McCarthyism

Who was Senator McCarthy?

Joseph McCarthy was a Republican senator from Wisconsin. From 1950 to 1954, he conducted a powerful campaign against alleged communists.

When was McCarthy active?

Joseph McCarthy was active between 1950 and 1954.

Why did people believe McCarthy?

McCarthy was helped by events outside America. China, for example, turned communist in 1949 and many people were fearful of a communist takeover. As a result McCarthy won a lot of support, with thousands attending his speeches and millions watching his television appearances.

How did McCarthy investigate people?

McCarthy used 2 main methods:

• ❖ McCarthy held public hearings where he used bullying and aggressive questioning to try and get people to confess.
• ❖ He attacked high-profile figures and anybody who spoke out against him was accused of being either a communist or a communist sympathiser.

What were the main events McCarthy was involved in?

Senator McCarthy was involved in 5 key events:

• ❖ In February 1950, he claimed to have a list containing the names of 205 Communist Party members who worked in the US government.
• ❖ Following this, the Tydings Committee investigated his claims.
• ❖ In January 1953, McCarthy was appointed chairman of the Operations of the Senate government committee by President Eisenhower.
• ❖ In 1954, his hearings on communist influence in the American army were televised.
• ❖ In March 1954, McCarthy was criticised on the Ed Murrow show because of hearings attacking the US Army.
• ❖ In December 1954, he was censured by the Senate for 'improper conduct'.

How many people did McCarthy accuse?

McCarthy claimed he had a list of 205 Communist Party members who worked in the US State Department. He later changed the figure to 57.

How were McCarthy's claims investigated?

There were 3 main events relating to the Tydings Committee:

• ❖ In February 1950, McCarthy's claims were investigated by the Tydings Committee led by Senator Tydings. The committee discovered his accusations to be false.
• ❖ Senator Tydings was accused of being 'un-American' and a communist sympathiser by McCarthy. McCarthy even created fake evidence against Tydings to discredit him.
• ❖ Tydings was not re-elected later that year.

How did McCarthy attack the US Army?

There were 3 key events that happened when McCarthy attacked the US Army:

• ❖ In autumn 1953, McCarthy led a new Senate sub-committee on communist influence in the US Army.
• ❖ When the televised hearings began, many were horrified at his bullying.
• ❖ The army also responded to his accusations by providing evidence which showed McCarthy had abused his position.

Why did people stop believing McCarthy?

There were 4 main reasons for McCarthy's downfall:

• ❖ In the autumn of 1953, McCarthy led an attack on the US Army which led to people criticising his actions.
• ❖ Vice-President Nixon criticised McCarthy's methods in a radio broadcast.
• ❖ In March 1954, broadcast journalist Ed Murrow did an episode of his popular weekly news show about McCarthy. Ed Murrow criticised him by using TV footage of his speeches and methods.
• ❖ In December 1954, McCarthy was censured by the Senate for 'improper conduct'.

When did McCarthy lose support?

In the mid-1950s, McCarthy's importance began to decline and he was widely criticised. He lost his power after he was censured by the Senate in December 1954.

What effect did McCarthy have on America?

America was affected in 2 main ways by McCarthy's actions:

• ❖ The lives of thousands of people who lost their jobs or had their careers destroyed by his allegations were ruined.
• ❖ McCarthyism affected nearly every American. Thousands reported people they suspected of being communists. Those who held different opinions or political ideas were accused of being communists by others, and fewer people joined trade unions.