Red Scare

The Red Scare refers to periods of intense fear and suspicion of communism in the United States, particularly after World War I and during the early Cold War. The first Red Scare (1917-1920) was fueled by the Bolshevik Revolution and domestic labor strikes, leading to widespread paranoia about communist infiltrations. The second Red Scare (late 1940s-1950s) was marked by McCarthyism, where Senator Joseph McCarthy accused many Americans, including government officials, of being communists or communist sympathizers, often without solid evidence. These episodes led to significant political repression and social tension in the U.S.