The+Meaning+of+McCarthyism

CJD- Senator Joseph McCarthy successfully bestowed his own traits of paranoia and distrust upon many Americans during the 1950s, greatly contributing to the Second Red Scare. His groundless accusations at other politicians and constant perception that communists were plotting from inside the United States helped weaken social fortitude within the nation as the Cold War progressed through its early years. In 1950, McCarthyism became a term used by critics of the hysteria spread by the senator, but gradually came to define irrational anti-communist sentiments in general. Use of the term did not die with McCarthy or the end of the Cold War, and is still used to characterize demagoguery in political and social atmospheres. Although most people recognize unsupported allegations as insignificant drivel, ad hominem attacks, especially on politicians in the current governmental landscape have become popular sources of controversy. President Barack Obama has frequently been a victim of McCarthyism, having his faith and American citizenship questioned. Fear of terrorism and nuclear war remains in the US today, and this allows panicked delirium to overcome reason. Joseph McCarthy demonstrated that the United States was frightened enough of a possible war with the Soviet Union that its citizens would alienate each other and create a divided nation. AJJ- McCarthyism is a term that exemplified the anti-communist paranoia of the 1950s and the Republican efforts to make Americans even more distrusting and hateful towards communists. The Cold War lead many to buy into this paranoia leading people to gain an intense hatred of any nation that was communist and a love of everything capitalist. McCarthyism is characterized by ad hominem attacks questioning characteristics of a person such as their “patriotism.” Joseph McCarthy, the man that the term originated from, was best known for his vehement hate of Soviet spies and his countless accusations that various people were communists. McCarthyism was used by McCarthy’s opponents to criticize the absurdity of McCarthy’s claims of Soviet spying. The term gained popularity as the Cold War progressed and was used to describe any kind of irrational and groundless anti-communist efforts. The term is still existent today and can now include any sort of irrational fear based on a lack of patriotism such as calling someone a “terrorist.” McCarthyism is kept alive by extremist political commentators such as Rush Limbaugh who brand Democrats in general as “socialists” or “communists” or the attacks from people like Nancy Pelosi who call the Tea Party “anti-government” and “anarchists”. Though extremism didn’t originate from Joseph McCarthy, the term continues will continue to describe extremist ad hominem attacks. The fear of war, poverty and government will continue to keep Americans in fear and McCarthyism alive. . MRL - .
 * The witch hunt-esque actions of Senator Joseph McCarthy resulted in the creation of the word "McCarthyism", a term first used by political cartoonist Herbert Block. The word signifies the unfounded accusation of a person who is a suspected Communist. Most "McCarthyisms" were usually supported by no real evidence other than a blatant accusation, thus many Americans deemed McCarthy as a witchhunter, reminiscient of the Salem witch trials. The well-known author and playwright Arthur Miller even wrote one of his most famous plays, //The Crucible,// based off of the hysteria created by McCarthy's quest against communists. At its most severe extent, McCarthy's witch hunt resulted in the widespread loss of jobs after over ten thousand suspected subversive individuals were deemed communists and promptly fired or shunned. McCarthyism was so heavily criticized in the past as well as the present due to the fact that the accusations of McCarthy, and organizations such as the House on Un-American Activives Commitee (HUAC), were in most cases flatout wrong and resulted from irrational fear, much like the Red Scare and the Japanese internment in previous decades. Although he was criticized by some, McCarthy managed to have a significant impact on the United States due to his alignment with many similar-minded anti-communist groups, such as HUAC, the American Legion, and loyalty review boards. Fortunately, by the mid to late fifties McCarthyism settled into delcine after some accusations against suspected individuals were actually investigated and it turned out that there was no concrete evidence of communist behavior.**