What is the Red Scare?
The Red Scare is a widespread government tactic used by the West to vilify communism, anarchism, or any other leftist ideologies. The Red Scare additionally spreads propaganda about socialist countries, attempting to display them as totalitarian regimes in order to advance capitalism. Most often, the term is used to refer to two periods: first right after World War I, then after World War II. People in capitalist countries are taught to fear communism, or that communists will infiltrate and subvert US society. During Red Scares, activists are targeted for speaking out and in many cases, and may even be killed.
What caused it?
This "scare" was caused by fears of subversion by communists in the United States after the Russian Revolution. The Red Scare of 1919 occurred at a time when the American people felt threatened by the rising tide of Communism in Russia, widespread labor unrest, and the often bizarre forms of Anarchism. As the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States intensified in the late 1940s and early 1950s, hysteria over the perceived threat posed by Communists in the U.S. became known as the Red Scare. The climate of fear and repression linked to the Red Scare finally began to ease by the late 1950s.
Effects
Millions of Americans were forced to take loyalty oaths. Activism and labor unions went into decline, and many people became afraid to speak out on public issues. Anti-communism continues to drive foreign policy. Anti-communism was used to expand the FBI's power, allow businesses to associate labor unions and government intervention with socialism, helping white supremacists fight against black civil rights.
What’s Wrong With It?
By demonising communism and liberatory efforts, the West both hurts oppressed people in foreign countries but also stifles political dissent within its own boundaries. The West’s primary purpose is worldwide domination as a superpower and in order to do this, they will spread propaganda about other countries and the politics within them in order to show them as being the best, while other countries are shown to be committing human rights abuses. Western capitalism is threatened by communism, and they will stop at nothing to attack those who disagree with the government.
Current Context
Another sort of Cold War is currently occurring with the US and China, ever since the onslaught of the coronavirus. Every Chinese person is accused of being a communist, and the government publishes pages of propaganda about China every day. Since xenophobia is normalised now, so is the spread of anti-commmunist propaganda. We must be more conscious media consumers during this time period and get our information from reliable sources so as to not spread Red Scare misinformation.
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