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Belinda Christie
History
December 13, 2016
Final essay

The Primary Fear of Communism


From a moral point of view it is obvious that Americans have come to consider their
standard of living as a somewhat scared acquisition which they will defend at any price. This
means that they would be ready to make an intellectual or even moral concession in order to
maintain that standard (Samuel Strauss). America as a whole has always tried fighting for what
it believes in and working against the norm to prove that it and its citizens can accomplish
anything. From breaking apart from England for its independence, to expanding in technology
and working up the ladder of capitalism. However those numerous triumphs do not change the
fear that many Americans faced when it came to things that went against their norm and ideas of
the American dream. Communism was that threat of the time and its that fear that drove many
Americans into willingly giving up some freedoms in order to keep communism from spreading.
I believe that the primary reason many Americans feared communism was because it went
against the ideals of the American dream and everything America claimed to stand for, and those
values were sacred enough to give up certain freedoms for the sake of protecting what we
believed to be right. Little by little the US allowed the government to have more control, in
return for a sense of security, which some later abused and may have actually become what the
people feared most.

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The first example of this is the idea that America is a place of boundless economic
opportunities. The idea of the American dream not only came with the concept of becoming
anything, but being able to be successful financially as well. America's economy is set up in a
way that allows and creates the mindset of working towards wealth and constantly building upon
it, or at the very least, being able to work hard for your own rewards. Communism on the other
hand works against this with a government that controls and regulates its economy. It was a
society that didnt allow the same kind of opportunities which Americans held dear and being
restricted in such a way did strike fear in others. People took action when situations arose that
began to almost take away those rights, for example during industrialization many laborers went
on strike to fight for better working conditions, 8hr days and fair wages because corporations
were taking advantage of peoples desperation (Green 54). labor activists could not have
imagined such a new order because they were for the most part disciples of Jefferson and
Jackson, who feared government tyranny as much as overbearing monopoly. But after the
emancipation and the beginnings of reconstruction, they saw arising a new kind of national
state As a result, organized workers now looked to Washington with hopes of gaining their
own liberation, (Green 54).They wanted the government to start having more control, because
giving up some power on a personal level potentially meant keeping their rights in other areas
such as putting laws in place to stop monopolies or create unions to have a voice so that
companies didnt completely dictate workers lives and allowed people a chance at better
economic opportunities (Green 45).
Secondly, America worked extremely hard to fight for their independence and after
establishing their own society, worked just as hard to maintain it rather than have government
interference. Through Communism, the government, or one party, has control over the society

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and its workings. Americans, when first establishing this country, didnt want their government
to have much power. They believed they could handle a variety of situations on local levels and
basically govern themselves. It wasnt until later when corruption in different aspects of society
began getting out of control, that people finally allowed the government to step in, giving them
more power to essentially fix the varying problems.
With all this talk of rugged individualism, of unwarranted government interference in
economic matters, we are reminded again by bitter black headlines that there are some
problems that must be solved by a socially conscious Federal government, or they will
not be solved at all. And among these are problems upon the solution of which
depends the very future of American Citizens, (Green, 347).
In addition to that, the decisions made by those in power and the threat of war had a huge
influence on fueling the fear of communism. The cold war brought about a stressful time
between America and Russia. Russia was known for their communist beliefs and communism
wasnt just a political system to them, but it also served as a symbol of Russia who was the
impending threat of the time. Propaganda spread throughout the US, to prep others for potential
war and heavily fueled this fear. Many began to realize that they could use this sort of fear to
their advantage and for their own personal gain.
Naturally the common people don't want war, neighbor in Russia, nor in England, nor
in America, nor in Germany. That is understood but after all, it is always a simple matter
to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or
parliament, or a communist dictatorships. Voice or no voice, the people can always be
brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they
are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the
country to danger. It works the same in any country (Goering).
People like Joseph McCarthy used the red scare to his advantage to further his political
career by claiming that communists were working inside Americas own government. Things like
the Federal Loyalty Act created atmospheres of panic as intense investigations and interrogations
went underway on government employees, either marking them as communist sympathizers or

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forcing them to name names. Many ended up resigning and this surge of pointing fingers created
a sort of frenzy that is comparable to the events of the Salem witch trials. The situation was
blown out of proportion by the government and fearful or suspicious citizens. Its these acts that
not only created the fear, but in a way also turned the nation into what they may have feared
most at the time. Freedom of speech and being able to believe or be affiliated with what you
choose were hushed and no longer openly allowed due to the chance that it could bring suspicion
and question whether you truly were patriotic, issues that could have easily been associated with
communism.
In conclusion, the impact of communism on American society has greatly influenced the
fears of its citizens. America comes with this idea of freedom and the possibility of achieving
anything. However this idea of freedom has come with a price, often leading many to willing
relinquish some rights if it means having a sense of security against enemies that threaten our
ideals of the American dream. America has struggled over the years to find that balance between
security and our rightful freedoms. Sadly many of the same issues linger today and the tactics
used to twist them to someone elses advantage are still actively employed in our modern society
to achieve ones own personal gain or progress towards what some may believe to be right. We
first fought the heathens in the name of religion, then Communism, and now in the name of
drugs and terrorism. Our excuses for global domination always change (Serj Tankian).

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Works citied
Death in the Haymarket by James Green
Dust Bowl: The Southern Plains in the 1930s by Donald Worster
Serj Tankian
Samuel Strauss

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