Politics in the 1950's
Communism and spies were the words most often uttered by politicians during the 1950's, and Senator John McCarthy of Wisconsin was perhaps the most visible proponent of the idea that Communist, namely Russian, spies, had infiltrated the United States government. The American public's attention was caught when McCarthy, a previously obscure Republican senator from Wisconsin, asserted during a speech that he had a list of officials in the State Department who were actually Russian spies. His claims were outrageous, but at a delicate time in American history they were taken seriously. A committe of senators was formed to investigate the matter, but little evidence was found to corroborate McCarthy's theory.
"McCarthyism," now defined as unsubstantiared accusations toward other people or politicians, reached a dangerous high in 1954 when the senator accused several army officers of being Communist spies. President Eisenhower swiftly ordered an investigation into the accusations, and televised Army-McCarthy hearings were held for several consecutive months. During the hearings, McCarthy pressed further, claiming a lawyer for the army had Communist ties. The lawyer effectively ended McCarthy's career with his words: "Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness... You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you no sense of decency?"
Almost over night, McCarthy's popularity and credibility altogether vanished. He died only a few years later, age 48, a sad and shriveled man. McCarthy was powerful because the political climate of his time allowed him to be - the Cold War was raging on and the American people were both vulnerable and gullable. McCarthy's rise to power and his outrageous claims damaged both the trust of Americans in their government and the trust of government officials in their colleagues. McCarthy, despite his grandiose and unsubstantiated accusations of Communist infiltration, created a collective cynicism that continues to this day.
"McCarthyism," now defined as unsubstantiared accusations toward other people or politicians, reached a dangerous high in 1954 when the senator accused several army officers of being Communist spies. President Eisenhower swiftly ordered an investigation into the accusations, and televised Army-McCarthy hearings were held for several consecutive months. During the hearings, McCarthy pressed further, claiming a lawyer for the army had Communist ties. The lawyer effectively ended McCarthy's career with his words: "Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness... You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you no sense of decency?"
Almost over night, McCarthy's popularity and credibility altogether vanished. He died only a few years later, age 48, a sad and shriveled man. McCarthy was powerful because the political climate of his time allowed him to be - the Cold War was raging on and the American people were both vulnerable and gullable. McCarthy's rise to power and his outrageous claims damaged both the trust of Americans in their government and the trust of government officials in their colleagues. McCarthy, despite his grandiose and unsubstantiated accusations of Communist infiltration, created a collective cynicism that continues to this day.