Anti-Communist investigators drew up a list of 300 alleged 'Reds' in the American film industry.
USA: 1945-1975 - Land Of Freedom? McCarthyism And The Fear Of Communism
As a part of GCSE History students will learn about the USA between 1840 and 1975. The final part this section covers from 1945 until 1975 and this is the first of four quizzes on that topic, focussing in particular on McCarthyism and the fear of Communism in post-war USA.
There had been a previous "Red Scare" in the USA just after the Great War. The fear of Communism that swept the country after the Second World War was more serious. From 1950 to 1954 Senator Joseph McCarthy (after whom McCarthyism is named) conducted a powerful campaign against alleged Communists at the heart of the American government.
Test your knowledge of McCarthyism and the fear of Communism in post-war USA in this quiz.
1.
McCarthy launched his career as a "Red-baiter" in February 1950, when he alleged in a speech that there were no less than 205 communists in one of the Federal Government's departments. Which department was this?
The Treasury
The Pentagon/Department of Defence
The State Department (the US Foreign Office)
The Central Intelligence Agency
McCarthy often changed his mind about the precise numbers of Communists in any one location, but he alleged their presence in several government departments
2.
Those called before the Committee were asked the following question: "Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party of the United States?" What nickname was given to this question?
The Killer Question
The 64 Dollar Question
The Number One Question
The Great Question
Sometimes victims cited the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution as a reason not to answer this question for fear of incriminating themselves
3.
Anti-Communist investigators drew up "blacklists" of suspects, including one of 300 people in the entertainment industry. In which part of the industry were they said to be working?
Jazz
Popular music
Films
Stand-up Comedy
Once blacklisted in one of these areas the victims found it very hard to find another job
4.
Which US body condemned McCarthy by 65 votes to 22 in 1954?
The Supreme Court
The House of Representatives
The Senate
The National Security Panel
This hostile vote was effectively the beginning of the end for McCarthy. Even the incoming Republican President Eisenhower had little time for him
5.
McCarthy used a pre-existing committee of the House of Representatives to question those who fell under his suspicion. What was this committee called?
The House Committee of Public Safety
The House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Foreign Relations Committee
The House National Defence Committee
McCarthy used this body as his platform to allege a massive Communist conspiracy at the very heart of the US establishment
6.
For which US state was McCarthy a Republican senator?
Ohio
Nebraska
Wisconsin
Maine
As a member of Congress McCarthy was in a powerful position to conduct his campaign
7.
Which of the following US politicians had their careers launched by assisting McCarthy in his enquiries?
Richard Nixon
Ronald Reagan
Edward (Ted) Kennedy
Barry Goldwater
McCarthy employed an army of assistants to help him to incriminate his victims. Some of them went on to make successful careers in the law, while others carved out political careers
8.
What do the following people all have in common? Alger Hiss, Julius Rosenberg, Ethel Rosenberg, Klaus Fuchs.
They had all been involved as scientists developing the US Atomic bomb in the "Manhattan Project"
They had all been members of the US Communist Party
They had all been called before McCarthy's investigating committee
They had all been convicted of spying for the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union had acquired the "A" bomb by 1950. The US authorities believed that they must have received help from Western scientists
9.
The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation was an enthusiastic supporter of McCarthy's work. What was his name?
J. Edgar Hoover
Joseph Kennedy
Norman Cohn
Henry Morgenthau
The FBI was responsible for domestic security and the investigation of organised crime
10.
Further damage was done to McCarthy when he presided over a televised inquisition of a much respected American institution. The result was widely regarded as inconclusive. Which institution was this?
The US Navy
The US Marine Corps
The US Army
The Episcopal Church
For McCarthy nothing and no one were sacred, but on this occasion he seemed finally to have met his match
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