Red scare or red menace?
...Many Catholic followers saw the communist movement as a “variety of the general evil of atheistic modernism” (92). Another huge step in starting a Christian uprising against communism was the Spanish Civil War. The stories heard in the states about murder, torture, and rape stemming from Franco’s movement horrified the American Catholics. This helped cause the anti-communist movement to become a requirement of their faith. The strengthening of the Socialist Party in America also aided in the fight against communism. This group was split and those who left began the American Communist Party. The rivalry between the two groups stayed strong and in return the remaining Socialist Party began a detailed critique of the communism. The Socialist’s knew more about the Communist’s then did the previous anti-communist’s and therefore were able to help get the right people in the right positions to continue the brawl against communism. One of the greatest opposing walls against communism stood within the labor movements. Anticommunism gained control of most of the CIO and therefore less power and influence was placed into the hands of the communist. Controlling communism may have been just as important as stopping it. Public awareness of communism grew over time. The HUAC was a main source of the scares. It was a committee that began to investigate into American fascism and Nazism. In doing so many beliefs about communism and those secretly involved were considered. The stories that surfaced cause much hype and propaganda among Americans. People with political power began to use it to their own advantage by trying to get others kicked out of office positions. Scares began to occur in Hollywood also and caused many people to become blacklisted. The HUAC prosecuted hundreds of people some guilty, some innocent. This movement in some ways destr...