MCarthyism
Joseph McCarthy (1908-1957) gave his name to one of the most destructive and controversial pathologies in U.S. political history. “McCarthyism” has become synonymous with reckless opportunism, cruel and baseless accusation, and bullying coercion. The way in which the word is used has changed since McCarthy’s brief time in the public eye, but it is still one of the dirtiest words in American politics. The term ‘Mcarthyism’, basically means baseless accusation in an oppressive atmosphere.
The main factors which caused society to adopt these values were fear, worries for their own reputation or career, and the attraction of someone who they believed brought safety, in this case McCarthy. Many Americans believed that communism was a real threat to the USA and in 1950 and 1951 the communist victories in Korea gave McCarthy a perfect excuse to stir up fear. McCarthy was also clever, he always attacked anybody that stood up to him and he tried to smear them as well. This meant that few people were prepared to stand up to him, not even President Truman. Finally, Many Americans believed that he was defending the country; they saw him as a crusader against communism.
People who didn’t adopt these values were aggressively interrogated, extensively investigated for communist ties, had their rights for free speech violated and in many cases their reputation was tarnished to the point where it ruined their lives.
A communist is an individual who believes in the
