Many Are the Crimes

The period of McCarthyism brought untroubled anti-communist campaign in the United States which started in the 1940s and ended in the 1950s. This era was also k right offn as the Second Red Scare. There were fears of Communist infiltration on American organizations and espionage by Soviet agents (Fried, 124).It was a troubled time during the McCarthy era where many Americans where charged of being Communists or being Communist sympathizers. many another(prenominal) of them went through a series of investigations and interrogations by government committees and agencies. These investigations were directed at individuals who work for the government, those in the cheer business, union members and educators. Although evidences were weak and often exaggerated, suspicions were given more weight. As a result, many Americans lost their jobs and some were even incarcerated (Fried, 150).In Ellen Schreckers book umteen Are the Crimes, the author describes the persecution of the Communist f ellowship in the U.S. from the twenties until the 1950s. Schrecker believed that McCarthyism contri moreovered to the downfall of Communism in America and thrusted the rude into a gulf of right-wing sentiments which plagues the U.S. until now ( Reeves, Are You NowA new study of McCarthyism and the legacy of HUAC, 1998).The first three chapters of Schreckers book explain the Communist Partys outlet in the 1930s in America. She explained why the Communist Party was susceptible to attacks by the U.S. government. The second chapter Red Baiters, Inc. is an extensive analysis of people and institutions which characterized anticommunism in the 1920s and 1930s (Schrecker, 41).The author outlines Franklin D. Roosevelts stance on Communism. According to Schrecker, President Roosevelts approach to Communism was non-ideological (p. 87), there were occasions that he did not net attention to the existence of the Communist Party and there were times that he cloged political suppression. Roosev elt authorized the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover to look into the Communist Partys movement because they saw it as a threat to national security (p. 89).In Chapter 4, Schrecker discusses the U.S. governments propaganda that the Communist Party was being influenced by Moscow.In Chapter 5, the author talks about how Americans saw Communism as a national threat through subversion, espionage and sabotage (p. 181).In the third dissociate of Ellen Schreckers book, explains the instruments of anti-communism and how the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover used different tactics to purge communists in America by wiretapping and surveillance (p. 239).Schrecker discussed the role of Senator John McCarthy in the anti-communist advertise, and his disregard for civil liberties (p. 265).The last chapters of the book Many Are the Crimes, Schrecker talks about the experiences of Clinton Jencks and members of the workers union and how they were persecuted and eventually lost their jobs. Schrecker explains the im pact of McCarthyism in the American society, how it destroy the left and paralyzed the Communist Party (p. 369).In context, Schreckers book exposed the effects of the McCarthy era not only in politics but also in the entertainment business wherein the Hollywood blacklist dictated who would produce movies and star in those films. Screenwriters, actors and actresses did not escape interrogation by the anticommunist committees and those represent guilty of espionage were sent to jail (Whitfield, p. 194).The unions played an important part in those days because they talked about racial concerns in terms of equality. The union also provided support for womens issues. It showed the inequality in terms of salaries that female workers get and how they are poorly-paid in comparison with the male workers. The union also encouraged women to be strong leaders. These progressive attempts of bringing change in the role of women in society and the work force were halted during the McCarthy era ( Cherny, p.10).For the most part the greatest damage do during the McCarthy era was the destruction of the American left and the decline of the Communist Party in America. In terms of social policy, McCarthyism interrupted the reforms needed for health insurance. The countrys cultural and intellectual life became stagnant because of censorship during the McCarthy era (Schrecker, The legacy of McCarthyism).The downfall of the McCarthy era was due to the decline of public support and accost decisions which upheld individual rights and freedom (Fried, p. 197).With the current situation in the U.S., people are more vigilant and aware of the effects of McCarthyism. This episode will serve as a cautionary tale for future generations (Rosen, Could It Happen Again?).Works CitedCherny, Robert W., William Issel and Kieran Walsh Taylor. American Labor and the ColdWar Grassroots Politics and Postwar policy-making Culture. New Brunswick, NewJersey Rutgers University Press, 2004.Fried, Albert. McCarthyism, The Great American Red Scare A Documentary History.Oxford Oxford University Press, 1997.Reeves, Thomas C. Are You Now.A New Study of McCarthyism and the Legacy ofHUAC. 14 June 1998. http//www.nytimes.com/books/98/06/14/reviews/980614.14reevest.html. Retrieved on 7 January 2008.Rosen, Ruth. Could It Happen Again? 12 May 2003. http//www.commondreams.org/views03/0512-01.htm. Retrieved on 7 January 2008.Schrecker, Ellen. The Legacy of McCarthyism. Retrieved on 7 January 2008.Schrecker, Ellen. Many Are the Crimes McCarthyism in America. Princeton, New JerseyPrinceton University Press, 1999.Whitfield, Stephen J. The Culture of the Cold War. Baltimore The Johns Hopkins UniversityPress, 1996.