McCarthyism

McCarthyism was a campaign of anti-communist investigations and accusations in the United States, especially during the early 1950s, associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations: A U.S. Senate committee that investigates government operations and public policy. Joseph McCarthy used its hearings to pursue alleged communist influence.
Second Red Scare: A period of heightened fear of communist subversion in the United States, chiefly from the late 1940s through the 1950s. McCarthyism became the most famous congressional expression of this broader fear.
Joseph McCarthy: A Republican U.S. senator from Wisconsin whose anti-communist accusations made him a defining political figure of the early 1950s. His name became attached to the campaign and its methods.
Hollywood blacklist: The exclusion of entertainment workers from employment because of alleged communist affiliations or sympathies. The blacklist shows how anti-communist scrutiny restricted work beyond government.
Army–McCarthy hearings: The 1954 televised hearings that examined McCarthy’s accusations against the U.S. Army and the Army’s charges against him. Televised scrutiny of McCarthy’s methods helped erode his public support.
Truman loyalty program: A 1947 federal program screening U.S. government employees for alleged disloyalty. It normalized loyalty investigations before McCarthy’s rise.
Roy Cohn: An American lawyer who served as chief counsel to Joseph McCarthy’s Senate investigations. Cohn helped direct interrogations and advance the committee’s accusations.
Hollywood Ten: Ten film-industry figures who refused to answer questions about alleged communist affiliations before Congress in 1947. Their contempt convictions and industry blacklisting became a model for later punishments.
Blacklist: A list of people denied employment or access because of alleged misconduct or disfavored affiliations. Employers barred people suspected of communist ties, often without formal charges.
House Un-American Activities Committee: A U.S. House committee that investigated alleged subversion and disloyalty, especially during the Cold War. Its investigations of alleged communist influence preceded McCarthy’s national prominence.

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