McCarthyism

McCarthyism was a cult connected to the senator Joseph McCarthy, which thrived off of the suspision of Communism in the United States and helped bring about the second Red Scare. During this time thousands of Americans were accused of being Communists or communist sympathizers and became the subject of aggressive investigations. The primary targets of such suspicions were government employees, those in the entertainment industry, and educators. Suspicions were often given credence despite inconclusive or questionable evidence which only incresced national suspicions. One of McCarthyism's most famous examples was the Hollywood Blacklist which accused many actors, writers, and producers of being communists and spreading communist ideas to the public through media.