FIGHTING THE COLD WAR AT

HOME

Today’s LEQ: How did anxieties raised by the Cold War affect life in the United

States?

Communists Suspected at Home Not all Americans agreed with gov’t

definition of communism; some thought it was more fair than capitalismEveryone shared what society producedNo extremes between rich and poor

As Cold War “heated up,” so did fears of communist subversion

To calm public anxiety, gov’t employers required to take loyalty oath

Subversive sub·ver·sive /səbˈvɜrsɪv/ Show Spelled [suhb-vur-siv]

Show IPA adjective 1. Also, sub·ver·sion·ar·y /səb

ˈvɜrʒəˌnɛri, -ʃə-/ Show Spelled [suhb-vur-zhuh-ner-ee, -shuh-] Show IPA . tending to subvert or advocating subversion, especially in an attempt to overthrow or cause the destruction of an established or legally constituted government.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) Formed in 1938 to investigate subversive

organizations In 1947, focused on communist influence in the film

industry“Large numbers of moving pictures that come out of

Hollywood carry the Communist line” HUAC questioned writers, actors, and directors about

their political beliefs Ten witnesses refused to answer – called the

Hollywood Ten; charged with contempt of Congress Resulted in blacklist of people thought to be

communist; those named could no longer find work making films

HUAC vs. Hollywood!!! Who was this person? What role did they

play in the entertainment industry? Read excerpts from the HUAC investigation

into your assigned Hollywood individual Were they considered friendly or unfriendly? How do you think he/she felt about

communism? How do you think he/she felt about HUAC? Give evidence/support from the investigation

The Hollywood Ten

Alvah Bessie (c. 1904-85), Herbert Biberman (1900-71), Lester Cole (c. 1904-85), Edward Dmytryk (1908-99), Ring Lardner Jr. (1915-2000), John Howard Lawson (1894-1977), Albert Maltz (1908-1985), Samuel Ornitz (1890-1957), Robert Adrian Scott (1912-73) and Dalton Trumbo (1905-76)

Spy Cases Rise Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb in

1949 with help from spies British physicist, Klaus Fuchs, confessed he’d

spied for the Soviet Union during work on the Manhattan Project

Trail of espionage led investigators to Americans, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg; tried, convicted and executed in 1953 for passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union

Americans feared the federal government was riddled with traitors

The Rise and Fall of Joseph McCarthy Senator from Wisconsin, claimed to have a list of

205 communists working in high government posts At first, had widespread public support; spent two

years hunting down subversives Never actually made a solid case against anyone

but caused many to lose their jobs; such reckless persecution became known as McCarthyism

Even accused both the Army and President Eisenhower of being “soft on Communism”

Eventually, public opinion turned against McCarthy and he faded from the national scene

Creating a Civil Defense System Nuclear Arms Race caused major anxiety 1951, Federal Civil Defense Administration

(FDCA) established to help Americans survive a nuclear attack

 Civil preparedness became part of daily lifeBomb sheltersDuck-and-cover drillsEvacuation plans

Many began to protest around this simple idea: “Peace is the only defense against nuclear war.”

Duck and Cover Video Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60

Visual Summary: Warning Signs

Create two warning signs about lessons that can be learned from how the United States fought the Cold War at home. One sign should focus on a lesson learned from McCarthyism. The other sign should focus on a lesson learned from living in the Atomic Age.

Each diamond-shaped warning sign should have these things:A short phrase that summarizes the lesson learnedAn icon related to the warningA description that more fully explains the lesson

learned and includes at least two Key Content Terms○ HUAC, Alger Hiss Case, Rosenberg Trial, McCarthyism,

Atomic Age, FCDA