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The rise of Senator Joseph McCarthy

Joseph McCarthy had fought in World War Two. In 1946 he was elected to represent the Republican Party in the Senate. McCarthy became the leading voice of anti-communism. His campaign against suspected communists in the early 1950s became known as McCarthyism.

McCarthy secured his role at the centre of the anti-communist movement by claiming he had the names of over 200 communists working in the government. He was eventually only able to name 57 suspects. He gave these to the Senate, which had the power to use the House Un-American Activities Committee(HUAC) to investigate these people’s links to communism. Even though all the names were already known to the Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI), McCarthy’s claims strengthened his reputation as an anti-communist.

McCarthy was made the head of a White House committee to investigate suspected communists. In 1952 and 1953, he ruthlessly investigated anyone suspected of working against the USA by holding hearings in the Senate. These were reported on in the media. Many who complained about his methods were accused by McCarthy of being communist or un-American.

McCarthy’s ‘witch hunts’

As McCarthy’s influence increased, he turned to even more extreme tactics. For example, he attacked army generals and President Harry Truman in his speeches. The televised Army-McCarthy hearings lasted for 36 days. McCarthy and the HUAC accused and interviewed thousands of people, resulting in many being blacklisted from their careers. Journalists, actors and politicians were some of the groups targeted. After McCarthy had investigated them, their reputation as potential communist sympathisers made them unemployable.

McCarthy’s most high-profile target was General George Marshall, who was thought of as a hero in America for his efforts in World War Two. He had also been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to support Europe after 1945. McCarthy accused him of being part of a conspiracy against America. During his campaign to become president, the future president - Dwight D Eisenhower - chose not to defend Marshall in public, giving more credibility to McCarthy.

McCarthy’s efforts to find anyone linked to communism became known as the ‘witch hunts’. Over 100 university lecturers lost their jobs. Over 320 Hollywood actors were blacklisted, which meant they were not offered roles in the film industry.

Walt Disney was one of the leading voices to criticise communism. He refused to work with any suspected communist. He also gave the HUAC the names of former employees that he thought had links to communism.

McCarthyism’s impact on the media

Hollywood was consistently under investigation by the HUAC. Therefore, directors and actors made efforts to promote capitalist values in their work to try to win favour with the government. Films such as The War of the Worlds (1953) pushed an anti-Soviet message.

Some children's comic book heroes who had previously fought the Nazis during World War Two were reintroduced in the 1950s to take on America's new enemy, the communists.