Chapter 15 part 2Life in the Red Scare

Red Scare• This term “Red Scare” was used to define a time of

fear in Americans. • Citizens of the U.S. were afraid of a communist take

over.• 1947-1957• The word Red comes from the red color of the USSR

flag.• Thousands of Americans were accused of being

“reds” during the Red Scare.

HUAC• House of Un-American Activities Committee.• HUAC looked to find communists living in the US• Thousands of people were given “loyalty test” to

determine if they were “reds”.• The search for communist behaviors became known as

McCarthyism.

HUAC Hearing

McCarthyism• Senator Joseph McCarthy gave a speech and held

up a piece of paper claiming to be a list of soviet spies in the US

• Meteoric rise to fame and almost celebrity status for saving US from communism

• Modern day Salem Witch Trial• Eventually accused the wrong people…US army • Lost all credibility

Senator Joseph McCarthy

The Rosenbergs• When the USSR tested its first atomic bomb in 1949,

many people thought that spies from the U.S. gave them the technology.

• An FBI investigation arrested a couple named Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.

• (SPIES! DEATH TO YOU!!)

• It was believed that this couple were in charge of a soviet spy ring.

• They were executed in June of 1953. • 1st Americans to be executed for espionage

Hollywood Blacklists151 suspected communists actors

Living With The Red Scare• Americans lived in fear of a nuclear attack.• School children would practice the “duck and cover”

method where they would duck under a desk and cover themselves from the blast of a nuclear shockwave.

• Also, many people were afraid of dying from fallout—radiation left over after a nuclear blast

Election of 1952• Dwight D. Eisenhower (R) vs.

Adlai Stevenson (D).• Eisenhower won. His nickname

was “Ike”.• Americans hoped he could fight

the Cold War better with his military background.

• He was the man in charge of the D-Day invasion at Normandy

Death of Stalin • In 1953 USSR leader Joseph

Stalin died of a stroke.• Although he was a horrible and

cruel man, many Russians were sad that he died.

• His successor would be Nikita Khrushchev.

Sputnik• On October 4th 1957, the USSR

launched the first satellite named Sputnik.

• American citizens believed this meant the Soviets were now officially “ahead” of us.

• The U.S. was afraid Sputnik would launch missiles from space.

• Fearing the USSR might have the upper hand, the U.S. created a space program called NASA. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The Space Race Begins…

1958 – Explorer I1st US satellite

Terms to KnowSlide 8 of 8

• *Covert Operation- Something done in secret. Mostly done by the CIA and FBI.

• *Fallout- The radiation left over after a nuclear blast.