In late 1910s and early 1920s America, “a nationwide fear of communists, socialists, anarchists, and other dissidents suddenly grabbed the American psyche” [[i]]. This fear of communists and socialists would be later coined as the Red Scare. Through this “Red Scare” and its multitude of factors, the culture as well as the politics of the late 1910s and early 1920s America would be drastically affected. Through the working classes’ want of higher wages and their inspiration from the success of workers at strike in Russia, it was widely thought that the unions were attempting to create a “Bolshevik Revolution”.[[ii]] Through these strikes, the fears of the American people as well as the fears of politicians also developed. In addition to various strikes by my American laborers, word of violence also swept through the nation in the form of several bombs sent to government officials. It was due to these bombings that caused the American people to develop a feeling of panic and fear as well as causing political response by creating “a small division to gather intelligence”[[iii]] on the country wide bombings that were known as the Palmer Raids. However, this government operation would also strip Americans of their privacy as well as cause the deportation of hundreds of foreign citizens.[[iv]] Additionally, many of those that were deported were not given fair trial. Moreover, racial tensions were also high as communism was associated to those from eastern European countries by the American people. It is because of this racial tension that innocent immigrants were falsely imprisoned as well as deported in some cases. In one instance of racial tension, two Italian men Sacco and Vanzetti were falsely accused of murder in which there was no solid evidence as to if they truly did commit the crime.[[v]] In addition to the violence and strikes that the Red Scare caused, many films were brought into the culture of the American people. Due to the affects that film had on American culture, propaganda inserted into the films about anti-communism could be directly fed into the heart of American culture.[[vi]] Additionally, films and politics also had a direct correlation during the first red scare through the House Committee on Un-American Activities, which interrogated many of those in the film industry, which greatly influenced what films were made. It is because of these various factors that the American culture became one of anti-communism and fear as well as the stripping of rights such as a fair trial and privacy. It is evident that during the Red Scare of the late 1910s and early 1920s, factors such as violence, media, and social unrest, caused political change as well as cultural change throughout America.
[i] "The Palmer Raids." Between the Wars: The Red Scare. http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/hist409/red.html (accessed November 14, 2013).
[ii] Farmer, Brian. "The Boston Police Strike of 1919." The New American 27, no. 14 (Jul 18, 2011): 36-40. http://search.proquest.com/docview/880567953?accountid=10351.
[iii]McCarty, Joey. "The Red Scare in Arkansas: A Southern State and National Hysteria." The Arkansas Historical Quarterly 37, no. 3 (Autumn, 1978): 264-277.
[iv] "The Palmer Raids." Between the Wars: The Red Scare. http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/hist409/red.html (accessed November 14, 2013).
[v]Linder, Doug. "The Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti." law2.umkc.edu. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/SaccoV/s&vaccount.html (accessed November 14, 2013).
[vi] American Workers, American Movies: Historiography and Methodology
Steven J. Ross
International Labor and Working-Class History , No. 59, Workers and Film: As Subject and Audience (Spring, 2001), pp. 81-105
Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Labor and Working-Class, Inc.
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27672711
[i] "The Palmer Raids." Between the Wars: The Red Scare. http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/hist409/red.html (accessed November 14, 2013).
[ii] Farmer, Brian. "The Boston Police Strike of 1919." The New American 27, no. 14 (Jul 18, 2011): 36-40. http://search.proquest.com/docview/880567953?accountid=10351.
[iii]McCarty, Joey. "The Red Scare in Arkansas: A Southern State and National Hysteria." The Arkansas Historical Quarterly 37, no. 3 (Autumn, 1978): 264-277.
[iv] "The Palmer Raids." Between the Wars: The Red Scare. http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/hist409/red.html (accessed November 14, 2013).
[v]Linder, Doug. "The Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti." law2.umkc.edu. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/SaccoV/s&vaccount.html (accessed November 14, 2013).
[vi] American Workers, American Movies: Historiography and Methodology
Steven J. Ross
International Labor and Working-Class History , No. 59, Workers and Film: As Subject and Audience (Spring, 2001), pp. 81-105
Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Labor and Working-Class, Inc.
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27672711