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A New Yorker article highlighting the impact of the ‘Red Scare’ on American politics asks its readers: “When, exactly, was America great?” This seemingly simple question can also be quite polarizing, as it uses the rhetoric of the nation’s president to question when American politics actually benefited all of its citizens.

Many of the promises that President Trump evokes in his political rhetoric assure the public that the worst is yet to come for some members of society. But this isn’t the first time that a crackdown has occurred in the country. This article explores the Red Scare to understand how the hunt for certain citizens changed American politics forever.

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President Trump and his administration have committed to destroying “radical left lunatics” and “Marxist equity.” According to the administration, even the US military is accused of harboring “cultural Marxism.” What does this mean?

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The end of USAID is, according to Elon Musk, a much-needed effort to remove “a viper’s nest of radical-left marxists.” All these accusations have left many of the American people confused.

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Every effort that the Trump administration makes to rid the US of public institutions, even constitutional rights, is justified by labeling the institution 'Marxist.' Pictured is the Executive Order issued in March 2025 to abolish the Education Department.

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Of course, the United States does not have a Communist Party, unlike most other nations. Few individuals, even those attributed to the so-called “radical left,” even proclaim to be Marxists.

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But for this administration, “cultural Marxism” seems to refer to anything deemed even marginally progressive or for the benefit of any communal purpose.

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University campuses, diversity initiatives, efforts to center inclusion, and environmental efforts, are just some of the examples that have been targeted under this scheme.

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For many, these radical decisions to reverse much of the progress the US has made over the last several decades harken back to the country's Cold War history.

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The Red Scare took place during what’s commonly called the McCarthy era which lasted from 1947 through the 1950s. The term makes reference to Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy.

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The Red Scare is a rich part of American history. It’s often used to refer to the witch hunt of communists and socialists, but the American 1940s and 1950s were packed with dynamic conditions that we may also recognize in today's political environment. Pictured is a book burning in Boston of materials accused of being communist-leaning.

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McCarthy didn’t start the Red Scare, however. The political and social conditions were ripe for this kind of political behavior. But his presentation of an established list of Communist sympathizers within the State Department ushered in a new form of politics that changed the United States forever.

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McCarthyism is even used as a noun to describe this radical change in US politics, which refers to “hitting hard, moving fast, telling lies, and grabbing headlines along the way.” Once something is said in public, no matter how true or untrue, it shapes the perception of a person or issue in a profound way. Pictured is American actor Paul Robeson, whose passport was revoked for supposed communist activities.

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Like many tactics of suppression, including some patterns we see today, accusing people of being socialists or communists was a useful tool. President Trump has, for example, accused his political rival, Kamala Harris, of being a Marxist.

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Anyone who “acted out of step with the status quo” was a target during this period. This wasn’t just on an individual level, but much like today, also institutionally. Pictured is Larry Parks, who lost his acting career after he was accused of being a communist.

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Americans had to follow a careful script if they were to evade the backlash of this terrifying era, during which one misstep could cost them everything. The political rhetoric also contributed to making communism public enemy number one.

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Another reoccurring element, which is central to understanding some mechanisms of the Red Scare and how it ties into today’s political field, is federal employment. Pictured is a federal employee accused of being a communist.

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In the 1940s, the concept of a federal employee was up for debate. And, to put it mildly, it was a vicious battle between Republicans and Democrats.

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Republicans decided that federal employment was not conducive to their view of liberal America. After all, federal employees received government paychecks, which they considered to be a symptom of socialism. Pictured is a state department worker accused of being a communist and forced into exile, like many of his colleagues accused of the same.

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Federal workers walk a tight rope. They enforce laws and regulations and ensure access to public means for Americans.

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This situation worsened when Russian intelligence ultimately recruited federal workers to be spies and provide the Soviet Union with crucial data. Pictured is confessed spy, Elizabeth Bentley.

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At that time, there was a Communist Party in the US, from which many aforementioned "spies" were recruited.

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At that point, anyone who tried to justify federal employment was also considered an anti-American, communist sympathizer. Pictured is Earl Browder, former leader of the American Communist Party.

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This rhetoric was convincing to the American public, as the population voted for a government that sought to rid the nation of Soviet infiltration.

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For nearly half a decade, approximately five million federal employees were subjected to thorough investigations and background checks, checking if anyone had views that were perceived as “too far left.” Several hundred were fired due to their ideologies. Pictured is then-Congressman Richard Nixon, inspecting supposed evidence of communist activities. Nixon would go on to become president.

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Progressive ideas tanked accordingly. For example, the first national health system was proposed in 1945 by then-US President Harry Truman, failing due to being deemed “socialized medicine.”

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A massive blacklist was established across major industries. Famously, Hollywood was one of them. Any celebrity accused of communist leanings was not only fired, but also kept from attaining work. Pictured are Hollywood filmmakers and actors who had gone to Washington, DC, to protest Senate Committee hearings on so-called "Un-American Activities." Center-right, with his foot in a cast, is famed actor Gene Kelly.

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The leaders of the Communist Party in the US were arrested under the 1940 Smith Act, which criminalized attempts to overthrow the government. Pictured are then-candidates for vice president and president, respectively, of the Communist Party, James Ford (left) and Earl Browder (right).

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There was no evidence that the Communist Party was trying to overthrow the government, but nonetheless, mere discussions of egalitarian causes were viewed as “sympathy for revolutionary violence.” Pictured is Ella Reeve Bloor. Then 80 years old, Bloor was the chairman of the Pennsylvania Communist Party.

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Progressive movements were finally moving the needle on issues of fascism, justice, and rights, when the Red Scare not only jailed many of the key figures in these movements, but also destroyed their political alliances. Pictured is the US House Committee on Un-American Activities.

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The mere perception of threat to one's career or institutional power provoked a profound sense of mistrust among people who shared political visions. Pictured is then-FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover, declaring to the House Un-American Activities Committee that the American Communist Party sought to overthrow the government through violent means.

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The flood of accusations came to a screeching halt when McCarthy “overreached,” accusing the US Army of being a part of the communist machine. McCarthy was accused of being indecent.

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As history repeats itself with some of the same patterns, we are left wondering which straw will break the camel’s back in today’s so-called "outrage machine." Pictured is a protestor from a rally held in front of a Tesla production site, a company owned by the head of DOGE, Elon Musk, accusing Musk of fascist behavior.

Sources: (The New Yorker)