Red Scare

The Red Scare might sound like a plague that hit medieval Europe back in the day. However, it was a plague of terror that struck the U.S. The Red Scare is the fear of communism and the fear that people might be promoting it. Of course, Communism and America does not mix very well. America made investigations in the film industry and ten directors did not answer questions that were asked to them. This caused them to be thrown in jail. President Truman questioned government officials to see if they were loyal or disloyal. Out of 3 million interrogated, 200 were found to be "disloyal." The Red Scare may have met its peak when Senator Joe McCarthy said there were 205 known Communists in the U.S. Department of State. He waved a list to a crowd once with the name of the known Communists. His spreading of fear was later called McCarthyism. Many fellow Senators viewed him as a joke and McCarthy was later proved wrong when there was no evidence that anyone in the U.S. Department of State were communists. McCarthy's popularity plummeted to an all time low. That is why it is called the Red Scare. If you mention the word Communist or Communism or say that guy is a communist, we all become paranoid and suspicious.