Memories of the Red Decade - Essay Example

Effect of Anticommunism on the Maryland Communist Party The article, Memories of the Red Decade: HUAC Investigations in Maryland which was included in the book American Labor and the Cold War: Grassroots Politics and Postwar Political Culture was written by Vernon Pedersen and edited by Robert Cherny, William Issel, and Kiernan Walsh Taylor. Vernon Pedersen is the Head of the Department of International Studies at the American University of Sharjah and is of American nationality. The article’s context is the fall of the Soviet Union and the collapse of international Communism that resulted in many historians writing books and making publications aimed at reevaluating a lot of aspects of Cold War America. The author writes in this context as a response to the augments made by these writers and in his view the most important efforts were done by Richard Powers (1994) and Ellen Shrecker. The political and cultural sitting at the time of the writing of the paper includes the fall of the Soviet Union and the collapse of international communism prompting. The writing of the article was also prompted by the reevaluation of the cold war era in America by different writers prompting the author to present the most important writers. The intended audiences for the article are students, scholars, and the public. The article is aimed at this audience as a measure of augmenting the understanding aspects of cold war era and demonstrating the various issues at play during the time. The article’s thesis is making a combination of two perspectives on anticommunism with the aim of seeking an evaluation of consequences of anticommunism and the mix of responsible and extremist elements. The study’s objective is achieved through an examination of the investigations by the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) on the activities undertaken by the Communist Party of Maryland. In summary the article provides the controversies associated with the communism in the writings of Power and Shrecker but makes a point in showing that the two writers had some similarities in their view of the period. The similarity is that the two writers acknowledged that anticommunist protests were waged against mainly members and organizations tied to the Communist Party USA (CPUSA). Some of the arguments in the article include the fact that Power’s states the nature of anticommunism as complex, pluralist movement containing elements of responsible, principled, and conspiracy-based extremists1. On the other hand, Shrecker considers McCarthyism as having caused setbacks for labor, restriction of social issues debate, and severe consequences for leftists. Another argument made in the article is that investigations in Maryland targeted the Communist Party with hearings undertaken in 1940, 1944, 1951, 1954, and 1957 and were very much correlated to anticommunist individuals and organizations2. The article exemplifies this through the life of J.B. Mathews who had a lifelong career as a chief investigator of the congressional committee and anticommunist. There were surveys of the members of the Maryland party through the use of FBI informers and spies. Witnesses in the investigations were publicly threatened and in some instances, their homes were vandalized resulting in the curtailed spread of communism. The other extreme measure entailed the passing of the anticommunist Ober Law that was aimed at reducing subversive influences, for instance, in parties. The author affirms that those who were found guilty by the state investigative committee lost their jobs, and they were blacklisted from future employment. Those found guilty of promoting communist ideologies were sent to jail depicting the other extreme measure during the period and having to pay fines amounting to over 1000 dollars including Ruth Blumberg. The argument of the negative effects on employment by anticommunism is exemplified by the actions of communists for labor equality through Total War Employment Committee (TWEC) and Sweethearts of Servicement (SOS). The presence of responsible anticommunists is exemplified in the article by John Francis Cronin whose aim was expanding Catholic influence, established labor school, and was involved in organizing CIO locals especially those attached to IUMSWA. Despite augmented influence in Maryland, the Communist Party refused same role in IMSWA party interim board, disrupted union meetings, resulting in the sacking of Florence Swartz from NMU and loss of national president Joe Curran’s support. This shows the fall of influence of the Maryland party caused by its activities and not the influence of anticommunist actions3. The weakening of the Maryland Party was also orchestrated by the Catholic Church through press campaigns, increased anticommunism, arrests of leaders under the Smith Act, and increased spy scandals. In summary, the article points out different measures used by the anticommunist in curtailing communist ideologies including state-sponsored investigations. The article portrays anticommunism as a complex and pluralistic movement that affected the leftist causes of the Communist Party of Maryland. The author makes an affirmation that HUAC’s assaults against the Maryland Communist Party had discernable effect on the Maryland party as well as the fact that anticommunism enjoyed widespread support both the public and the government. The assumptions made by the article’s author include assuming that all the members of the Maryland Communist Party were communists. In my opinion, the author made persuasive arguments in the article through providing evidence for their arguments. Pedersen’s argument that the Maryland Communist party spread communist ideologies is convincing from their efforts against anticommunist and the stands they took to have membership despite threats of jail and fines. Anticommunist proved to have a mix of responsibility, principle, and extremist elements as demonstrated in the article. The basis of the arguments is the 1940 to 1960 period allowing for the better understanding of the anticommunist activities leveled against communist members in the Maryland Party with specific emphasis on the HUAC investigations. There are no unstated prejudices betrayed by the author because of the emphasis to present the controversial views in similar light for the reader to decide the side to choose oh his/her own. The argument is durable because of the long time the investigations into the actions of the communist party ion Maryland took and some of the legislations that were made against the Maryland Party are still in use. The impact is that anticommunist movements with support from the government and the public made use of varied channels in fighting communism. It turned out that the HUAC investigations and other activities some extreme and others caused by the Maryland Party were effective in reducing the influence of the Communist Party USA. This is validated by subsequent events that saw the weakening of the Communist Party in the preceding years including Krushechev speech, vandalism of homes, and firing of communist witnesses. The fact that the party was also responsible for its demise and not only from anticommunist actions is validated by the words of William Wood stating that the party “tore itself in frustration and nearly perished”4. The contemporary scene is not borne out by the subsequent events that complement the documents view in terms of the actions within the Maryland Party, HUAC investigations, and McCarthyism. Bibliography Kennan, George, Dealing with the Communist World, New York: Harper & Row, 1998. Nack, David. "American Labor and the Cold War, Grassroots Politics and Postwar Culture." Labor Studies Journal 30.4 (2006): 108-109. Pedersen, Vernon, Memories of the Red Decade: HUAC Investigations in Maryland, edited by Robert, Cherny, William Issel, and Kiernan Walsh Taylor, American Labor and the Cold War: Grassroots Politics and Postwar Political Culture, New Brunswick, N.J: Rutgers University Press, 2004. pp.177-189. Warren, Frank. Liberals and Communism: The Red Decade Revisited, New York: Columbia University Press, 1993. Read More