Political Climate in the 1950s - Essay Example

Political Climate in the 1950s What Was The Impact Of McCarthyism In The US The word McCarthyism has been generated on the famous Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy. His rise to fame was his anti-communist ideas and the need for defense against the rebellious communists that worked in the US government as policy makers. US has always been a capitalistic country and it has openly rejected any ideas of communism in its ranks. Therefore when Senator McCarthy said that he had proof of communist people have penetrated the governmental ranks, there was an overnight commotion to find these people and remove them from their current jobs. [5] [6] McCarthyism had a huge impact on the whole American society, politics and culture. The political scenario suffered in the shape of the communist opposition party dwindling into insignificance. With their downfall, America lost the institutional network that had created a public space where alternatives to the current workings of the government could be presented and be challenged. By late 1950s, thousands of men and women had lost their jobs, hundreds had been deported or sent to prison, and two had been executed. Most, but not all, of these people had once been in or near the American Communist Party. [6] [7] Also the social policy reforms including national insurance policy supported by the leftist also fell apart. McCarthyism further contributed to the attenuation of the reform impulse by diverting the attention of the labor movement, the strongest institution within the left-liberal coalition, from external organizing to internal politicking. [5] [6] America's cultural and intellectual life in the 1950s also suffered from McCarthyism. TV and radio offered a bland menu of quiz shows and Westerns during late 1950s so that no relation could be made to communism and its views. Similarly the film industry cautiously restrained itself from indulging into controversial social or political issues. On the international political front, an opposition to the Cold War had been so thoroughly identified with communism that it was no longer possible to challenge the basic assumptions of American foreign policy without incurring suspicions of disloyalty. [5] [6] What Is Meant By The Term Politics Of Consensus Politics of consensus means common frameworks and policies agreed between all political parties that are adopted by the government. During the years 1945 to 1979, this practice was observed by the government of Britain. The Conservative Party and Labour Party, which were the two major political parties in Britain at that time, were in consensus over certain basic government policies. All the political scientists and media commentators agreed with the policies introduced in the decades after World War II. Changes in the government responsibility such as the welfare state, the National Health Service (NHS), and widespread nationalization of industry, were some of the policies that were agreed unconditionally by both parties. [2] During the late 1970s, the political consensus eventually started to break up. The Conservative Party and the Labour Party were getting at odds over each other. With the sudden rise in oil price in early 1970s, drew a new economic experience of 'stagflation', where high inflation was combined with high unemployment. The Conservative Party challenged the political consensus of the use Keynesian economics by the government. The increasing differences of economic opinion between the two parties finally ended the consensus that was agreed in previous decades. [2] Why Did The Civil Rights Movement Begin In The 1950s After the end of World War II, the blacks (Negro) became increasingly active socially. Discrimination in the military services and in the work force challenged them from getting any important positions. In the South, Blacks had been put to near slavery conditions with the Black Codes and the Jim Crow Laws. As a result many left southern farms for northern cities in search for better jobs. When they found crowded and discriminatory conditions in urban, the Blacks decided to reject their second-class citizenship to fight for racial equality. The civil rights movement was first and foremost a challenge to segregation and a chance for the Black Americans to gain full citizenship rights and to achieve racial equality. [5] With the formation of NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) in 1909 an organized struggle for equality for blacks began. The event that triggered the eventual Civil Rights Movement was when a Black lady, Rosa Parks, refused to give her seat to a White person in a public bus. She was arrested for non-compliance and put in jail. The refusal to give up the seat led to an eight month strike of the bus system in Montgomery. During this time the black community organized their own carpools and deprived the government of the income that came from black riders. The eight-month strike put a severe financial burden on the city and thus the Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional and ended the strike. [1] [3] Why Did The US Become Involved In Southeast Asia America has always been a promoter if capitalistic market and has been in fear of communism from the start. Its rival, the Soviet Union, was a communist state hence any communist activity was seen as a threat to US. The major concern for US in Southeast Asia was stopping the influx of the communist tide. China had undergone a Communist Revolution in 1949, and the Korean War, which raged from 1950 to 1953, had resulted in the establishment of a communist North Korea. America feared the expansion of communism in Southeast Asia where its ally, France was fighting with Ho Chi Minh and his communist rebels. The conflict continued to escalate as communist rebels in the South gained more control of the countryside, which required more & more U.S. military advisors & equipment to prop-up the South Vietnamese army. Starting in 1950, the U.S. started to send military aid to France to help in its effort against the communist rebels. When France pulled-out of Vietnam in 1955-56, the U.S. felt that it had to fill the void in order to prevent Ho Chi Minh from unifying Vietnam under communist rule. U.S. wanted to contain of the spread of communism by protecting Southeast Asia from what they described as the 'evil ideology'. [4] United States also set up a military alliance called SEATO, the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, which included some countries in the region under its protective umbrella to forward its goal of discouraging communism. [4] It is also rumored that the first few US agents in South Vietnam prior to military troops were sent to protect Shell and Esso (now Exxon) engineers welding an oil pipeline from Russia who was financing the North Vietcong. Summary The political scenario after the World War II was expected to become gradually better. However, some of the events described above made matters worse for United States. After 1945, the US became increasingly anti-communist. US and Soviet Union had emerged as the two superpowers of the world. Any communist related activities and thoughts were thought to be connected to the soviets. Furthermore the opposition parties were not supportive of the policies employed by the government. National health reforms and national insurance was rejected by the anti-communist government in light of the current anti-communist process. If there had been a consensus of politics in the government, then better and intellectual decisions would have been taken. The anti-communist remarks made by McCarthy led to added and increased pressure to derail any communist related things. McCarthy was greatly responsible for fueling anti-Communist feelings in America and for escalating the Cold War. He perpetuated hatred and distrust of foreigners and caused America to spend billions of dollars to defend itself which turned out to be a waste. United State's involvement in Southeast Asia is considered as a result of McCarthy's fuelling of anti-communism. The US sustained heavy losses of lives and an expenditure of millions of dollars. It hampered the relations with China which today still continue to be not very friendly. Back at home United States was suffering from the discriminatory factors against the Blacks. An air of hostility was growing against the Americans. The Civil Rights Movement started right under the nose of White government office holders showed US the importance of consensus in the population. The Supreme Court interfered and as a result segregation and discriminatory practices at work started to be demolished. The political climate due to the events after the World War II had become troublesome for United States. These events especially the Vietnam War taught America a long and hard lesson. Works Cited 1. Civil Rights Movement in the United States, Encarta Encyclopedia, Accessed on October 28, 2007 from http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580647/Civil_Rights_Movement_in_the_United_States.html#s1 2. "Consensus Politics", Hutchinson Encyclopedia, Accessed on October 28, 2007 fRom www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0097085.html 3. Mkmba (2005), "The Origins of The Civil Rights Movement - African American Studies Research Paper", Accessed on October 28, 2007 from www.freeonlineresearchpapers.com/origins-civil-rights-movement-african-american-studies 4. Muzaffar, Chandra (2005), "The relationship between Southeast Asia and the United States: a contemporary analysis", High Beam Encyclopedia, Accessed on October 28, 2007 from www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-142298981.html 5. "Origins of the Civil Rights Movement", An Outline of American History (1994), Chapter Eleven, Accessed on October 28, 2007 from www.let.rug.nl/usa/H/1994/ch11_p13.htm 6. Schrecker, Ellen (1995), "The Impact of McCarthyism", Accessed on October 28, 2007 from www.curriculumunits.com/crucible/whunts/impact_of_mccarthyism.htm 7. Schrecker, Ellen (1998), "Many Are the Crimes: McCarthyism in America", Boston: Little, Brown Read More