MCCARTHY’S DOWNFALL
Finally, in
1954, McCarthy made accusations
against the U.S. Army, which resulted in
a nationally televised Senate investiga-
tion. McCarthy’s bullying of witnesses
alienated the audience and cost him
public support. The Senate condemned
him for improper conduct that “tended
to bring the Senate into dishonor and
disrepute.” Three years later, Joseph
McCarthy, suffering from alcoholism,
died a broken man.
OTHER ANTI-COMMUNIST MEASURES
Others besides Joseph McCarthy made it
their mission to root communism out of
American society. By 1953, 39 states had
passed laws making it illegal to advocate
the violent overthrow of the government,
even though such laws clearly violated
the constitutional right of free speech.
Across the nation, cities and towns passed
similar laws.
At times, the fear of communism seemed to have no limits. In Indiana, pro-
fessional wrestlers had to take a loyalty oath. In experiments run by newspapers,
pedestrians on the street refused to sign petitions that quoted the Declaration of
Independence because they were afraid the ideas were communist. The govern-
ment investigated union leaders, librarians, newspaper reporters, and scientists. It
seemed that no profession was safe from the hunt for Communists.
Cold War Conflicts 827
•HUAC
•Hollywood Ten
•blacklist
•Alger Hiss
•Ethel and Julius Rosenberg
•Joseph McCarthy
•McCarthyism
1. TERMS & NAMES For each term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance.
MAIN IDEA
2. TAKING NOTES
Re-create the web below on your
paper and fill in events that illustrate
the main idea in the center.
Which event had the greatest impact
on the country?
CRITICAL THINKING
3. HYPOTHESIZING
If you had lived in this period and
had been accused of being a
Communist, what would you have
done? Think About:
• the Hollywood Ten, who refused
to answer questions
• the Rosenbergs, who pleaded
the Fifth Amendment
4. ANALYZING MOTIVES
Choose one of the following roles:
Harry Truman, a member of HUAC,
Judge Irving Kaufman, or Joseph
McCarthy. As the person you have
chosen, explain your motivation for
opposing communism.
5. ANALYZING VISUAL SOURCES
What does this cartoon suggest
about McCarthy’s downfall?
Causes and Effects of McCarthyism
Causes
• Soviets successfully establish Communist regimes in
Eastern Europe after World War II.
• Soviets develop the atomic bomb more quickly than
expected.
• Korean War ends in a stalemate.
• Republicans gain politically by accusing Truman and
Democrats of being soft on communism.
Effects
• Millions of Americans are forced to take loyalty oaths
and undergo loyalty investigations.
• Activism by labor unions goes into decline.
• Many people are afraid to speak out on public issues.
• Anti-communism continues to drive U.S. foreign policy.
SKILLBUILDER Interpreting Charts
1.
How did world events help lead to McCarthyism?
2.
How did McCarthyism affect the behavior of
individual Americans?
Anti-Communist fear
gripped the country.
Skillbuilder
Answers
1. Soviet domi-
nation of
Eastern Europe
and Soviet
development of
the bomb
heightened fear
of communism.
2. McCarthyism
led to required
loyalty oaths,
hesitancy to
speak out on
public issues,
and decreased
activism by
labor unions.