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Red Scare Facts & Worksheets

Between the Cold War and the Soviet Union and the United States, the Red Scare was a hysteria about the potential threat presented by Communists in the United States, which heightened in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

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Between the Cold War and the Soviet Union and the United States, the Red Scare was a hysteria about the potential threat presented by Communists in the United States, which heightened in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Communists are called “Reds” because of their devotion to the red Soviet flag.

See the fact file below for more information on the Red Scare or alternatively download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Facts & Information

Overview

  • The first anti-Communist scare, known as the Red Scare, occurred in the United States between 1917 and 1920, triggered by World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.
  • Laws such as the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 criminalized many sorts of speech. The Sedition Act was the most comprehensive, outlawing any disloyal remarks concerning the government of the United States, whether printed or spoken.
  • The Red Scare prompted a series of acts that had a significant and long-lasting impact on the United States government and society. U.S. Senator Joseph R. McCarthy and The House Un-American Activities Committee investigated allegations of subversive groups in the government and the Hollywood film business.
  • After WWII, a resurgence of anti-Communist sentiment lasted until the 1950s, resulting in a second Red Scare. Both times, the First Amendment rights to free expression and free association were threatened and placed on trial.
  • By the late 1950s, the climate of dread and repression associated with the Red Scare had begun to recede.

The First Red Scare: 1917-1920

  • The first Red Scare occurred in the aftermath of World War I, when the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, toppled the Romanov monarchy, launching the Communist Party’s growth and sparking international terror of Bolsheviks and anarchists.
  • Labor strikes were on the rise in the United States, and the press sensationalized them as the result of immigrants bent on undermining the American way of life. The Sedition Act of 1918 targeted critics of the government, threatening radicals and labor union leaders with deportation.
  • Anxiety moved to violence after the 1919 anarchist bombings, a series of explosions targeting law police and government leaders. Bombs exploded in several places, including Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New York City.
  • The Palmer raids, a series of violent law-enforcement attacks targeting leftist radicals and anarchists, climaxed the first Red Scare in 1919 and 1920. They triggered a period of turmoil known as the “Red Summer.”

Cold War Concerns about Communism

  • After WWII, the democratic United States and the communist Soviet Union became entangled in the Cold War, a series of primarily political and economic clashes.
  • The intense competition between the two superpowers created worries in the United States that Communists and leftist sympathizers within the country may actively serve as Soviet spies and constitute a security danger to the United States.
  • Such notions were not entirely unjustified. Espionage operations within the United States with the assistance of the American people, notably during World War II, have been long conducted by The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

The Second Red Scare: 1947-1957

  • The post-World War II years saw a second Red Scare on the federal level, with the late 1940s and early 1950s being the height of it. It is also called “McCarthyism.” As concerns about Soviet influence intensified during the Cold War, U.S. officials resolved to take action.
  • One of the first investigations of communist activity took occurred in the United States. In 1938, the House of Representatives reformed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). In 1945, Congress established the House Un-American Activities Body (HUAC) as a permanent committee. HUAC’s investigations typically centered on uncovering Communists working within the federal government or subversive forces in the Hollywood film business.
  • Executive Order 9835, popularly known as the Loyalty Order, on March 21, 1947, was signed by President Harry S. Truman. It requires the evaluation of all federal workers to see if they were sufficiently loyal to the country.
  • President Harry S. Truman and the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover gathered thorough information on suspected communists through wiretaps, monitoring, and infiltration of leftist organizations with the help of the signed executive order. 
  • The FBI’s intelligence was crucial in high-profile judicial cases, including the 1949 conviction of 12 key leaders of the American Communist Party on accusations of advocating the overthrow of the government.
  • Truman’s loyalty program was a shocking development in a culture that valued the notions of personal liberty and political organization independence. However, it was merely one of several questionable actions during the Red Scare, a time of anti-communist hysteria.
  • Another congressional investigator, United States Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, chair of the Senate Committee on Government Operations, called several persons before his committee to examine their patriotism. He failed in his investigation into Communist involvement in the military forces.
  • The Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950, also known as the McCarran Act, made it a crime to take actions that could contribute to establishing a “totalitarian dictatorship” within the United States, and the Communist Control Act of 1954 prohibited Communists from holding office in labor organizations.

Hysteria and Growing Conservatism

  • International events heightened public worry about communism. The Soviet Union launched tested a nuclear bomb in 1949, and communist forces led by Mao Zedong took control of China. The Korean War (1950-1953) followed, pitting American soldiers against North Korean communist-backed forces.
  • The spread of communism throughout the world convinced many Americans that their nation was in danger of being taken over by “Reds.” Figures like McCarthy and Hoover fueled the alarm by grossly inflating the likelihood.
  • As the Red Scare grew more intense, the political atmosphere became more conservative. Elected officials from all major parties attempted to present themselves as ardent anti-communists, and few ventured to question the dubious measures employed to hunt suspected radicals.

Red Scare Impact

  • Americans were also personally affected by the Red Scare, with many supposed communist sympathizers having their lives interrupted. They were pursued by police, isolated from friends and family, and sacked from their jobs.
  • While some of the guilty may have been aspiring revolutionaries, the majority were either falsely charged or had done nothing more than exercising their democratic right to join a political organization.
  • Though the environment of dread and repression began to lessen in the late 1950s, the Red Scare has influenced political discourse for decades. It becomes an example of how irrational worries may jeopardize civil freedoms.

Red Scare Worksheets

This bundle contains 11 ready-to-use Red Scare Worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about the widespread propaganda that was greatly felt across the United States during the First World War.

Download includes the following worksheets

  • Red Scare Facts
  • Red Scare Word Search
  • Is It True?
  • Odd One Out
  • Historical Ladder
  • Picture Analysis
  • Making a Decision
  • Propaganda Poster Making
  • My Point of View
  • 4 Pictures, 2 Sentences
  • Red Scare Acrostic

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the term Red Scare mean?

The Red Scare was a hysteria about the potential threat presented by Communists in the United States, which heightened in the late 1940s and early 1950s. 

What causes the Red Scare?

The first anti-Communist scare, known as the Red Scare, occurred in the United States between 1917 and 1920, triggered by World War I and the Bolshevik revolution in Russia.

What is the other name for Red Scare?

Its other name is  “McCarthyism” since the second Red Scare happened after WWII, and the best-known advocate was Senator Joseph McCarthy.

How did the Red Scare affect the Cold War?

The intense competition between the two superpowers created worries in the United States that Communists and leftist sympathizers within the country may actively serve as Soviet spies and constitute a security danger to the United States.

What is the impact of the Red Scare?

Americans were also personally affected by the Red Scare, with many supposed communist sympathizers having their lives interrupted. They were pursued by police, isolated from friends and family, and sacked from their jobs.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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