Explain why there was such a powerful anti-communist movement in the USA in the years following the Second World War. How important was Senator Joseph McCarthy’s role in the movement

Anti-communism is a political movement that was originated to oppose communism. It was a significant movement against communism p[ropounded by the communist parties throughout history.

Movement in the USA

• In 1919 and 1920, the first major manifestation of anti-communism in the United States occurred. It was led by Alexander Mitchell Palmer.
• In 1939, the Hatch Act of 1939, attempted to remove Communism out of public workplaces.
• Another approach came with the introduction of Public Law 135 in 1941 that intended to investigate any federal worker whether he is a Communist or not and would fire such a Communist worker.

After World War II

After World War II when the rise of the Soviet Union took place, the anti-communists in the US feared the spread of communist ideology worldwide. Their main concern was that the Soviet Union and China would establish communist rule everywhere. The military alliance of nations in Western Europe NATO tried to control Communist expansion by applying the controlling strategy. The cold war in 1950 also marked some anti-communism movements in the United States such as McCarthyism.

Cessation

The flow of Anti-communism became significantly ceased after the 1980s–1990s Chinese economic reform and the fall of the Soviet Union. The concern over its worldwide extension was also suppressed. At present, there are some states who still have laws for banning Communists from working in the state government.