Red Scare

The First Red Scare: 1917-1920

The first Red Scare erupted after World War I, spurred by the Russian Revolution of 1917, where the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the Romanov dynasty, igniting international fears of communism and anarchism.

In the United States, a rise in labor strikes, sensationalized by the press, was blamed on immigrants allegedly trying to subvert American society. The Sedition Act of 1918 targeted government critics, monitoring radicals and labor union leaders with the threat of deportation.

Violence escalated with the 1919 anarchist bombings, targeting law enforcement and government officials in cities like Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, D.C., and New York City.

The first Red Scare peaked in 1919 and 1920 with Attorney General Alexander Mitchell Palmer’s raids. These violent law-enforcement actions targeted leftist radicals and anarchists, initiating a period of unrest known as the “Red Summer.”

Cold War Concerns About Communism

After World War II (1939-1945), the Cold War saw the democratic United States and the communist Soviet Union locked in political and economic clashes. The rivalry fueled fears that Communists within the U.S. might act as Soviet spies, posing a security threat.

**Did you know?** FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover equated protests, including civil rights demonstrations led by Martin Luther King Jr., with communist subversion. Hoover labeled King a communist and worked covertly to discredit him.

These concerns were not entirely baseless. The USSR had engaged in espionage within the U.S. with American assistance, especially during World War II. As Cold War tensions rose, U.S. leaders took action. On March 21, 1947, President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9835, mandating loyalty reviews for federal employees, a shocking development in a country valuing personal liberty and freedom of political association.

Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee

The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), formed in 1938, investigated communist activities, especially in the federal government and Hollywood. The committee gained momentum after World War II, leading to Hollywood blacklists barring suspected radicals from employment.

Senator Joseph R. McCarthy of Wisconsin became infamous for his anticommunist crusade, using hearsay and intimidation to accuse celebrities, intellectuals, and political opponents of disloyalty. McCarthy's tactics ruined many lives until his methods were condemned in 1954 during the Army-McCarthy hearings, highlighted by army lawyer Joseph Welch's famous rebuke, “Have you no decency?”

J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI

FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, a staunch anticommunist, played a key role in the first Red Scare and spearheaded the post-World War II anticommunist efforts. The FBI used wiretaps, surveillance, and infiltration to compile extensive files on suspected subversives, contributing to high-profile cases like the 1949 conviction of American Communist Party leaders and the espionage conviction and execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in 1951.

Hysteria and Growing Conservatism

Public fear of communism intensified due to international events like the Soviet Union's 1949 nuclear test, Mao Zedong’s 1949 communist takeover of China, and the Korean War (1950-1953). These developments convinced many Americans of a communist threat within the U.S., a fear exaggerated by figures like McCarthy and Hoover.

The political climate grew increasingly conservative, with officials from both parties portraying themselves as staunch anticommunists. Membership in leftist groups plummeted, and dissenting voices fell silent. Judicial support for civil liberties eroded, exemplified by the 1951 Supreme Court ruling in Dennis v. United States, which restricted the free-speech rights of accused communists due to a perceived clear and present danger to the government.

Impact of the Red Scare

The Red Scare's impact was deeply personal for many Americans. Thousands of alleged communist sympathizers faced law enforcement harassment, alienation from friends and family, and job loss. While a few accused individuals may have harbored revolutionary aspirations, most were victims of false allegations or had merely exercised their democratic rights.

The climate of fear and repression began to ease in the late 1950s, but the Red Scare continues to influence political debate. It serves as a cautionary example of how unfounded fears can compromise civil liberties.