The RED SCARE! [APUSH Review Unit 8 Topic 3] Period 8: 1945-1980

Summary

In this video on the RED SCARE, Heimler's History takes us through the domestic efforts by the United States to combat the influence of communism after World War II. The Red Scare, particularly during the period known as McCarthyism, led to actions such as loyalty oaths, the establishment of the Un-American Activities Committee, and high-profile espionage cases like the Rosenbergs. The fervor to identify communists permeated various spheres, including labor unions and Hollywood, significantly impacting American society and contributing to Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union.

Highlights

• Discovery of the second Red Scare post-WWII, aimed at exterminating communist influence in the U.S. 🇺🇸
• Key legislative acts like the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required political loyalty oaths. 📜
• The Un-American Activities Committee targeted Hollywood, leading to the Hollywood Ten's blacklisting. 🎞️
• Senator Joseph McCarthy became infamous for his unsubstantiated claims about communists infiltrating the government. 📢
• The Rosenberg trial underscored the extreme measures and paranoia of the era. 📖

Key Takeaways

• The Red Scare led to strict measures to eliminate communist influence in the U.S. 🇺🇸
• The Taft-Hartley Act and loyalty programs forced workers and federal employees to denounce communism. 🛡️
• McCarthyism fueled paranoia about widespread communist infiltration in America. 🌐
• The Hollywood Ten faced severe consequences for alleged communist ties. 🎬
• The espionage case of the Rosenbergs highlighted the fear and extreme measures taken against communists. ⚡

Overview

After World War II, the U.S. was gripped by the second Red Scare, driven by fears of Soviet communism infiltrating American life. The federal government initiated widespread actions to root out communists, most notably among labor unions and federal employees. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to disavow communist connections, illustrating the extent to which paranoia influenced domestic policy.

Hollywood was another significant target during the Red Scare, as the House Un-American Activities Committee focused on the entertainment industry. Prominent figures, later known as the Hollywood Ten, faced accusations of promoting communist ideology, resulting in blacklisting and prison sentences for many. This period also witnessed the rise of Senator Joseph McCarthy, whose claims of communist infiltration in the government sparked further national hysteria, despite his ultimate inability to substantiate such claims.

The infamous espionage case of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg further exemplified the extreme actions taken against suspected communists. Accused of passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, the couple's trial and execution highlighted the intensity and often severe consequences of the Red Scare. Throughout this period, American society was left significantly altered, with increased Cold War tensions and a lingering atmosphere of distrust and fear.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:00: Introduction to the Red Scare This chapter introduces the concept of the Red Scare in the United States, focusing on its domestic impact during the post-World War II era. It aims to explain the causes and effects of the Red Scare, ensuring that readers do not confuse this period with the earlier Red Scare during World War I. The video mentioned in the transcript is part of a broader educational series on American history, particularly focusing on efforts to contain communism both internationally and at home.
• 01:00 - 02:00: Efforts to Root Out Communism in Labor Unions and Government The chapter discusses the efforts to eliminate communism within labor unions and the government in the United States after World War II, during the period known as the Second Red Scare. It highlights the fear of Soviet communism and how the U.S. aimed to combat its influence globally and domestically. The campaign against communism required individuals, particularly those in labor unions and government, to show loyalty to the U.S. and prove they were not communists. One of the first legislative responses to this anti-communist sentiment was the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947.
• 02:00 - 03:00: HUAC and Hollywood Blacklist The chapter discusses the impact of massive labor union strikes across the United States, highlighting how these events influenced new regulations that made striking more difficult for workers. Union leaders were required to affirm their non-affiliation with the Communist Party. Additionally, President Truman's executive order established the Federal Employee Loyalty and Security Program, necessitating that federal employees declare they were neither communists nor fascists. The order also included provisions for federal investigations into the political ties of federal workers. The environment intensified with the creation of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), marking a heightened scrutiny of political affiliations.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Senator Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism The chapter on 'Senator Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism' discusses the actions of a committee in the House of Representatives that actively sought out communist influence within American society, with a spotlight on Hollywood. Amidst the fear that the film industry could be a medium for communists to propagate their ideas, ten prominent Hollywood directors, known as the 'Hollywood 10', were accused of communism in 1947. When summoned to testify before Congress, they refused, leading to them being held in contempt of Congress and receiving short prison sentences.
• 04:00 - 05:00: The Rosenberg Case The chapter discusses the impact of the Hollywood blacklisting during the era of McCarthyism, where individuals suspected of communist ties were barred from working in the industry. It highlights the rise of Senator Joseph McCarthy, whose 1950 speech claimed there were 205 communists in the State Department, propelling him to national prominence and fueling widespread paranoia about communist infiltration in American society.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Effects of the Red Scare The chapter titled 'Effects of the Red Scare' discusses the impact of Senator Joseph McCarthy's claims about communists infiltrating the government during the Red Scare period. Initially, McCarthy alleged there were many secret communists, later reducing the number to 57. This period became known as McCarthyism due to the heightened fear and paranoia. Despite his accusations, McCarthy never provided concrete evidence nor did he make any names public. Under pressure to prove his claims, the Senate conducted hearings. McCarthy failed to substantiate his allegations, leading the Senate to censure him.
• 06:00 - 07:00: Conclusion and Additional Resources In the chapter titled 'Conclusion and Additional Resources,' the discussion centers around the intense scrutiny and efforts to identify and eliminate communist influences in the United States during the Cold War era. A key example highlighted is the case of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Accused of espionage, they were suspected of passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, prompted by the belief that the Soviets' development of an atomic bomb was expedited through stolen U.S. scientific information. This case encapsulates the fear and suspicion prevalent at the time, reflecting the broader societal and national security tensions of the period.

The RED SCARE! [APUSH Review Unit 8 Topic 3] Period 8: 1945-1980 Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 hey there and welcome back to homeless history now we've been going through unit eight of the ap us history curriculum and in the last video we talked about u.s efforts to contain communism on the international stage and in this video we're going to look at how the u.s tried to ferret out communism at home so if you're ready to get them brain cows milk mccarthy style then let's get to it so in order to organize ourselves in this video let's set up our learning objectives straight away explain the causes and effects of the red scare after world war ii okay so when we're talking about the red scare don't get it confused with the red scare we talked about during world war one apparently americans were very scared of
• 00:30 - 01:00 red because what we're talking about here is the second red scare just after world war ii now red refers to soviet communism and while the united states did its fighting best to contain communism around the world there was also a massive push to root it out at home as well the first set of efforts came in labor unions and the federal government and basically required people to pledge loyalty to the united states and swear that they were not communists the first illustration of this trend came in the taft-hartley act of 1947. this act was passed in response to
• 01:00 - 01:30 massive waves of labor union strikes across the nation and it basically made it more difficult for workers to strike additionally union leaders were made to pledge that they were not members of the communist party in the federal government you had the federal employee loyalty and security program which was an executive order from truman passed in that same year not only did federal employees have to swear that they were not communist or fascist the order also made provisions for federal investigations into the political affiliations of federal workers and then the heat got cranked way up with the formation of the un-american activities
• 01:30 - 02:00 committee in the house of representatives which began searching for communist influence in every crack of american society most notably in hollywood anti-communist representatives especially feared the burgeoning film industry as a place where communists could go and spread their message to the wider american public in 1947 10 prominent hollywood directors who became known as the hollywood 10 were singled out as communist and were summoned to testify in congress about their obvious and filthy communism they refused to go and were held in contempt of congress which earned them short prison sentences
• 02:00 - 02:30 and a spot on the hollywood blacklist which meant that they could not find work in the industry again since we're turning up the heat why don't we go ahead and talk about everyone's favorite communist hunter senator joseph mccarthy he gave a speech in 1950 in which he claimed to have the names of 205 known communists that had infiltrated the state department and that hurled him into american prominence communists in the state department 205 communists in the state department like it boggled the mind and that had the effect of making everyone think that american society was
• 02:30 - 03:00 crawling with secret communists now later mccarthy claimed that the real number was only 57 but the damage had already been done in fact the red scare was so exacerbated by mccarthy that this phenomenon is often referred to as mccarthyism so did mccarthy ever make those names public well no and under the mounting pressure to actually prove these claims the senate held meetings to give mccarthy the chance to show that he was peddling more than a conspiracy theory however as you might have guessed he was unable to do so and thus the senate voted to censure him and his
• 03:00 - 03:30 meteoric rise into the spotlight was matched by a precipitous and disgraceful decline okay one last illustration of the effort to weed out communists in the united states was the rosenberg case on august 29 1949 the soviet union tested its first atomic bomb and many americans were convinced that there was no way that they could have developed it without stealing scientific information from the united states and one couple by the names of julius and ethel rosenberg were accused of being involved in the espionage that resulted in said stolen plans and it was a good fit because they were members of the communist party and
• 03:30 - 04:00 so the united states government went ahead and executed them in the electric chair in 1953. now i don't know if such harsh measures were justified but subsequent research has concluded that at least julius was a soviet spy so you know so in the end the effects of the red scare were pervasive thanks to anti-communist federal laws and a general fear amongst ordinary americans that communists were everywhere the freedom of labor unions was suppressed hollywood directors were out of work and in general the cold war tension increased between the soviet union and the united states okay that's what you need to know about unit eight topic
• 04:00 - 04:30 three of the apus history curriculum and there are more videos for you today right here and if you need help getting an a in your class and a five on your exam in may then you can view packet right here i hope you were helped by this video and you might want to subscribe if you're not already heimler out