Not to be confused with McCartney This would be Paul McCartney Yes one of the Beatles and beloved musical icon This is Senator Joseph McCarthy liar liar pants on fire and considered by some to be a general allround embarrassment to the United States ID: 627771
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Slide1
Joseph McCarthy
The Beginnings of the Cold WarSlide2
(Not to be confused with McCartney.)
This would be Paul
McCartney
( Yes, one of the Beatles.) and beloved musical icon. Slide3
This is Senator Joseph McCarthy- liar, liar pants on fire and considered by some to be a general all-’round embarrassment to the United States.Slide4
What is Communism?
Ideally, Communism is a type of government and philosophy. Its goal is to form a society where everything is shared equally. All people are treated equally and there is little private ownership. In a communist government, the government owns and controls most everything including property, means of production, education, transportation, and agriculture.
Issues arise when human nature gets involved.
Historically, most communist nations have twisted the philosophy for their own ends, resulting in poverty, loss of personal rights and religious freedom. Slide5
Early Years of the Cold War and the US
After WWII, there was a lot of tension between Russia and the US. Communist spies were found in prominent places in the United States’ Government.This sparked a fear of anything that was Communist- whether it was from Cuba, the Soviet Union, or China.
After Senator McCarthy’s witch hunt, further tension escalated with the development of the hydrogen bomb and the Space RaceSlide6
FreeWrite
(aka the part where Mrs. W sees what you actually remember from US History.)
Pick two and write a short paragraph about what you know.
What
are the origins of the U.S.-Soviet rivalry
?
How
do wartime allies become post-war enemies
?
Who was Senator Joseph McCarthy? Slide7
Background on Senator McCarthy
In 1950, Joseph McCarthy was a little known Senator from Wisconsin
He quit his job as a judge and after a very short stint in the military during WWII, used his active service to further his political career.
On
Feb. 12, 1950, McCarthy gives a speech in West Virginia where he held up a list of 205
“members”
of the
Communist
Party that were working and shaping policy in the State DepartmentSlide8
The early years of the Cold War provided a perfect stage for McCarthy dominated by anti-communist fears and tensions
.
In 1949, China (and 1/5 of the world’s population became a Communist state.Slide9
McCarthy said that the country faced a threat from “a conspiracy on a scale so immense as to dwarf any previous such venture in the history of
man.”McCarthy is reelected as Senator and worked for the next four years to root out the communist menace he said existed in government, entertainment industry and education.Slide10Slide11
A member of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)
An endless parade of suspected “Communists” were called to testify before the committee, each was asked “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?”If a witness refused to testify, they were called “Fifth Amendment Communists;”
others
were simply
guilty by association
.
This was problematic as once one were branded as a Communist, neighbors, bosses, etc. began to distrust you.Slide12
McCarthy’s
favorite targets were writers, actors and producers
In
1946, the Republican Party proclaimed that Americans had the choice between C
ommunism
and Republicanism.Slide13
Hollywood ten
10 prominent Hollywood screenwriters and directors received jail sentences and were banned from working in the business. These men not only refused to cooperate with the investigation but denounced the HUAC anti-communist hearings as an outrageous violation of their civil
rights
Their argument- the First
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave them the right to belong to any political organization they chose.
Some
compared the committee’s coercive methods and intimidating tactics to the oppressive measures enacted in Nazi Germany. Slide14
Many
of the Hollywood Ten writers continued producing screenplays under assumed names after they were blacklisted. Using the pseudonym Robert Rich, Dalton Trumbo penned the script for "The Brave One," which earned an Academy Award for Best Screenplay in 1957.Slide15
Imprisoned and BlacklistedThe Hollywood Ten paid a high price for their actions at the HUAC hearings.
In November 1947, they were cited for contempt of Congress. Each man was found guilty and sentenced to spend a year in prison and pay a $1,000 fine.
While
in prison, one member of the group, Edward
Dmytryk
, decided
to “cooperate” with the government. In 1951, he testified at a HUAC hearing and provided the names of more than 20 industry colleagues he claimed were communists.Slide16Slide17
Fear of spies and the actual revealing that information was being passed to the Soviet Union. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted and executed in 1953 for treason based on spy activity.Slide18
Hysteria and paranoia of Communism and McCarthyism permeated American society and culture during much of the 1950’s.
In 1954, the Congress passed the Communism Control Act. Supported by both Democrats and Republicans, made membership in the Communist party illegal.Slide19
Despite all the hysteria, McCarthy never proved his conspiracy charges. Not a single conspirator was found.
His support waned as his accusations proved to be empty.
McCarthy finally reached too far when he attacked the U.S. Army for sheltering communists. McCarthy shouted to a general: “You are a disgrace to the uniform. You’re shielding communist conspirators…You’re not fit to be an officer. You’re ignorant”.Slide20Slide21Slide22Slide23Slide24
Finally after disgracing generals, congressmen and even President Eisenhower, the senate passed a vote of censure against McCarthy in 1954.
He died of liver failure three years later.