In the years following World War II, the fear of witches in society had dissipated. Or so we thought. The only thing worse than being accused of being a witch in post-war America was being of accused of being a communist. The term “witch hunt” had made its debut on the political scene thanks to two notorious men: Joseph McCarthy and his sidekick Richard Nixon. Witch hunts in politics were very much real. During the Cold War, politicians used the fear of communism to drum up support and cast out political rivals. Famous names like Charlie Chaplin were excommunicated from American society because of the deeply rooted fear that Russian spies were everywhere. Neighbors suspected neighbors and friends betrayed friends all because of a foe across a literal ocean. Politicians grew mad with power, accusing rivals of being Russian assets. Sound familiar? I am not referring to President Trump, who often said he was the victim of a mad witch hunt. The term in modern politics largely means that political rivals are engaging in behaviors to accuse a politician of something baseless and untrue, and Trump did have at least some semblance of legitimacy to his claims (although some blow way out of proportion). Nonetheless, the impact the Red Scare had on the political scene still sees its rippling effects today. I am not a political person and I do not aim to be, so I will not discuss President Trump, the astonishing accusations of Russian collusion, and the likes thereof. What I instead find more interesting is the rise of the Red Scare and how the term “witch hunt” came to be used as a political football today.
As all witch hunts begin, someone accuses someone of being something evil. In the case of the Red Scare following World War II, a couple by the name of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, were accused of spying on behalf of the Soviet Union. As American citizens, the Rosenbergs were granted a trial which received national attention. They were accused of providing top-secret information about radar, sonar, jet propulsion engines, and valuable nuclear weapon designs, of which the US was the only holder of. As the trial went on, people grew to be more on edge that people as innocent looking as the Rosenbergs could potentially be Russian spies. The couple was found guilty and executed for treason in 1953. Decades later, hard, irrefutable evidence emerged that proved that in fact, the Rosenbergs were Soviet spies. Therefore, the trial was success and justice was served. However, that didn’t stop fear from entrenching itself in the psyches of all American citizens. People were scared and they wanted a voice. Enter Joseph McCarthy and Richard Nixon. These two senators led what some consider the largest political witch hunt ever. McCarthy presided over dozens of trials in which he accused everyone and everything of being a communist spy. Actors, artists, congresspeople, businesspeople, and more were put on a national scene. McCarthy truly believed he was rooting out the evil that was communism, and make no mistake, Soviet communism led to the death of millions. He thought he was fighting for something good, but the power got to him. The line between communist enemy and simple opinion adversary was blurred. The parallels between McCarthy and Cotton Mather are truly fascinating. Centuries apart, and witch hunts solely for the sake of offing the “others” took root in American society. Obviously, the Red Scare didn’t involve mass executions or the ironic use of spectral evidence, but nonetheless, the communist trials of the Cold War led to a frenzy that shook American politics to its core. Black books of banned citizens circulated, and McCarthy would appear on the Senate floor every few weeks with a new list of suspected communists, often with no evidence at all. As was the case with Robespierre, his allies soon saw through the craze he had created. Perhaps it was a mental case he had, or power gone mad. Either way, McCarthy created division by drawing on peoples’ fears. I think this is a timely lesson that we all need to heed. It’s necessary to question authority and you should never submit to fear when you know its unjust. The Cold War produced some of America’s greatest triumphs, but also saw the development of a dismaying witch hunt that proved that paranoia does sometimes win. Witch hunts, both literal and figurative, continue to this day and knowing the meaning behind this phrase is crucial to understanding how people perceive fear in the world.
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