The power of a state to set political agenda and facilitate it through actions and words is the weapon for cohesion and ensuring stability. Communism and their ideas during the Cold War infiltrated the United State, and established followers. Consequently, America from the late 1940s and through 1950s suffered from political and cultural hysteria stemming from fear and anxiety associated with the communist ideologies (Lewis 2002).
During the 20th century, communism became powerful and highly influential. As a result, fear emerged that the Communist would spread their ideologies further. For this reason, the need to contain the rising influence of communists led to the emergence of Anti-Communism strategies The impacts of Anti-Communism in the United States cannot be underestimated. Anti-Communism hysteria created political and cultural implications that threatened American’s basic rights. (Questia 2015). The implication of suppression of freedom to opinion made it difficult for the U.S to engage in free debate on America’s role in the Cold War policies. This aspect compromised America’s civil rights and the rights of democratic institutions. To sum up: •Anti-Communism refers to the reaction and opposition to communism ideology •Communism became more powerful and influential in the 20th century •The growing influence of communism raised concern among the Free world that communism ideologies that such as socialism, atheism, and centralization of political power would infiltrate the American Society •The appointment of Martin Dies in 1938 as chairperson of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA) foreshadowed the Anti-Communism era •Anti-Communism efforts intensified in the periods following the beginning of the Cold War in 1947 and in 1977 •American politicians such as Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed that communism was infiltrating American society because of the existence of communist sympathizers in the U.S •McCarthyism championed for the naming and blacklisting of individuals, leaders, companies, and even institutions suspected of being communist conformists •Anti-Communism Crusades and blacklisting suppressed the freedom of expression among the people in the U.S •Anti-Communism made it difficult for the U.S to engage in free debate on America’s role in the Cold War policies •Anti-Communism abated soon after World War subsided |