2/9 【历史上的今天】麦卡锡主义是怎么回事？怎么开始的？

美国历史上的今天

麦卡锡主义

每天一篇《美国历史上的今天》，提炼和总结历史在今天发生的重要事件：谁，在哪里，什么时候，做了什么，这件事为什么重要、以及在写关于什么主题的论文的时候可以作为潜在论据引用。

每天半分钟，轻松积累史实

为AP历史拿5分打下坚实基础

When: Feb 9, 1950

What: Senator Joseph McCarthy accused State Department of communist infiltration.

Why significant: During a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed that he had a list with the names of over 200 members of the Department of State that were “known communists.”

At the time, China had fallen to a communist revolution, and the Soviets had detonated an atomic device. McCarthy’s wild charges provided a ready explanation for these foreign policy disasters: communist subversives were working within the the U.S. government. Therefore, the speech vaulted McCarthy to national prominence and sparked a nationwide hysteria about subversives in the American government.

This witch-hunt for communists in the U.S. later came to be known as “McCarthyism.” It did untold damage to many people’s lives and careers, had a muzzling effect on domestic debate on Cold War issues, and managed to scare millions of Americans. However, McCarthy never revealed any name, nor produced any solid evidence for his accusation. He finally lost credibility and support in 1954 when he accused the Army of coddling known communists.

Tags: McCarthyism, Cold War, Joseph McCarthy