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A. Mitchell Palmer
A. Mitchell Palmer was an American lawyer, legislator, and also served as the U.S. Attorney General. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives, and was one of the founding figures to launch an offensive campaign against political radicals, anarchsim, and growing communist threats during the Red Scare. We was also the director of the known "Palmer Raids" against socialist and communist workers parties and radical insurgents and anarchsits with arrests and deportation. -
Vanzettis
Italian-born anarchists who were convicted of murdering a guard and a paymaster during the armed robbery of a shoe factory in Braintree, Massachusetts, United States in 1920.
Both adhered to a strain of anarchism that advocated relentless warfare against war, violence and oppressive governments. -
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
The Industrial Workers of the World, or Wobblies, was a union based organization that was founded in 1905 in Chicago by William D. Haywood. The IWW worked for better treatment and conditions for industrial and manual workers and laborers, such as fairer wages, decent working hours, and increased protection of child laborers and labor laws. -
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Joseph McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy was an American attorny, judge, and politician. McCarthy served in the US Senate from 1947-1957 and during this time also stirred feelings about the current situation of the United States and the USSR. He used the growing reintroduction of another "Red Scare" to his own advantage by staging an anti-communist crusade, and by accusing certain individuals of the US government of being communists or communist conspirators, while most of these accusations were soon proven false. -
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks was a Russian political faction, and was also known as the Social-Democratic Workers Party. They were officially organized by Vladimir Lenin in 1912, and practiced protest against the current Tsarit government by boycotting elections, refusing cooperation with the government, and committing several robberies to help fund their organizations actions. The Bolsheviks gained control of the Russian government in 1917 after the Russian Revolution, and soon would create the USSR in 1922. -
HUAC
The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. It was originally created in 1938 to uncover citizens with Nazi ties within the United States. However, it has become better known for its role in investigating alleged disloyalty and subversive activities on the part of private citizens, public employees, and those organizations suspected of having ties to Communism. -
Communist International
The Comintern was founded after the 1915 Zimmerwald Conference. The communist International, also known as the Third Internationalwas an international communist organization that advocated world communism. -
"Red vs. White"
The concept of Reds vs. Whites came to be seen during the Russian Revolution with the pro-Bolshevik (Communist) forces representing the "Red" and the pro-imperial Tsarist governemnt and forces representing the "White." The terms became used widely during both Red Scare periods of the 20's and 50's, such as the terms "Red Menace," or "Reds" in general, representing communist nations, mainly the USSR, or communist supporters and activists, and "White,"anti-communist idealists and governments. -
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Blacklisting
A list or register of entities or people who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, mobility, access or recognition. In this period, it pertainied to visual artists. -
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Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was the collapse of the previous Tsarist rule of Russia and replaced with the Bolshevik (Communist) government party. The revolution was headed by the Bolshevik leader, Vladimir Lenin, who initiated a rebellion against the imperial rule of Nicholas II, and was backed by several workers parties in an attempt to help improve Russia's infrastructure and peasent population's poverty level and growing famines. The revolution would also lead to the creation of the USSR in 1922. -
Espionage Act of 1917
On June 15, 1917, the Espionage Act was passed, and during the Red Scare, the Espionage Act made it so that if anyone were to release information intended to interfere with the United States plans or efforts. Under these conditions, many weresent out of the country to the Soviet Union due to an extention of the Espionage Act -
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Communism
Communism is a socioeconomic form of government that revolves around the better well-being of the people and the country's infrastructure, health, and ability to function. Its basis is that all would work to benefit the country itself and to have no people gain for self interest, and this creates a rather evenly spread basis of wealth and ownership. This was seen as a very socialist, undemocratic and ant-capitalist system, and Americans felt that it was also a radical threat to themselves. -
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Anarchists
There were several incisdents of insurgent bombings during the first Red Scare period, and these bombings also further led the US people to sink into a xenophobic state. Americans feared for a radical revolution similar to the one in Russia shortly before that may occur and change the American way of life. With these fears escalating, anrachism was becoming a larger practice of attempting to gain power and position, one that occured more by poverty striken European immigrants. -
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Rosenbergs
From May 12, 1918 to June 19, 1953, American citizens executed for conspiracy to commit espionage, relating to passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. -
Sedition Act of 1918
The Sedition Act of 1918 was an extension of the Espionage act, saying that giving away any important information away to outside sources that might interfere with US plans was a crime. Under this law, A. Mitchell Palmer, supported by J. Edgar Hoover sent several hundred foreign-born people currently living in the US to the Soviet Union. -
The Red Summer
After the demobalization of US forces of World War I, racial tensions between veterens and citizens increased with ethnic boundaries and job competition, and developed into massive rioting throughout dozens of cities during the summer and early autumn. The rioting mainly took place between white and African-American populations, with most instances of white gangs or groups attacking or intimidating African-Americans. -
Steel Workers Strike
Steelworkers expected the wages they got during the war, because at that time steel was very important for weapon-making.They did not get their request however and many major steel manufacturers experienced very high striking rates. -
Rise of Russian Communist Party
Bolshevik government in Russia organised the creation of an international communist organisation that would act as the Third International after the collapse of the Second International -
Seattle Dock Strikes
The Seattle Dock strikes was a five day work stoppage by dock workers of several unions who wanted higher wages from the previous controlled wage cuts during World War I. Larger unions such as the IWW and the AFL also were included in the walkout, and this event lead to an increase of hysteria as it was thought that it instigated radical opposition to government institutions, and was backed by Communist supporters and parties. -
Schenck v. United States
Schenk v. United States was a Supreme Court decision regarding offenses against the Espionage Act of 1917. The case was a result of Charles Schenck and Elizabeth Baer, who were high officials in the Socialist Party, sending out thousands of leaflets to draft-age men urging them against conscription. The court ruled that this act was an obstruction against the draft process, along with violating certain sections of the Espionage Act, and a criminal charge was given. -
Anarchist Bombings
The 1919 United States anarchist bombings were a series of bombings and attempted bombings carried out by anarchist followers of Luigi Galleani from April through June 1919. These bombings fed the Red Scare of 1919–20. -
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Communist Party of the United States
The Communist Party of the United States is the largest communist political group currently in the United States and was founded in 1919 shortly before the intial events of the first Red Scare. Its membership included a sizable amount of anarchists and radical supporters which, along with the mentality of both Red Scares, gave the party a poor reputation along with poor infrastructure and stability as a party,along with similar socialist workers parties of the times. -
J. Edgar Hoover
The War Emergency Division hired Hoover, and was soon mooved by President Wilson to become the head of the Division's Alien Enemy Bureau at the beginning of WW1. In August 1919, Hoover becomes head of the Bureau of Investigation and the First Red Scare was one of his first assignments, and to carry out the palmer raids. -
Boston Police Strike
Strike prompted a lot of property damage, but not a lot of public safety risks.Society changed with the twentieth century, and may police tactics were no longer accepted.Harvard students acted as a volunteer, temporary police force. -
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Palmer Raids
The Palmer Raids were a series of raids and arrests against radicals and anarchists that officials feared to act against U.S. government installations. The raids were directed by the Attornety General A. Mitchell Palmer and the Department of Justice and were first carried out against radical immigrant labor parties, such as the Communist Labor Party, and lead to the arrests of over 10,000 individuals, with only a fraction of those being sentenced or deported. -
Goldman, Addams, Beard
Emma Goldman, Jane Addams, Charles A. Beard and many more people were all put in jail and deported to the Soviet Union. Some were considered dangerous anarchists and were sent back to prevent harm. -
Deportation/Soviet Ark
Under the rules of the Sedition Act, 249 people were deported that were born in other countries and moved here or "undesirable" aliens were booted out of the US to the Soviet Union. These People were transfered from the states the the Soviet Union on a boat, called the "Soviet Ark". -
Postal Bombs
The Postal Bombs were explosive letters sent to a particular target, and designed with the intention to injure or kill the person when opened. -
Mao Zedong
Formed and founded the Communist Party of China and the massive creation of the Peoples Republic of China. A very substantial organization that was greatly feared by the U.S. -
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"The Red Menace"
"The Red Menace" refers to mainly the USSR, but also the overall encompassing fear and hatred of all communist nations and supporters. Americans felt that communists were radicals and feared they would act against the United States when presented with the oppurtunity, and felt the need to try and reduce communist influence in the world as much as possible. -
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Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
The USSR was a collection of various eastern European countries and territories under the ruling of the communist government of Russia, or the Soviet Union. The USSR was a leading superpower during and after World War II and was the main opposition of the United States during the Cold War. It was founded under the rule of Vladimir Lenin, a radical Bolshevik leader who gained control of the government during the October Revolution of 1917, and lasted until its dissovle in 1991. -
Smith Act
Passed by the U.S. Congress as the Alien Registration Act of 1940. The act, which made it an offense to advocate or belong to a group that advocated the violent overthrow of the government, was the basis of later prosecutions of members of the Communist and Socialist Workers parties. -
Nuclear Weaponry
Atomic Energy Commission was formed as a civilian agency to oversee U.S. atomic affairs. This agency would come to oversee the massive build-up of thermonuclear weapons of the United States in its attempts to remain a competative global superpower with the USSR. This escalation of missiles would lead to much tensions between tha nations, along with global fear of total annihalation in the event of a nuclear war. -
Executive Order 9835
President Harry S. Truman signs the EO9835 or Executive Order 9835 or Loyalty Order. This order was made to help flush out all communist influence in the US government. Government employes lost many civil liberties as a result to the creation of the criteria that the orders set to help prove loyalty to the US government and against any communist or radical parties or nations. -
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Blacklist
The Blacklist was a list of individual members of the entertainment industry who were labeled or seen as communist sympathizers or supporters, and who were then barred off from any form of performance work because of these political affiliations. The original "Hollywood Ten" of the blacklist were Alvah Bessie, Herbert Biberman, Lester Cole, Edward Dmytryk, Ring Lardner Jr., John Howard Lawson, Albert Maltz, Samuel Ornitz, Adrian Scott, and Dalton Trumbo. -
First Soviet Atomic Bomb Test
The Soviet Union began their nuclear weapons program during World War II, and after the war built large amounts of research facilities, along with massive employment of scientists to attempt to accelerate progress as a result of the U.S. atomic blasts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After large amount of experimentation, along with the atomic spy ring, the Soviet Union became the second nuclear power in the world when they successfully tested their first atom bomb on August, 29th, 1949. -
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Korean War
The USSR and Korea controlled the 38th parallel. Conflicts began to take place because our government as well as the USSR fought for majority control in Korea.The conflict escalated into open warfare when North Korean forces supported by the Soviet Union and China invaded the south, and lead to a counter action of South Korea along with the aid of US and UN forces to help push back the invading powers. -
Dennis Vs. United States
A United States Supreme Court case relating to Eugene Dennis, General Secretary of the Communist Party USA. The Court ruled that Dennis did not have the right under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution to exercise free speech, publication and assembly, if the exercise involved the creation of a plot to overthrow the government. -
The Domino Theory
The Domino Theory,a thought first mentioned by Dwight D. Eisenhower about Indochina, was that if certain nations or areas of the globe fell to the influence of communism, then all of the rest of the surrounding countries would become communist nations, and potentially the imperial spread of communism may envelope the entire globe if left to occur. This was a feared outcome to Western nations and lead to certain points of intervention, such as Western involvement in Korea and Vietnam. -
Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1 was the world's first artificial satellite and was launched by the Soviet Union on October 4th, 1957. It was visible from everywhere on the Earth, and because of its four external radio antennas its also gave off detectable radio pulses. This event triggered the American Sputnik crisis, and also launched the Space Race between the United States and the USSR. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviet union deployed ballistic missiles in Cuba and about started a nuclear war because of growing tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States' fears of having devastating weaponry close enough to strike critical US cities and areas. There was then a 13 day confrontation between the US and Soviet Union until an agreement came together, and resolved the crisis.