麦卡锡主义及其影响

What is McCarthyism?

【一提起麦卡锡主义，我的first impression是anti-communist，anti-democratic practices，political persecution】

●Joseph McCarthy (1908-1957)

He was a Republican Senator from Wisconsin who is infamous for his attacks on suspected communists without sufficient evidential support. His practice of accusing Americans who have no evidence of affiliation with Communists became termed McCarthyism.

●Definition【This is definition from Wikipedia】

McCarthyism is the politically motivated practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence.

【Actually, it is sort of a bully in politics.】

【讲一下事件(开头啊，结尾啊)Particularly during the early 1950s, Senator McCarthy claimed that communist spies and supporters were infiltrating the federal government and spreading across the nation. Due to the onset of the Cold War, many Americans, believed him.】

●Wheeling Speech (in 1950)

【This speech can be seemed as the beginning of McCarthyism. On February 9, 1950, he entered the national limelight with a speech before a group of Republican women in Wheeling, West Virginia, in which he proclaimed: "I have here in my hand a list of 205--a list of names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in the State Department."】

●Army-McCarthy Hearings (in 1954)

【In 1954, the famous Army-McCarthy hearings took place, in which McCarthy lost much of his popularity. The event was publicized through the media, and the nation was able to witness McCarthy's lack of evidence against the accused Communists. By the end of 1954 the Senate voted to censure McCarthy for his unprofessional ways. The hearings went on for 36 days and were viewed on live television across America. It was estimated that 20 million Americans viewed the hearings. During the hearings, McCarthy had shown himself to be an uncontrollable and embarrassing extremist who had to be taken down. Though McCarthy was not found guilty of his charges, millions of Americans saw McCarthy's true character: "bullying reckless, and dishonesty." The significance of the hearings was the decline in McCarthy's popularity. When the Democrats regained the control of Congress in the 1954 midterm elections, McCarthy’s power and influence diminished still further. and he died in 1957】

【Next, let’s come to the key point: the impac t of McCarthyism. 首先, I have to say, there are some overlapping par, even so, I divided it into 3 aspects in order to have a clear train of thought. they are political impact, social impact , cultural and intellectual impact.】

Political Impact

(1)The American left (The most obvious casualty)

【?美国版文革,

The institutional toll is clear. The Communist party, already damaged by internal problems, dwindled into insignificance and all the organizations associated with it disappeared. I mean the decline or even the disappearance of the left wing. ?With their demise, the nation lost the institutional network that had created a public space where serious alternatives to the status quo could be presented. Moreover, with the disappearance of a