The Red Scare Cold War was a pivotal moment in United States history, as it marked a time of great political and social upheaval. The Red Scare was a time of fear and paranoia, as the United States government and its citizens attempted to root out socialist and communist ideologies across the country. The Cold War, which spanned roughly from the end of World War II in 1945 to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, was characterized by a period of intense rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Red Scare originated during this time and was driven by fears of communism taking root in the United States. The Red Scare took place in two distinct phases. The first phase occurred in the years immediately following World War II. …show more content…
It created an atmosphere of fear and mistrust, where people were afraid to speak out or take a stand for fear of being labeled a communist sympathizer. This had a chilling effect on free speech and political discourse, as people were afraid to voice their opinions or engage in political debate. “American strategy became consumed with thwarting Russian power and the concomitant global spread of communism. Foreign policy officials increasingly opposed all insurgencies or independence movements that could in any way be linked to international communism. The Soviet Union, too, was attempting to sway the world. Stalin and his successors pushed an agenda that included not only the creation of Soviet client states in Eastern and Central Europe, but also a tendency to support leftwing liberation movements everywhere, particularly when they espoused anti-American sentiment. As a result, the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) engaged in numerous proxy wars in the Third World.” (Locke and