Life in Cold War America was marked by a search for security. Sec. 4 The Red Scare Life in Cold War America was marked by a search for security.

Key terms: subversion, blacklist, perjury, allege, censure Essential Question What effect did Cold War fears and McCarthyism have on domestic politics?

Cold War Fears The Cold War intensified Americans’ fears of communist subversion or sabatoge. Many Americas worried that Communist spies and sympathizers – people friendly to Communists, or “Reds” as they were known – had penetrated all levels of American society and were attempting to weaken the government. This Red Scare dominated the nation’s politics for years and led to a massive hunt to uncover communists.

Loyalty Oaths and Investigations 1947 the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) began investigating communist subversion in the nation. 1950 Congress passed the McCarran Act. What did it do? HUAC launched a sensational investigation in the Hollywood film industry, rumored to be full of Communists – resulted in film companies creating a blacklist that barred people from working in the industry.

American Spies Revealed 1948 Whittaker Chambers testified before HUAC admitting he had spied for the Soviet Union during the 1930 – accused Alger Hiss, a former State Department official of giving him secret government documents to pass on to the Soviets. Hiss was found guilty of perjury and sent to prison Most dramatic spy case was that of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who were accused of plotting to pass secret information about the atomic bomb to Soviet Union. They were executed in 1953 after maintaining their innocence.

McCarthyism From 1950-1954 the hunt for Communists in America was dominated by Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. His unfounded accusations destroyed the careers of many innocent Americans. McCarthy’s downfall came after a series of televised hearings where he was viewed as a cruel bully. Congress voted in Dec. 1954 to censure him for “conduct unbecoming a senator”