Communism and Joseph McCarthy essays

Communism and Joseph McCarthy essays Senator Joseph McCarthy's actions during the Cold War with the Soviet Union led to a change in American life, and thus it changed the future. Joe McCarthy had a very strong presence, this played an important role in his political life. McCarthy was able to manipulate the media into supporting him and his cause. His tactics of basing his campaign upon the fear people had of Communists was highly effective. McCarthy's accusations against the government of allowing subversive activities and individuals to proceed with their actions against America was highly effective because of the common Communist fear in that particular era. McCarthy's campaign against the Communists in America affected many aspects of American life, and to this day, it has indirect effects on our contemporary society. His continuous campaign to stop Communist beliefs brought about reforms in many aspects of American life; this has made him the subject of a debate of politics and morality that continues even today ( O'Brien, Pg. 107 ). Perhaps McCarthy recklessly attacked innocent people in the midst of it all to grasp some popularity, but what was clear at the time was that he was a moral crusader against the Communists, although, through the whole course of his campaign he failed to produce any names of Communist officials, he capitalized on the hysteria that Americans had because of the Korean War, and encroachments from China and East European countries were imminent. His influences affected many aspects of everyday life, from education to laws established, and even the questioning of basic structural government agencies such as the US Army. Eventually, after the televising of one of his hearings, it was clear that he was reckless in his accusations, and his popular support suffered a major blow. Senator Joseph McCarthy had a great influence on American history because his anti-Communist campaign, along with the hysteria surrounding Communist threats undermined the...