1. Fighting the Cold War at Home
Chapter 40
Fighting the Cold War at Home

2. 1
Two main threats to security that created anxiety in Americans during the Cold War were Communist sympathizers, people who supported the communist ideology but did not join the party, and the threat a nuclear attack could strike the United States at any moment. Subversives could overthrow the government for a communist dictatorship. The fear of communists and other subversives has faded, but the fear of nuclear war still exists. Nuclear proliferation is still a major global issue.

3. 2
The government was un/successful in uncovering subversives. The House Un-American Activities Committee formed in 1938 to investigate subversive or dangerous activity produced (few) true spies. The Alger Hiss Case , a state department official charged with passing secrets to the Soviets and convicted of perjury, Government loyalty checks and investigations caused many government workers to lose their jobs for being potentially disloyal, led to blacklists that destroyed people’s careers, and resulted in making Americans even more fearful. They might also note that the investigations uncovered several truly disloyal Americans.

4. 3
Klaus Fuchs and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were both spies caught and tried for their crimes. Fuchs confessed to spying for the Soviets while working on the Manhattan Project and was convicted in England where he served a nine year sentence. The Rosenberg Trial were a Husband and wife who were convicted and executed in the United states for passing atomic secrets to the Soviets. The Rosenberg's maintained their innocence but were convicted and executed for passing atomic secrets to the USSR. It was Julius Rosenberg’s brother who them in to federal authorities.

5. 4
At first, Senator McCarthy’s actions appeared patriotic. The Americans allowed Senator McCarthy to persecute suspected Communists because the Cold War climate of fear encouraged many people to accept his accusations without question. Some were reluctant to oppose him for fear of losing jobs or business. Others were afraid to speak out for fear of being labeled subversive. McCarthyism is now known as the reckless accusation and prosecution of innocent people accused of being communists. It gets its name from the Senator Joseph McCarthy from Wisconsin.

6. 5
The hopes and fears that atomic energy brought were that Americans realized atomic energy held great promise as an important new power source for many peaceful purposes, but that it also posed previously unimaginable dangers as a weapon. The Atomic Age became known as living in a time of the promise and peril of nuclear energy and the Atomic Bomb. The Federal Civil Defense Administration was a federal agency established to help people prepare for Nuclear War. It created pamphlets and encouraged the building of bomb shelters. .

7. 6
The H-bomb change people’s views of the Soviet Union because the much more powerful H-bomb made many people realize that war was no longer an option, even a victory in a nuclear war would likely bring terrible destruction to both sides. Civil defense drills showed that even with preparedness measures, millions would die in a nuclear attack.