Instant Access To 100,000+ Essays!

McCarthyism and its effects on America The rise and fall of McCarthyism America had known Red Scares before – most notably in the immediate aftermath of the First World War – but nothing had approached the ruthlessness and increasing lack of scruple of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s crusade against Communism in the early 1950’s. Joseph Raymond McCarthy, U.S senator, in a highly publicised pursuit of a Communist “conspiracy” became considered a figure of notoriety. This witch-hunt and anti-Communist hysteria became known as McCarthyism. The term “McCarthyism” became a synonym for reckless smear tactics intended to destroy the victim’s political standing and public character. Joseph McCarthy was born on November 14, 1908. He began practicing as a lawyer while also playing at the game of politics. At 30, when he won victory in being voted a Republican candidate, McCarthy’s basic personality was pretty well shaped – fluid, resourceful, ambitious, amoral. During World War II, McCarthy served with the U.S Marines. In 1946 he successfully ran for senator. McCarthy had been a poor judge, involved in shady cases; he had falsified his war record to make it look more heroic; and he had cut moral corners in his cam