What was McCarthyism?
156128
McCarthyism happened in the 1950s.  Groups of people (actors, news reporters, etc) were suspected of being communists - with no basis or foundation for the suspicion.  Many people were banned from doing their work because of their suspected communist ties.  This was during an era called the "Cold War" which was between the end of World War II and the mid 1980's.  At this time, the United States and Russia (then called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - USSR or Soviet Union) were sworn enemies of each other.  The USSR was a communist state.  When the USSR collapsed in the mid 80s and early 90s the two nations resolved their differences.\n\nCommunism is an economic system where the state owns the means of production, and everybody is supposedly treated equally - as opposed to capitalism (which the USA has) where the more you work the more $$$ you make, and the more $$$ you make the 'better off' you are.
892484
An ideology is a system of beliefs. It has a core principal such as nationalism, sufferage, economics, distribution of wealth.  It becomes a movement if there is a social need for change that is not resolved by established groups.  For example, around 1900 the Progressive movement wanted to end the ecomonic power of trusts and make working conditions better.  This lead to specific proposals such as the 40 hour week and anti trust laws.  It became a movement when pushed by writers like Sinclar.  Politicians used the movement to increase their votes.
625867
This smells like a research paper you should be doing your own research for.  I'll just say the foreign policy of the 1950's was totally dominated by worldwide struggle with the USSR for allies and hegemony.  Everything else was secondary.  On top of the perpetual war footing and a major shooting war in Korea there was the threat of nuclear holocaust.  And the American imagination has latched onto the idea that this decade was innocent and carefree, a Golden Age that makes our own times dark and frightening in comparison.  This grotesque glorification of the past plays right into the hands of the current regime, which manipulates fear to stay in power and strip away our constitutional rights.
370484
Nazism is an offshoot of Fascism.\n\nFascism is the general group, like socialism or republicanism.\n\nAn extreme Socialist is a Communist.\nAn extreme Fascist is a Nazi.\n\nThat's probably the best way to describe it.
273726
Stalin ruled on fear. He greatly rewarded family and friends who ratted on each other, and people were greatly rewarded. So, everyone lived in terror. People would rat, and others would disapear mysteriously into the night.
978140
Never heard of such a thing. Are you sure? Where is information on it. That's like Jewish nazis, or a Native American republican.
250392
Stalinism is referring to a specific style of government (the Stalin USSR era), whereas Communism is the political ideology behind it. Check out this site: \n\nhttp://www.marxists.org/glossary/index.htm\n\n(wikipedia is also helpful)
328015
At the time, the Cold War was in full swing, he'd accuse some of his fellow Congressmen of being Communists, due to some legislation they were endorsing...Eisenhower had no real power to deal with him, but finally said, "enough is enough" Hence the whole Red Scare...Mc Carthy was a fear monger.
295539
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totalitarianism
1179855
A bit of both. At the time of the gunpowder plot English Catholics were banned from observing their faith to an extent that would now seem barbaric to all but the most extreme Orange type. While I can understand the frustration Caitsby's group felt we should also take into account the backlash that resulted from this and the way their cause was set back for possibly hundreds of years as a result.
888761
Hidden prison camps.\n\nTorture through rendition.\n\nPropaganda use to control the masses\n\nFalse promises to the masses\n\nSuperiority complex through lies and rhetoric\n\nNationalism - redefining patriotism to mean that if you disagreed, you were a traitor.\n\nPreventive War concept to allow occupations.\n\nIgnoring international laws and standards.\n\nThreats and persecution of protesters.\n\nInvasions of non-threatening countries.\n\nOccupation of hostile countries that opposed him but had not attacked. (pre-emptive war concept)\n\nPromises of security and prosperity.\n\nSpying into the lives of ordinary citizens.\n\nArrogant pride in military conquest of small countries with weak militaries.\n\nDehumanizing foreigners.\n\nEstablishment of a Homeland Security dept.\n\nMilitary supplier corporations gained enormous profits.\n\nLack of regard or interest to the persons hurt by government policy.\n\nTaking control of the media - legislation passed last year monopolizes our media.\n\nBlacklisting protesters - ie, The Dixie Chics\n\nConvincing his countrymen they were fighting for their freedom and GOD's will.
457239
It involved the purge of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the persecution of unaffiliated persons, both occurring within a period characterized by omnipresent police surveillance, widespread suspicion of "saboteurs", show trials, imprisonment and killings. The source will tell everything you'd ever want to know about the Great Purge.
1000963
I agree with you in principal, and I feel political correctness is a form of "New Age McCarthyism". Unfortunately, the pendulum has swung the other way for now, but it was so badly biased in the past, that this is a natural effect. Hopefully it will find a stasis, and color, race or religion won't matter in the next few generations.
1104524
I believe the brainwashing the liberal idiots received was sponsored by the communists. My answer is neither, it's internationally organized by the enemies of our country.
189049
They were an anti-Vietnam war movement.  Here is a site that goes into more detail and there are even more links at the bottom of the site:\nhttp://www.milesago.com/features/saveoursons.htm
788764
Communism is the buzzword.  But really its called Imperialism.\nWars outside of national soil are for greed and pride.\nKorea and Vietnam did not represent a threat to the US.  Not until they decided to attack first.
255168
Oh wow, what a really cool question! As far as comic hero stories, "Commies"  became the de facto government-approved baddies of the post-WWII era, what with the beginning of the cold war and everything, so McCarthyism probably just reinforced that dynamic. Now, the impact on the REAL world was much more interesting (and lamentable). As we all know, the 50's was a pretty lousy and repressive time, and in every repressive era there are always stringent calls for "decency." Remember, McCarthy was given a forum for his insanity under the pretext that he was,after all, protecting "decent" Americans from subversive pinko scum, and this attitude washed over into comics, manifest in the figure of a strange man by the name of Frederick Wertham - a psychologist who wrote a funny little book called "Seduction of the Innocent." read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Wertham\nThat article talks about the "Comics Code," a voluntary censuring that the comic book industry adopted in order to escape being villanized as "indecent" in a time where that adjective was akin to "un-American." Many comic book fans, myself included, still roil over the lost potential that came about as a result of the "code," most notably the demise EC comics, who arguably put out the most well-written and certainly the most well-drawn material of the time - actually, a lot of that stuff still looks good by today's standards. So yeah, I think McCarthyism, with all the Senate hearings and fear-mongering, DEFINITELY contributed to comics getting the shaft by this Wertham fellow. Read the article, I think you'll be glad you did!