Question

There has not been a single country as of yet that has applied and exercised communism as expressed by Marx and Engles in The Communist Manifesto.They stress that genuine communism is a system where the majority of the people in a country democratically control all of the country's resources/wealth. Keeping this basic definition in mind, why do you think that so many countries - specifically the United States - went through a period of what in this country is referred to as the Red Scare? In your answer, define the Red Scare and briefly give 2-3 examples of how the Red Scare took its form in this country. Finally, discuss causes of the Red Scare - what is it about communism that is intimidating to some people?

Answer 1

During the time the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States intensified, the nationwide hysteria over the perceived threat posed by Communists in the U.S. became known as the Red Scare. An immediate effect of the Red Dcarw was noted in the political climate of the U.S., which began to turn increasingly conservative. Officials from both the parties aggressively displayed themselves as anticommunists and membership in leftist groups dropped. Questionable tactics began to be used to persecute suspected communist radicals, while free-speech rights of accused Communists became restricted.