McCarthyism: America’s Witch Hunt
In the early 1950s, the United States was attacked by one bigoted man who used fear as a weapon against everyone who defied him. The man’s short reign was named after him.
In the early 1950s, the United States was attacked by one bigoted man who used fear as a weapon against everyone who defied him. The man’s short reign was named after him: McCarthyism.
The Man Behind the Witch Hunt
At the center stood Senator Joseph Raymond McCarthy, a gifted speaker with an aggressive temperament and an uncanny ability to turn suspicion into spectacle. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Investigating Un-American Activities, McCarthy claimed that communists had infiltrated America’s institutions, such as government offices, universities, Hollywood, and the Church.
The accusations spread fast, and everyone whom McCarthy thought was involved in communist “activities” was targeted. People from different walks of life were suddenly called for investigation, and it was often scientists, writers, artists, teachers, and diplomats who ended up in the courtroom. The consequences were often destroyed careers. People lost their jobs, books vanished from libraries, and silence became a survival strategy. When there wasn’t enough evidence for such activities, the case was often left unresolved. In reality, proof of being a communist was optional, while accusation was enough.
McCarthy Knew No Boundaries
This “witch hunt” unfolded against the backdrop of the Cold War. The Soviet Union had tested its first atomic bomb in 1949, ending America’s nuclear monopoly, while Europe was divided into blocs. Fear of communism felt real, and McCarthy knew how to exploit it. President Harry Truman opposed McCarthy, but the senator attacked the Democratic Party relentlessly, painting dissent as treason. Even after Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower won the presidency in 1952, the terror did not stop. Instead, McCarthy grew bolder. He expanded his reach from domestic affairs into foreign policy, accusing even Eisenhower’s administration of being “soft” on communism.
One of the most chilling cases involved William Frauenglass, a high-school teacher summoned before the committee for a lecture he had given years earlier. Branded un-American, he sought advice from Albert Einstein, who urged him to refuse further testimony. Like many others, Frauenglass lost his job. Einstein himself became a vocal critic of McCarthyism, defending academic freedom and free speech — and earning McCarthy’s hostility in return.
The Witch Hunt Went Too Far
At its peak, the hysteria spared no one. But McCarthy made a fatal mistake in 1953 when he turned his accusations toward the U.S. Army. By attacking respected military leaders, including General Ralph Zwicker, he crossed a line. It was then that public opinion started shifting and resistance grew louder. What had once been dismissed as “anti-American criticism” now looked like an abuse of power. The Senate intervened. In 1954, after a formal investigation, McCarthy was publicly reprimanded and stripped of his authority. His influence collapsed almost overnight and he died three years later, in 1957.
Conclusion
The exact number of victims of McCarthyism is impossible to calculate. Many were never imprisoned, but thousands lost their livelihoods, reputations, and sense of safety. Among the accused were Charlie Chaplin, Aaron Copland, Linus Pauling, and Arthur Miller, who captured the essence of McCarthyism in his play The Crucible (1953), among many others.
McCarthyism did not rely on mass executions or concentration camps, but its damage was profound. Fear poisoned relationships, destroyed families, and taught a generation that thinking differently could cost everything. Though the witch hunt ended in the mid-1950s, its shadow still lingers, and it is a warning of how quickly democracy can turn against itself when fear replaces reason.
Tell us in the comments what you think of McCarthyism and whether McCarthy went too far.
#history #20century #coldwar #1950s #unitedstatesofamerica #mccarthyism #communism
Sources:
Luciano Doddoli i Manlio Maradei, Svijet poslije II. svjetskog rata: knjiga prva, Marjan tisak, Split, 2005.
Ivo Goldstein ur., Povijest 18: Poslijeratno doba (1945.- 1985.), Jutarnji list, Zagreb, 2007.
makartizam. Hrvatska enciklopedija, mrežno izdanje. Leksikografski zavod Miroslav Krleža, 2013. – 2026., https://enciklopedija.hr/clanak/makartizam