Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
McCarthyism, also known as the Second Red Scare, was the political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals and a campaign spreading fear of communist and Soviet influence on American institutions and of Soviet espionage in the United States during the late 1940s through the 1950s. [1]
McCarthyism was a period of intense anti-Communist suspicion in the United States that lasted roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s. Although associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy, it was a broad cultural and political phenomenon that also encompassed industry blacklists, the activities of the House Un-American Activities Committee, and more.
In 1940, soon after World War II began in Europe, the U.S. Congress legislated the Alien Registration Act (also known as the Smith Act, 18 USC § 2385) making it a crime to "knowingly or willfully advocate, abet, advise or teach the duty, necessity, desirability or propriety of overthrowing the Government of the United States or of any State by ...
A national movement to impose term limits failed to reach Congress (because the Supreme Court ruled that a constitutional amendment was needed) but did transform politics in some states, especially California. [238] Some sources have argued that Clinton, while a member of the Democratic Party, governed as a conservative. [239]
The national press called the general strike "Marxian" and "a revolutionary movement aimed at existing government". [12] "It is only a middling step", said the Chicago Tribune, "from Petrograd to Seattle." [13] As early as February 8 some unions began to return to work at the urging of their leaders.
McCarthy also ran for the Democratic nomination in 1972, but soon dropped out. [70] He mounted an independent campaign in 1976 and received over 700,000 votes. He went against his party in 1980 when he gave his public support to Ronald Reagan over Jimmy Carter. [71] McCarthy tried twice again for the Democratic nomination in 1988 and 1992. [70]
Get breaking news and the latest headlines on business, entertainment, politics, world news, tech, sports, videos and much more from AOL
McCarthy also began investigations into homosexuals working in the foreign policy bureaucracy, who were considered prime candidates for blackmail by the Soviets. [87] These accusations received wide publicity, increased his approval rating, and gained him a powerful national following.