When the Second World War came to an end, many in America thought that an era of peace would be ushered in. As permanently devastating as the war was, it was relieving to finally hear the gunfire come to an inevitable silence. However, because of being blinded by the temporary peace brought on by the conclusion of World War II, many people forgot that war is not always on the battlefield. At the end of the Second World War, for the first time in many years, America had to face war that was on the home front—war that was silent. The country faced a threat that was not made with guns or immediate violence, but rather with subconscious fear—sometimes even fear that was inflicted by its own government. With the discovery of the hydrogen bomb, a whole new chapter of warfare had been opened, and the potential for "Mutually Assured Destruction" (or, MAD, the idea that if a nuclear bomb was used against another nuclear power it would mean the end of civilization as we knew it) was realized. America, at war with the Soviet Union, caused more fear in its citizens than any war had before using the simple methods of propaganda and their own fears combined.
In our history classes, we learn about how governments can take advantage of their citizens in order to promote their agendas. We learn about the fear inflicted in millions over the possibility that the world as we knew it could end based on the violent impulse of another country. It seems unlikely that one would be unable to trust their neighbor, for fear of them possibly being a spy and overturning your way of life. But rarely are we taken into the shoes of an actual person who lived the fear and faced the pressure from the outside world during the time of the Cold War. This story documents the experience of my aunt Linda Sylvia (at the time, Linda Cruickshank), who lived through the fear and commotion during the Red Scare.
A Separate World
Gagetown, Canada—this is where my aunt had lived before the Second World War, and a small little town I’ve only had the privilege to visit once or twice in my short life-time. Often in my childhood, I had heard stories from my father and older aunts and uncles about what life was like in Canada—it was “simple, fun, and carefree” (Sylvia). Friends were easily made, and any stranger passing on the street would “give you the shirt off of their back” (Sylvia). Most of my family only has vague memories of their home, but it’s almost always heartwarming to hear their stories about running around in ‘Grandma’s yard’ and playing in the attic with all the neat knick-knacks and toys. Outside influence (such as wars) never really affected home-life and for this, they were happy. When my aunt was still very young, however, my grandfather made a very bold decision. While life in Canada was carefree and simple, it simply did not offer his children enough of a future to continue living there. And so, he packed up and moved to Massachusetts to bring a brighter future to his children. My aunt fondly recalls the event, remembering how everyone in the family helped them move—and even remembered “kicking her brothers (my father and uncle) out of boredom from such a long trip” (Sylvia).
Even though it was a new country, my aunt recalls not recognizing much of a change. It was much like moving from one town to the next—you just “learn to start over” (Sylvia). During the years that the Cold War had taken place, my family never really took notice; “America and the USSR always had problems, really—we knew this even when we lived in Canada…hence why we never really took much notice of it” (Sylvia). And because of not noticing, my aunt went on living her life until after her graduation. She recalled everyone in town talking about the “communist espionages”. But because of the little piece of detachment inside of her from America, she had merely passed it off as “conspiracy theories” and paranoia. It wasn’t until later in her life that she would realize that the Red Scare would come into her life and force her to recognize it—courtesy of her very own government via propaganda.
We all know of the American Dream—or, how it was originally intended at the least. It was considered the easy life, something all Americans strived for through their hard work and efforts. This dream is usually heavily accented by the idea of peace and prosperity in one’s home, America. After the Second World War, however, things were far from peaceful. The government, at political war with the USSR, began to use methods that would instill fear in the citizens of its country. These methods heavily mirrored the methods used by the government during World War II to create a negative image of Japanese-American citizens. While never outwardly committing any crimes against America, they were depicted as evil and as a threat to the American way of life. However, these methods had targeted a specific demographic of people and thus it was easier to single out certain people. Propaganda used to warn citizens about Communists, however, could be about anybody—and this is where the fear took root, the idea that even your closest friend could be your worst enemy. For my aunt, the possible invasion of home-life seemed a little more personal. “I was originally born in Canada until papa and grandma (my grandfather) moved to Massachusetts when I was a young girl”, she recalled fondly, “In Canada you never had to lock your doors. Everyone there was friendly, despite the ongoing war” (Sylvia). She told me about how simple life was where she had originally been from, and even though life in America was none too different—she had never experienced this kind of fear before. “I never really suspected someone to be a communist spy—but the suspicion was still always there. The posters and television ads made you constantly question that” (Sylvia).
While there was figurative peace within the nation, there were severe undertones of fear and anger towards Communists. America had been a simple country, in most respects, in which one could live in peace and be at harmony with his/her friends, family, and neighbors. However, the growing propaganda caused “suspicion”, as described by my aunt. Tensions were on a constant high, she describes, saying that possibly the biggest scare was the nuclear bombs. “It was hard to be suspicious of your friends or co-workers,” she describes, “these were people you thought you could trust—but now the government was saying otherwise” (Sylvia). For years, citizens of America (like my aunt) were told to have the utmost trust in their government, but the growing fear of Communism and the constant accusations against innocent citizens of just being Communist—their trust showed to be slowly depleting over time. A specific example of this would be the Rosenberg couple—a couple accused of passing atomic secrets to the Russia seemingly without any real evidence besides having formerly been involved in an American-Communist party. The couple was asked to simply admit their involvement in espionage activities—however, they refused. The court, as a result, sentenced them to death. This, along with the emergence of Joseph McCarthy (a Republican senator, and self-acclaimed spear-head of the campaign against communism in America) came the idea that literally anyone could be a Communist spy—even those within the government. In August of 1919, even in the early stages of the Cold War before my aunt was even born, the Justice Department started the General Intelligence Division of Bureau of Investigation. It's mission was to "uncover Boshevik conspiracies" and "find and incarcerate or deport conspirators" (Burnett). This invoked the suspicion of citizens against not only each other, but those who were in charge of them. His hunts for communists became “synonymous to the witch-hunts” (Ranzer) from the past, and as a result, an era of mistrust for society as a whole had begun. "I always thought McCarthy was a crazy guy. How can someone go around pointing fingers at everyone?" (Sylvia) is what my aunt responded when I questioned her about McCarthy. Her inquisition about his sanity proved correct, as McCarthy had constructed his own destruction when he "leveled his accusations against the United States Army" (Ranzer). McCarthy's popularity quickly declined, and on December 2, the senate removed him from his position under the accusations of "inappropriate conduct of a senator" (Ranzer).
This slander against communism not only caused fear over the possibility of a nuclear attack, it also caused one to question those around them. Many lived in fear of their neighbors being communist spies, which was heavily influenced by propaganda; mainly this was because over the years during the 'Red Scare' (what the rise of communism was referred to at the time), many people were imprisoned due to suspicion against them of being a spy for the USSR. In some cases, suspects of communism were even sentence to death. Because of such extreme measures, many citizens took the threat of communism more seriously and supported the extreme punishments placed upon these suspects- after all, if they could not trust their own government during this time or turmoil, who else could they trust? But, the fear of communism did not solely include what happened within their own towns...but also included the possible threat of a devastating nuclear bomb. Because of the increasing interest in nuclear arms at the time, the citizens had a new reason to live in fear. Many had witnessed or heard of the devastation that even a hydrogen bomb could bring to a city (ie Hiroshima, Nagasaki, etc.), so the idea that at any given moment a nuclear bomb could drop down into America's borders was absolutely terrifying. The country's leaders, while also fearful, used this fear to fan the flames of nationalism for democracy. My aunt, even though from another country originally, informed me that “it was almost like being in an actual, all-out war; so many people cheering for America on the side-lines of such a quiet war” (Sylvia). Propaganda sprouted up everywhere in the form of artwork, posters, commercials, and even in children's cartoons in order to slander communism and increase morale. “Duck and Cover” was one of the most well-known forms of propaganda, eliciting fear in children and parents for decades.
Peer Pressure: The Conclusion
During the Cold War, it seemed, no matter what your beliefs were—if you weren’t for the prosecution of communists, you were against America. Such open hostility confused many and disoriented people like my aunt; she described it rather perfectly as “peer pressure”. “Things like MAD make me think of peer pressure. One pressures someone else into something, but in the end neither party really wants to do any of it” (Sylvia); during the 1950’s and onward, a statement like this would probably have her under some scrutinizing stares—which she said she found ironic. “The war never affected me directly. My father was completely anti-communist, as most of our parents were,” she had informed me (which was true—my grandfather hated communists), “but I’ll tell you one thing—even the constant pictures and cartoons were enough to have me questioning the integrity of my next door neighbor” (Sylvia). And so, we see that a woman from care-free, simple Gaguetown was able to be pressured into believing in the idea that even your best friend could be a “bloodthirsty” and “evil” Communist. When I asked her about her feelings on the issue today, she merely offered told me that “there will be times when the country is at war and we all become scared, but over time you learn to take a step back and move on with your life. You can’t be scared forever” (Sylvia).
Sylvia, Linda. Personal interview. 24, April. 2011.
"Cold War - Propaganda." Encyclopedia of the New American Nation. Encyclopedia of the New American Nation. Web. 16 May 2011.
Ranzer, Marci. "McCarthyism." McCarthyism, 1950's, The Red Scare, Senator Joseph McCarthy. Encyclomedia. Web. 24 Apr. 2011.
Burnett, Paul. "The Red Scare." UMKC School of Law. Web. 27 Apr. 2011.
"1950: The Red Scare Hoax". Making the World Safe for Hypocrisy. N.p, 16 Mar. 2010. Web. 26. April, 2011. <http://mtwsfh.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/1950-the-cias-european-union-torturing-puerto-ricans-mass-murdering-koreans-the-red-scare-hoax-and-george-orwell-was-right/>
"Duck and Cover (1951) Bert the Turtle Civil Defense Film." You Tube, July 11 2009. Web. 25 April 2011.
"Busy Bear with Guns, Grain and Ballerinas." Editorial. Life Magazine Nov. 1968: 24.Google Books. Web. 26 Apr. 2011.
Great embedded video and caption!
ReplyDeleteNeed a proper intro and thesis. (The beginning of the intro sounds like a direct cut/paste from a source; this needs to be fixed before your presentation.)
Works Cited is almost perfect; just remove the comma after the number 24. Also, I DO want the URL (web address) to be included with any web sources.