GCSE history: A Divided Union: Civil Rights in the USA, 1945–74
The Red Scare + McCarthyism
1940s
• 6, 9 Aug 1945- US atomic bombs on Japan
• 1947- HUAC begin public hearings
• Mar 1947- J Edgar Hoover’s FBI set up Federal Loyalty Boards
o 1947-51- 3 million gov workers investigated- 3000 fired/ forced to resign
• Mar 1947- Truman Doctrine (help country resisting takeover) & Marshall Plan
(recommend spend $12 billion- Stalin block Czechoslovakia accept aid)
• From Oct 1947- HUAC called 41 writers, producers, directors for questioning-
investigate communism in Hollywood- 19 named communists- public hearings
o 10 pleaded 1st Amendment- jailed for 1yr for contempt & blacklisted
o Charlie Chaplin comic actor appear before HUAC- public rep damaged,
denied reentry visa to US after trip abroad- Switzerland
• Jun 1948- Berlin Blockade- block all road, rail, canal supply lines into W Berlin-
supplies by aircraft
o Cost US $350 million (food shortage- enough for 36 days)
o May 1949- Stalin reopened supply lines
• Aug 1949- USSR successfully test atomic bomb
• 1949- Chinese communists overthrow gov (Mao Zedong)
1950s
• Jan 1950- Alger Hiss sentenced to 5yrs perjury (state department- spy- leak info to
USSR)
• 1950-53- Korean War
• Aug 1950- McCarran Act- all communist organisations register with gov
o 1952- strengthened- no US passports, if war-any suspected of ‘subversion’
detained indefinitely without trial
• 9 Feb 1950- McCarthy speech claim list of 205 members of communist party working
in state department- reduced 57
• Feb 1950- McCarthy's claims investigated by the Tydings Committee led by Senator
Tydings (democrat)- discovered accusations to be false- ‘un-American’- not re-
elected
o 1952 presidential election campaign- Republicans support/ encourage
McCarthy- attack Democrats- fuel partisan divide
• Jan 1953- Truman-> Eisenhower President
• Jan 1953- McCarthy chair of senate permanent subcommittee on investigations
• Apr-Jun 1954- McCarthy’s hearings against army broadcast on TV bully witnesses
(General Marshall- WW2 hero) 20 million views
o Criticism by Joseph Welch (Army Counsel)
• 9 Mar 1954- Ed Murrow’s ‘See it Now’ TV documentary- heavily criticised
McCarthy- expose claims as baseless
The Red Scare + McCarthyism
1940s
• 6, 9 Aug 1945- US atomic bombs on Japan
• 1947- HUAC begin public hearings
• Mar 1947- J Edgar Hoover’s FBI set up Federal Loyalty Boards
o 1947-51- 3 million gov workers investigated- 3000 fired/ forced to resign
• Mar 1947- Truman Doctrine (help country resisting takeover) & Marshall Plan
(recommend spend $12 billion- Stalin block Czechoslovakia accept aid)
• From Oct 1947- HUAC called 41 writers, producers, directors for questioning-
investigate communism in Hollywood- 19 named communists- public hearings
o 10 pleaded 1st Amendment- jailed for 1yr for contempt & blacklisted
o Charlie Chaplin comic actor appear before HUAC- public rep damaged,
denied reentry visa to US after trip abroad- Switzerland
• Jun 1948- Berlin Blockade- block all road, rail, canal supply lines into W Berlin-
supplies by aircraft
o Cost US $350 million (food shortage- enough for 36 days)
o May 1949- Stalin reopened supply lines
• Aug 1949- USSR successfully test atomic bomb
• 1949- Chinese communists overthrow gov (Mao Zedong)
1950s
• Jan 1950- Alger Hiss sentenced to 5yrs perjury (state department- spy- leak info to
USSR)
• 1950-53- Korean War
• Aug 1950- McCarran Act- all communist organisations register with gov
o 1952- strengthened- no US passports, if war-any suspected of ‘subversion’
detained indefinitely without trial
• 9 Feb 1950- McCarthy speech claim list of 205 members of communist party working
in state department- reduced 57
• Feb 1950- McCarthy's claims investigated by the Tydings Committee led by Senator
Tydings (democrat)- discovered accusations to be false- ‘un-American’- not re-
elected
o 1952 presidential election campaign- Republicans support/ encourage
McCarthy- attack Democrats- fuel partisan divide
• Jan 1953- Truman-> Eisenhower President
• Jan 1953- McCarthy chair of senate permanent subcommittee on investigations
• Apr-Jun 1954- McCarthy’s hearings against army broadcast on TV bully witnesses
(General Marshall- WW2 hero) 20 million views
o Criticism by Joseph Welch (Army Counsel)
• 9 Mar 1954- Ed Murrow’s ‘See it Now’ TV documentary- heavily criticised
McCarthy- expose claims as baseless
