Little 'Red Scares': Anti-Communism and Political Repression in the United States, 1921-1946Anti-communism has long been a potent force in American politics, capable of gripping both government and popular attention. Nowhere is this more evident that the two great 'red scares' of 1919-20 and 1946-54; the latter generally - if somewhat inaccurately - termed McCarthyism. The interlude between these two major scares has tended to garner less attention, but as this volume makes clear, the lingering effects of 1919-20 and the gathering storm-clouds of 'McCarthyism' were clearly visible throughout the 20s and 30s, even if in a more low-key way. Indeed, the period between the two great red scares was marked by frequent instances of political repression, often justified on anti-communist grounds, at local, state and federal levels. Yet these events have been curiously neglected in the history of American political repression and anti-communism, perhaps because much of the material deals with events scattered in time and space which never reached the intensity of the two great scares. By focusing on this twenty-five year 'interim' period, the essays in this collection bridge the gap between the two high-profile 'red scares' thus offering a much more contextualised and fluid narrative for American anti-communism. In so doing the rationale and motivations for the 'red scares' can be seen as part of an evolving political landscape, rather than as isolated bouts of hysteria exploding onto - and then vanishing from - the political scene. Instead, a much more nuanced appreciation of the conflicting interests and fears of government, politicians, organised labour, free-speech advocates, employers, and the press is offered, which will be of interest to anyone wishing to better understand the political history of modern America. |
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Contents
A Prelude to Power | |
AntiCommunism at State and Local Levels 1921 | |
Red Herrings? The Fish Committee and AntiCommunism in the Early | |
Little Red Schoolhouses? AntiCommunists and Education in an Age | |
Employers and AntiCommunism | |
Labor and Anticommunism between the World Wars | |
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Common terms and phrases
ACLU action activists activities administration African agents American anti-Communism anti-Communist argued Association attacks attempt Attorney authorities bill Board Bureau called campaign charges Chicago City civil liberties claimed College Committee Communism Communist Party concern Congress Congressional conservative consumer continued critics Deal defense Democratic Department early economic Education efforts employers evidence fascism federal File Fish force foreign Freedom front groups hearings History Hoover House industrial influence institutions interest International investigation involved issue John June Justice labor labor movement later leaders League Legion legislation liberal loyalty March meeting Michigan movement organizations patriotic police political President Press protest radical Record Red Scare repression response Robert Roosevelt schools Senate Smith social Socialist Southern Soviet speech strike struggle subversive teachers took Union United University Washington women workers World York
Bibliographic information
| Title | Little 'Red Scares': Anti-Communism and Political Repression in the United States, 1921-1946 |
| Editor | Robert Justin Goldstein |
| Edition | reprint |
| Publisher | Routledge, 2016 |
| ISBN | 1317104137, 9781317104131 |
| Length | 380 pages |
| Subjects | › › History / Americas (North, Central, South, West Indies) History / Modern / 20th Century |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |