Not only was the Crucible a movie about the Salem Witch Trials, but it was also a commentary and metaphor on the Red Scare of the 1950s. This page is dedicated to chronicling that historical event – what happened, who the main people in question were, and what the aftermath of this event was. The companion piece to this page is the Salem Witch Trials page, which covers the other half of the context for this movie.
Joseph R. McCarthy, the namesake behind McCarthyism, a phenomenon that spread throughout America. A senator of Wisconsin, during the Cold War McCarthy was a leader in the attempt to unearth Communists and other supposed “loyalty risks” to the US Government.
Following World War II, America entered another war, though this one did not involve battles of land and sea – it was a battle of wits. Known as the Cold War, the United States and Russia entered into a decades-long stalemate of Mutually Assured Destruction. Spanning from the years of 1947 to 1989 (or 1991, depending on the interpretation), the Cold War was a moral and systematic divide between Communism and Democracy. On one side, countries like the United States felt that democracy was something that is a fundamental human right, and everyone should have it. On the other hand, the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), otherwise known as the Soviet Union, believed in the institution of communism. This “war” was based on the disagreement on ideologies, as well as the use of atomic power. Both the USSR and United States had atomic weapons, and there was a fear from both sides that the other would use it. This became known as Mutually Assured Destruction, or MAD, and created a significant amount of fear and tension in America.
During this “war,” US Senator Joseph McCarthy set his sights on rooting out potential communists in America. At this time, a committee in the House of Representatives under the name Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was in place to attempt to root out communists in local communities. Because of this committee and other legislature put forth to monitor the American population, fear spread throughout the people. Joseph McCarthy capitalized off this fear, using his position as a Senator to attempt to root out communists. Many people dissapproved of this, believing it to be too harsh and aggressive. However, it was not until he attempted to root out communists within the Army did he lose all public favor.
In the Army-McCarthy debates (which were nationally broadcasted), the American people watched as he unsuccessfully attempted to root out communists in a very intimidating manner. This is what led to him finally losing public favor, and eventually losing his power in Senate. Though McCarthy died in 1957, the legacy of his fear-mongering remained, leaving a lasting impact on the lives of the American population.
Picture Citation: The Red Scare: How Joseph McCarthy’s Anti-Communist Hysteria Left a Mark on the U.S. | Teen Vogue
*References for this page can be found on the Citations page. To ensure I did not accidentially plagarize, I referenced any source I came into contact with, including those outside the scholarly scope.*