Question

According to the book "Born for Liberty"

Explain the significance of the communist threat to American security and its impact on society. How did this threat impact American women?

Answer 1

As the late 1940s and early 1950s escalated the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, paranoia over the perceived threat posed by communism in the U.S. became known as the Red Scare. (Communists were often referred to as' reds' because of their allegiance to the red Soviet flag.) The Red Scare led to a series of acts that had a drastic and lasting effect on the U.S. government and society. Federal employees and the House Un-American Activities Committee were tested to decide if they were loyal enough to the government.

When fear of Soviet power increased as the Cold War heated up, the leaders of the United States decided to take action. President Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) issued Executive Order 9835 on March 21, 1947, also known as the Loyalty Order, which required that all federal employees be tested to decide if they were loyal enough to the government. Truman's loyalty program was a startling creation for a country that valued the ideals of personal freedom and political organization's rights. Yet during the time of anticommunist paranoia known as the Red Scare, it was only one of the questionable activities that took place.

International events also heightened public concern about communism. The Soviet Union successfully tested a nuclear bomb in 1949 and took control of China by communist forces headed by Mao Zedong (1893-1976). The next year saw the beginning of the Korean War (1950-53), which included U.S. troops in the fight against North Korea's communist-backed forces. Communism's success around the world persuaded many U.S. citizens that there was a real danger that "Reds" would take over their own nation. Citizens have felt the Red Scare's repercussions on a personal level, and thousands of suspected communist sympathizers were interrupted in their lives. We were targeted by law enforcement, isolated from family and friends, and fired from their jobs. While a small number of the suspects may have been potential revolutionaries, most others have been victims of false allegations or have done nothing more than exercising their right to join a political party. Although the climate of fear and repression started to ease in the late 1950s, after decades the Red Scare has continued to influence political discourse and is often cited as an example of how unfounded fears can threaten civil liberties.