The Second Red Scare Tues/Wed April 10-11

Vocab:1.House Un-American Activities Committee2.Smith Act3.McCarran Act4.McCarthyismGuiding Questions: 1. What caused the second red scare?

The Second Red ScareThe Second Red Scare:

Fear of Communism was growing rapidly in the US after WWII

Reasons:Soviet Union stole

intelligence on how to build atomic bombs. Then they built and tested their own.

China: China was taken over by Communist leader Mao Zedong.

Now the population of Communists vs. Democracy was vastly disproportioned.

Response to Second Red Scare:The House of Representatives

created the “House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)” which searched out Communists in America. Very radical organization. Could make

you lose your job, be deported, go to jail. 3 million people would be investigated

The Smith Act Made it a crime to call for the overthrow

of the US government or belong to an organization that did so

The McCarran Act Required Communist organizations to

register with the government

Joseph McCarthy A U.S. Senator who claimed he had a list of

people who were Communists working in the government. BTW: Never produced the list

Very popular with the American public, was considered America’s top “Communist Fighter”

McCarthyism: Developing and spreading fear of Communism by making baseless charges

He got too crazy for the Americans.