Whether the Response to Communism during the Cold War was Justified - Book Report/Review Example

Response of the Cold War was Unjustified Introduction According to historians, the Cold War is considered as a state of military together with political tension after Second World War between the powers in the western bloc that comprised of the U.S and its allies against the powers in the eastern bloc that consisted of the Soviet Union together with its allies. The war is termed as cold since there was no fighting on a larger scale as evidenced in the First and Second World Wars. However, there were regional wars that the two sides supported in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Korea (Hopkins 931). The Cold War left the United States and the current Russia as the two superpowers with significant political and economic differences: the former being a capitalist state with democratic elections and the later being a single-party Marxist-Lennist state. The eastern bloc nations were termed as communists. To that effect, the paper will discuss how the response to communism during the Cold War was unjustified because the communists did not pose any significant real threat to America. Discussion The Cold War rivalry between the Soviet Union and America resulted in mutual suspicions and increased tensions between these two nations. McCarthyism generated considerable effects on both the political and social landscape of the United States. McCarthyism was a period between 146 and 1955 when Senator Joseph McCarthy was a leader of a movement whose objective was to search and prosecute the suspected communists, especially in the United States. It was associated with vague and unsubstantiated accusations for political exploitation (Schrecker, 121). In America, the citizens felt the effects of the Cold War on a personal level. A lot of alleged communist sympathizers saw the disruption of their lives. They were laid off from their jobs, alienated from family and friends, and hounded by the law enforcement agents. This shows how the civil rights of these innocent American citizens were violated. Even though a very small number of the accused were found to be actually aspiring revolutionaries, the many of the accused were victims of false allegations or had carried out nothing more than exercising their democratic right of joining a political party of their choice. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) was the most crucial element of the anti-communist movement (Schrecker 239). Very few people dared to criticize the questionable tactics that were utilized to prosecute alleged communists. The membership in the leftists groups reduced since it had become clear that such associations may result in serious repercussions. As a result, the dissenting voices from the left side of the political wing fell silent on various issues of national importance. The author shares the evidence that the U.S Supreme Court ruling of Dennis against the United States presented a clear argument that communists were a danger to the government. However, their freedom of speech along with other civil liberties was eroded. Edgar Hoover’s FBI compiled comprehensive files on the suspected subversives by means of surveillance, wiretraps, and infiltration of the leftist groups (Schrecker 125-126). Hoover gave evidence to congressional committees like the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) on federal employees who had failed the loyalty-security program (65). As a result, they were barred from numerous work opportunities in addition to restricting their civil liberties, for instance, the freedom of speech. Some of the accused proponents of communism were killed. Hoover’s vehement testimony in 1947 portrayed communism as a menace (Schrecker 119-120). Based on the 1952 F.B.I report, the FBI under the leadership of Hoover provided evidence to the conviction of 12 prominent leaders of the American Communist Party. They charged with planning to overthrow the American government. In 1951, Hoover and his agents built a case against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and were executed of espionage two years later. McCarthy used hearsay and intimidation to establish his anti-communist ideologies. He initiated charges of disloyalty to anyone who disagreed with his political views, including musicians, intellectuals, and entertainers. It costed many of his victims their jobs and their reputations. The HUAC committee focused on the elements working in the film industry. According to a speech by McCarthy in Wheeling, West Virginia, he was of the view that known communists were working to subvert the American government from within (Schrecker 110). As a consequence, the alleged communists who included members of the U.S political left along with the entertainment industries had their names blacklisted. Due to the effect of negative publicity, the movie executives came up with blacklists that prohibited the suspected communists from employment in the film industry. In the same way, similar lists were also created in other industries. President Truman’s Executive Order 9835 called for dismissal of federal employees on reasonable ground including being a communist because they were considered ruined (271). It was aimed strengthening loyalty at the expense of the labor sector. More to the point, lawyers, teachers, or any other employee with affiliations to communist ideas was fired without notice according to the F.B.I’s Responsibilities Program. McCarthy boldy said that he had more than 57 cases of people loyal to the Communist Party and need to be punished (212). More than 12,000 people lost their jobs and hundreds were imprisoned. This shows the detrimental effects of the response to communism. However, the potential of these harming the nation was very minimal. According to the testimony of Louis Budenz and Elizabeth Bentley, they did have some connection to the Communist Party but were passive participants (130-137). They did not follow Stalin’s orders. But only viewed themselves as radicals committed to a program of political and social change. The McCarthy era repression dehumanized American Communists and transformed them into ideological outlaws. The communist political party was annihilated, with the other left-wing as well as moderate political organizations being restricted from either reforming or even critiquing McCarthy’s anti-communist scheme due to the fear of being considered as unpatriotic or even disloyal to the America. The other reason why the response was unjustified is because when President Ronald Reagan was elected, there the U.S was willing to strike a compromise with the USSR. For example, Reagan’s administration guaranteed future power to the Nomenklura in Eastern Europe and USSR. Next, document 22 by the Supreme Court judge, William Douglas shows the damaging effects of the anti-Communist furor. The nation’s intellectual and cultural life suffered with Douglas condemning the witch-hunt. That is why he opposed the anti-communism movement. Finally, the McCarran Internal Security Act was the only piece of legislation that was found to be crucial during the age of the McCarthyism but it was found to be unconstitutional (Schrecker 141). This shows that even the law was not in agreement with some of the anti-communist acts. On the other hand, communism carried negative connotations and was a threat to the American way of life since it was recognized as an economic system and legitimate political affiliation to the Soviet Union. Even in the 21st century, communism still to some extent inspires fear in the United States. While the American capitalist system puts emphasis on economic production and trading in a free market economy, communism proposes an economic system that is governed by body plans and the responsibility of for production is shared equally among the community members. However, this is something that is not applicable to the American way of life. The few communists were a threat and some of them stole secrets that could influence government policy. However, they were not powerful enough. Conclusion In summary, the response to communism during the Cold War was not justified. This is because American communists were not a real threat to the advancement of democracy and free elections. The accusations were not only made without proper regard to evidence. The anti-Communist investigations not only left a trail of destroyed careers, but also ruined the lives of numerous people. McCarthyism dehumanized American Communists and made them ideological outlaws.The response is unjustified because it shows the manner in which unfounded fears can compromise civil liberties. Works Cited Document 22 by the Supreme Court judge, William Douglas, p. 140. Executive Order 9835, p. 271. FBI report of 1951 Hopkins, Michael. "Continuing Debate and New Approaches in Cold War History," Historical Journal, December 2007, Vol. 50 Issue 4, pp 913–934. Hoover’s testimony in 1947, p. 119-120. HUAC investigations and hearing p.65. Schrecker, Ellen. The Age of MacCarthyism, Boston: Bedford Books of St. Marvin's Press, 2001. pp.109-274. Print. Speech by Senator McCarthy in Wheeling, West Virginia, on February 9, 1950, p. 110. Testimony by Louis Budenz and Elizabeth Bentley, pp. 130-137. Read More