.S.S.R. in the late 1940s and 1950s. This lead to mass anti-communist hysteria and social paranoia about anything that appeared to be supported by the Soviet Union. Ironically, during this time, one correct and important contradiction the Russians would point out was the problem of the U.S. calling itself a "democracy" when most African Americans were denied civil and human rights. For this writing prompt, I want you to discuss (in your own words) what effects Painter suggests the Cold War and anti-communism had specifically on Black civil rights and culture in the late 1940s and early 1950s.…
The United States during the 1950s can be characterized by mass conformity. The nation was unified through the vast prosperity of the economic boom that resulted from WWII. The post-war period featured a nation of citizens sharing similar accomplishments, ideals, and lifestyles. The nation was comprised of myriad families cut from the same cookie-cutter shape. Few chose to challenge the demands of the conformed society. Among the opponents of society were youth and Civil Rights activists, who expressed and represented their demographic through practices that would shock and alienate them from the nation.…
African Americans in America in history have gone through many hard times trying to just progress out of slavery and obtain freedom and have equal rights. In this paper I will attempt to explain what some of the important events of the time revealed about the role of African Americans in broader American society in, respectively, the 1920s and the late 1960s. I will explain how and why the roles of African Americans in the 1920s differed from their roles in the late 1960s, and explain how events in the 1920s may have contributed to developments in the latter decade.…
The Black Panther party was a political party founded in 1966. The operations were ceased in 1982. The Black Panther Party was a Black Power organization who formed the party for self defense. The Black Panther party wanted freedom and power for the African American race. Their strong socialist and communist ideas lead them to believe that violence was the only way to achieve their goal of growth, equality, and well being for African Americans.…
During the early 1960’s, America was going through difficult and frightening times. Our Nation was then deeply involved with the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the United States and the USSR to the verge of nuclear disaster. Even former President at the time, Eisenhower, warned of the dangers our country could embark. There were many student movements and protests that started movements that showed Americans wanting to create a new America. Citizens challenged the normal lifestyles and institutions, in hoping to change America, in hopes what would lead to withdrawal from the war in Vietnam. These protesters showed their views on materialism, lifestyles, and the path to success in society, and what they wanted to change. The idealism our country had during this time, showed that dramatic challenges and obstacles had taken place. America’s most popular and iconic citizens stepped up a lot during this time, in hopes of having a strong impact of inspiration for Americans. The Cold War was one of the most devastated times for our country due to the fact that it led people to think that this was the start of the failure of the American Dream. The nation needed something that showed rebellion against the country, other than just the words spoken from the government.…
The climate of fear in the 1950’s of communism in the United States was in part caused by the effects of the Korean War. The Korean War was one of several military conflicts that occurred during the Cold War, as the United States and its allies attempted to stop the spread of communism. The Korean War was the direct result of the splitting of Korea after WWII into two zones, the communist North, and the democratic South. The United States feared the spreading of communism because America was just coming out of WWII and saw the Soviet Union emerging as a super power. If Communist forces were allowed to expand their power it is said that it may create a domino effect which was a theory in the 1950’s that speculated…
* Late 1960s counter culture and how the Black Panther Party reflected the change from nonviolence to violence of the culture…
With increased US involvement in foreign affairs and the containment of communism, the US gained a new identity as a world power. Early in the cold war, Americans and President Truman were confident that they could win the cold war and stop communism (Document 3). America developed a new fear of communism which led to a second Red Scare and a new fear of nuclear warfare because of new technological…
After the Second World War, many Americans feared the spread of communism to the Americas, which led to the Second Red Scare. Eisenhower understood the fear American citizens felt and realized the possibility of hysterical reactions. (Doc A) Eisenhower’s understanding would help his administration destroy American fear of communism and maintain peace in the U.S. As the…