OCR GCSE History A (J410) — Non-British Depth Studies
It is easy to think that one man started the anti-communist hysteria of the 1950s, but the US government had already laid the foundations long before he became famous. The Second Red Scare actually began in the years following World War Two, driven by Cold War anxieties and government policies. In 1945, the HUAC was made a permanent standing committee in the House of Representatives, shifting its focus toward investigating alleged communist threats.
President Harry Truman provided the institutional framework for screening federal employees by issuing Executive Order 9835 in 1947, which established the FELP. Supported by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, who compiled extensive files on suspects, these Loyalty Boards investigated 3 million government employees by 1951. Rather than looking for concrete evidence of espionage, they targeted individuals deemed subversive. By 1954, approximately 6.6 million workers had been screened, resulting in 9,500 dismissals and 15,000 resignations from individuals desperate to avoid investigation.
Imagine losing your career and facing prison simply because you refused to answer a question about your political beliefs. This was the reality for the Hollywood Ten in 1947. HUAC subpoenaed 41 writers, directors, and producers, asking them to declare their political affiliations. Ten of these individuals, including Dalton Trumbo, cited their First Amendment rights and refused to answer. They were convicted of contempt of Congress, fined $1,000 each, and sentenced to a year in prison.
This led to widespread blacklisting across the entertainment industry. Following the publication of right-wing pamphlets like Red Channels (which named 151 professionals), over 300 individuals lost their livelihoods because studios refused to hire anyone suspected of communist sympathies. Public fear was further validated by major espionage trials. The perjury conviction of State Department official Alger Hiss in 1950 and the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in 1953 for passing atomic secrets to the USSR provided a "smokescreen of credibility" for the hysteria that followed.
Why did so many Americans believe a relatively unknown senator when he claimed the government was full of traitors? Senator Joseph McCarthy skyrocketed to fame following his Wheeling Speech on 9 February 1950, where he claimed to possess a list of 205 "card-carrying" communists in the State Department. Despite his numbers constantly fluctuating down to 57 and then 81, his claims resonated deeply with a frightened public.
The widespread support for McCarthyism can be evaluated through both social and political lenses:
Polling data reveals that by June 1950, 61% of Americans expressed some form of approval for McCarthy. Support was demographically concentrated among Republicans (62%) and Catholics (58%).
Instead of relying on solid legal evidence, McCarthy mastered the art of public intimidation. His primary method was "guilt by association"—meaning that simply being acquainted with a suspected communist was enough to ruin a person's reputation. He led a brutal witch hunt, using televised hearings to bully witnesses and exploit public anxiety.
The societal impact was devastating. Approximately 400 people were imprisoned, and roughly 600 teachers and university lecturers were fired. The climate of fear was so intense that ordinary citizens refused to sign everyday petitions for fear of being labeled radicals. Furthermore, McCarthyism severely stalled the Civil Rights movement, as equality activists were frequently smeared as communists to invalidate their cause.
Standing up to a powerful bully often carries severe risks, as early opponents of McCarthy quickly discovered. In 1950, the Tydings Committee investigated McCarthy's initial claims and concluded they were a "fraud and a hoax." However, McCarthy aggressively retaliated by using doctored photographs to ruin Senator Millard Tydings' re-election campaign. Terrified by Tydings' defeat, other senators remained silent, while Republicans dismissed the committee's findings as a whitewash.
McCarthy's ultimate downfall was triggered by two major external factors in 1954:
Following the suicide of Senator Lester Hunt—who had been pressured by McCarthy's allies—the US Senate finally took action. On 2 December 1954, they voted 67 to 22 to censure McCarthy, effectively ending his political power.
The significance of McCarthyism lies in its profound long-term damage to both American society and foreign policy. Domestically, it created a suffocating culture of conformity that silenced political dissent and weakened trade unions for over a decade. On an international level, the hysteria locked the United States into rigid anti-communist stances. Because no politician could risk appearing "soft on Communism," the US was pushed toward inflexible policies of containment, deepening its future involvement in conflicts like the Vietnam War.
Students often assume McCarthy started the Second Red Scare, but actually, Truman's 1947 FELP and the permanent establishment of HUAC in 1945 provided the institutional foundations years before McCarthy's 1950 Wheeling speech.
When evaluating the reasons for widespread support, examiners award high marks for clearly distinguishing between political motives (Republicans using 'Red-baiting' to attack Truman) and social paranoia (public fear over the 'Fall of China' and the Soviet atomic bomb in 1949).
To achieve top marks on 'Evaluate' questions regarding the nature of McCarthyism, explicitly contrast the lack of legal evidence with the use of 'guilt by association' and televised character assassination.
In your conclusion on the significance of the era, link domestic hysteria to foreign policy; McCarthyism made it politically impossible for US leaders to appear 'soft on Communism', forcing rigid adherence to containment strategies.
Second Red Scare
A period of intense anti-communist hysteria in the USA during the late 1940s and early 1950s, fueled by Cold War tensions.
HUAC
The House Un-American Activities Committee; a congressional committee tasked with investigating alleged disloyalty and subversive activities of private citizens and public employees.
FELP
The Federal Employee Loyalty Program; established by President Truman in 1947 to screen federal employees for potential ties to radical organisations.
Subversive
A term used by investigators to describe individuals suspected of "un-American thoughts" or spreading propaganda, rather than engaging in actual espionage.
Contempt of Congress
The legal offence of obstructing the work of a congressional committee, used to prosecute witnesses like the Hollywood Ten who refused to answer questions.
Blacklisting
The creation of an unofficial list of individuals viewed with political suspicion, used by employers to deny them employment and ruin their careers.
McCarthyism
The practice of making public accusations of disloyalty or subversion with little to no evidence, relying instead on bullying, smear tactics, and intimidation.
Witch Hunt
A campaign directed against people holding unorthodox views, characterised by public hysteria and a complete lack of legal due process.
Whitewash
A term used by McCarthy and his Republican supporters to dismiss the 1950 Tydings Committee report, implying it was a deliberate attempt to hide the truth about communist infiltration.
Censure
A formal statement of severe disapproval by a legislative body, which strips a member of their power and influence without removing them from their seat.
Put your knowledge into practice — try past paper questions for History A
Second Red Scare
A period of intense anti-communist hysteria in the USA during the late 1940s and early 1950s, fueled by Cold War tensions.
HUAC
The House Un-American Activities Committee; a congressional committee tasked with investigating alleged disloyalty and subversive activities of private citizens and public employees.
FELP
The Federal Employee Loyalty Program; established by President Truman in 1947 to screen federal employees for potential ties to radical organisations.
Subversive
A term used by investigators to describe individuals suspected of "un-American thoughts" or spreading propaganda, rather than engaging in actual espionage.
Contempt of Congress
The legal offence of obstructing the work of a congressional committee, used to prosecute witnesses like the Hollywood Ten who refused to answer questions.
Blacklisting
The creation of an unofficial list of individuals viewed with political suspicion, used by employers to deny them employment and ruin their careers.
McCarthyism
The practice of making public accusations of disloyalty or subversion with little to no evidence, relying instead on bullying, smear tactics, and intimidation.
Witch Hunt
A campaign directed against people holding unorthodox views, characterised by public hysteria and a complete lack of legal due process.
Whitewash
A term used by McCarthy and his Republican supporters to dismiss the 1950 Tydings Committee report, implying it was a deliberate attempt to hide the truth about communist infiltration.
Censure
A formal statement of severe disapproval by a legislative body, which strips a member of their power and influence without removing them from their seat.
