The Red Scare was a period of intense fear and paranoia in the United States, characterized by the widespread promotion of fear and panic towards the potential rise of communism, anarchism, or other leftist ideologies within the country. There were two major Red Scares in U.S. history:
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First Red Scare (1917-1920): This period was precipitated by the events of World War I and the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. The fear of a Bolshevik conspiracy to overthrow the U.S. government, along with a surge in activity among organized labor and anxiety stemming from the Russian Revolution, drove the paranoia. The Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 were enacted during this time, criminalizing various forms of speech and expression. The first Red Scare resulted in the arrest and deportation of thousands of suspected radicals.
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Second Red Scare (1947-1954): This Red Scare occurred after World War II and at the beginning of the Cold War. The uneasy wartime alliance between the United States and the Soviet Union had begun to unravel, and the Soviets had installed communist governments in Eastern European countries. The second Red Scare reached its peak during the "McCarthy hearings," which were televised investigative hearings into alleged espionage within the U.S. Army. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin played a prominent role in this period, launching highly publicized probes into alleged Communist penetration of various government institutions.
