Tension and Fear Cold War Continues

Tension and FearCold War ContinuesFear of Communist Influence at HomeLoyalty Review BoardPart of executive order issued by Truman March 1947 which set up the Federal Employee Loyalty ProgramPurpose: investigate government employees, dismiss those found to be disloyalHouse Un-American Activities CommitteeInvestigate Communist influences in movie industryHollywood Ten: did not cooperate in hearings, believed unconstitutionalBlacklist: list of people Hollywood executives condemned for having Communist backgroundMcCarran Act1950: unlawful to plan any action that might lead to the establishment of totalitarian dictatorship in the USSpy CasesAlger Hiss1948: former communist spy accused Hiss of spying for Soviet Union Richard Nixon pursued charges against HissEthel and Julius RosenburgSept 3, 1949: Americans learn Soviet Union exploded an atomic bomb1950: German-born physicist Klaus Fuchs admitted giving Soviet Union information about atomic bombRosenburgs implicated in case, minor activists in American Communist Party

Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-WI)

1950: after 3 years in office, reputation of being ineffective; needed a winning issue in order to be reelected 1952McCarthyism: unfair tactic of accusing people of disloyalty without providing evidenceClaimed to have names of Communists in the State Department; however, unable to produce a single nameDownfall: 1954 accusations against US ArmyTelevised hearings showed McCarthy bulling witnesses; alienated audiences and lost public support

Causes and Effects of McCarthyismCausesEffectsSoviets successfully establish Communist regimes in Easter Europe after WWIISoviets develop the atomic bomb more quickly than expectedKorean War ends in stalemateRepublicans gain politically by accusing Truman and Democrats of being soft on communismMillions of Americans are forced to take loyalty oaths and undergo loyalty investigationsActivism by labor unions goes into declineMany people are afraid to speak out on public issuesAnti-communism continues to drive US foreign policyUS Policy - BrinkmanshipH-bomb: November 1, 1952 US wins race to explode first; Soviet Union successfully exploded their own August 1953Brinkmanship: President Eisenhower and secretary of state John Foster DullesPrevent spread of communism by promising to use all its forces (including nuclear) against any aggressor nationExpansion of air force and buildup of nuclear weaponsArms RaceScientific achievements; shadow of impending nuclear holocaust during 1950sDrain national economies and instilled fear in people around worldMisunderstanding and mistrust; Americans build bomb shelters, air-raid drillsCold War Spreads Around the WorldFormation of the CIA use spies to gather information abroad, carry out covert operations to weaken or overthrow governments unfriendly to USWarsaw Pact: military alliance between Soviet Union and seven Eastern European countriesPrior to, tensions seemed to be thawing death of Stalin (Krushchev to power), recognition of West GermanyHowever, 1955 West Germany allowed to rearm and join NATOEisenhower Doctrine (January 1957): US would defend Middle East against attack by any communist countryU-2 incident: CIA secret high-altitude flights over Soviet territorySoviet Union shot down U2 and recovered evidence that US had been spying1960s beings with renewed tension between superpowers