McCarthyism is a term for the widespread accusations and investigations of suspected Communist activities in the United States during the 1950’s. The word came from the name of Senator Joseph R. McCarthy. McCarthy, a Wisconsin Republican, made numerous charges–usually with little evidence–that certain public officials and other individuals were Communists or cooperated with Communists.
McCarthyism developed during the Cold War, a period of great hostility between the Communist and non-Communist nations. In the late 1940’s and the 1950’s, a number of events related to this struggle alarmed and frustrated many Americans. For example, Communists took over Czechoslovakia and China. The Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb and equipped the North Korean Communist forces that invaded South Korea. This invasion touched off the Korean War (1950-1953).
Meanwhile, charges that Americans had served as Soviet spies received wide attention. Alger Hiss, a former official of the U.S. Department of State, was accused of giving government secrets to a Soviet spy during the 1930’s. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, an American couple, were convicted of passing military secrets to Soviet agents in the 1940’s. See Hiss, Alger ; Rosenberg, Julius and Ethel .
As Communism appeared more and more threatening, the federal government began to search for secret Communists among its employees. In 1947, President Harry S. Truman established agencies called loyalty boards to investigate federal workers. Truman ordered the dismissal of any government employee whose loyalty appeared questionable. That same year, the U.S. attorney general established a list of organizations that the Department of Justice considered disloyal. Government agencies used the list as a guide to help determine the loyalty of employees and of people seeking jobs.
McCarthy first gained national attention in 1950, when he charged that Communists dominated the State Department. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee investigated the department but found no Communists or Communist sympathizers there. Nevertheless, McCarthy made numerous additional accusations and gained many followers. He and other conservatives blamed many of the nation’s problems on the supposed secret presence of Communists in the government.
The accusations and investigations spread quickly and affected thousands of people. Librarians, college professors, entertainers, journalists, clergy, and others came under suspicion. Some firms blacklisted (refused to hire) people accused of Communist associations. Many employees, to keep their jobs, were required to take oaths of loyalty to the government. McCarthyism gradually declined after 1954. Among the factors that contributed to its decline were the end of the Korean War in 1953 and the condemnation of McCarthy by the Senate for conduct unbecoming a senator in 1954. In addition, from 1955 to 1958, the Supreme Court of the United States made a series of decisions that helped protect the rights of people accused of sympathizing with Communists. Today, the term McCarthyism is sometimes used to refer to reckless public accusations of disloyalty to the United States.
