Second Red Scare Essay

The Red Scare in the United States instilled fear among many Americans in the 20th century. The first Red Scare started in 1917 when the communists took over Russia during the Russian Revolution. It died out in 1920 after no communist uprising began. The second communist uprising began in the late 1940s when Wisconsin Senator Joe McCarthy claimed to have a list of communists working in the American government. Joe McCarthy brought the fear of a communist uprising back into America. The fear of communism pushed the United States into the Korean War to stop the spread of communism. The Second Red Scare stimulated American support of the Korean War, as the fear of communist uprising intensified. As a result, the changes in U.S. foreign policy

The threat of Greece and Turkey falling to communism was a great fear in the U.S. government because of the Domino Theory. The Domino Theory was the idea that if Greece and Turkey were to fall to communism then the Middle East and perhaps Europe would also fall. The only way to stop the Domino Theory was for active U.S. intervention in the World. During the Truman Doctrine speech, President Truman said in his speech that the United States needs to help the “free peoples of the world” otherwise “we may endanger the peace of the world—and we shall surely endanger the welfare of our own nation”(Edwards, Congress and the Origins of the Cold War). President Truman’s speech had a huge impact on U.S. foreign policy for the next 40 years as the U.S. continued to intervene in other places such as Korea and Vietnam. Truman received criticism from some politicians as they said he would cause war. “Some also feared that it would lead to a complete break-down in relations with the Soviet Union or even war” (Frazier 4). These criticisms caused a division in the government of whether or not to intervene in the world. Many politicians in the U.S. government did not want to get involved in international affairs because of the fear of war. Joe McCarthy caused further division in the government when he stated: “While I cannot take the time to name all the men in the State Department who have been named as members of the Communist Party and members of a spy ring, I have here in my hand a list of 205.” (Senate.gov). With this statement, Joe McCarthy created the second Red Scare. This red scare was unique in a way that united the nation to intervene in Korea to stop communism while also causing discourse in the government. McCarthy’s accusations were later to be proven false leading to a downcline of the red scare. In 1949, the Soviets successfully tested their first atomic bomb. The new