Reds: McCarthyism in Twentieth-Century America

During the 20th century, anti-communist hysteria and over-wrought fear of communism was used to destroy many innocent people. It is true that there was some communist infiltration. However, the hysteria about communism was a far greater threat to America than communism itself. This well-written, long book about the anti-communist hysteria, the actual communist infiltration, and Joe McCarthy is even-handed and well- researched. It does not come down on either side, but does remind us of the terrible cost to the innocents and non-communists during the witch-hunt period of the 40s and 50s. During this time, many innocents were falsely accused of communist influence, and their lives were ruined. even today, this pernicious and destructive McCarthyism is used to destroy people. What is McCarthyism? It is the use of accusations without proof, the use of 3rd level connections, the use of fear to create action. And most importantly, it is the use of the power of the government to compell action by fear. This aspect of McCarthyism continues in the Bush Administration today. It is the heart of the Republican Party even today. The Epilogue is particularly valuable and interesting. He provides a brief history of the HUGE amounts and types of FBI, CIA and other agencies meddling in the civil rights movements (surveillance of King, etc), the youth movement of the 60, and the Nixon debacle. The sheer amount of federal meddling and illegal activities continue to appal all but the most blatant partisan, and remind us that McCarthyism was not a phenomena of McCarthy, but a pervasive and continuing attempt of the right to retain power. In many ways, McCarthyism is fascism, and the book helps in that understanding. At the end, the Epilogue reminds us that the greatest threat to the liberties and values of America is the pervasive apparatus of the State, as wielded by liars like Hoover and deranged power-mad republicans like Nixon. Compared to these actual threats, the Communist Party is pretty weak tea. I enjoyed the book, and found it quite interesting.

I have worked my way through half of "Reds" and I think its truly an outstanding book. For people seeking an understanding of the origins of the "Red" scare and its continuing impact, this is the place to begin. The one criticism that I do have is that it does get bogged down in the details of history at times, but that doesn't alter the book's significance or usefulness. But, at the same time, I do marvel at the documentation assembled in this book. If the Bush lovers and other far right demagogues don't like this book its because actual events don't conform to their distorted views.

Unlike most books on McCarthyism, Reds by Ted Morgan begins with the Bolshevik takeover of Russia in 1917. Morgan argues, with some persuasiveness, that the internal subversion of America by pro-Soviet forces began right then and there.The U.S. Government mobilized to fight this menace and as a result, the Cold War according to Morgan really began in 1917, instead of 1947 as traditional historians would have you believe. In Morgan's narrative, the fight against Communist espionage and treason in America had periods of intense public awareness (1919-1920, 1947-1954) and other, longer periods of public indifference such as the 1930's. Morgan's book is an uneven effort. It alternates between intensely interesting portions and utterly boring parts. It does have the distinction of offering an unusually balanced portrayal of Senator McCarthy's activities as being "an exaggerated reaction to a real threat." Overall, Reds by Ted Morgan rates 4 out of 5 stars.

First: contrary to another's reviewer's comment (that seemed to fuel his position), the correct name for HUAC IS 'House Un-American Activities Committee' - "House Committee on Un-American Activities" is a 'generic' (and incorrect) title. That having been resolved, this is an amazing chronicle of the birth and rapid development of Soviet Communism. The point of this book is to give the reader a comprehensive overview of the US culpability in the development of the Soviet system, all the way back to Wilson and FDR. This is, no doubt, a difficult lesson, but it is outlined in (sometimes tedious) detail. And it leads us to try to understand the Post-9/11 "American Democratization" of the world we are now experiencing in other parts of the globe. If you are one who is interested in the US machinations of this period, this is a work that reveals much to be discussed.

Although the basic point of view is not always in focus, the result is perhaps for that reason a distanced if not neutral perspective, and otherwise a very good and helpful history of the era of McCarthyism, and the sources leading up to it. The aberration of McCarthyism is clearer in context starting with the Red Scare period after the First World War and onward, with Edgar J. always in the background. It's odd but true that by the time of McCarthy the era of Communists in America was already on the wane,and the tactics of the senator were mostly rank political exploitation. Extremely fascinating in its detail from the attempted 'regime change' of Wilson in the Bolshevik revolution to the Communist phase in Hollywood. The book was being completed in the leadup to the Iraq war, and the comparison of the post 9/11 neo-McCarthist tactics of the Bush administration seems an apt reminder the red-scare tactics can be adapted to circumstance.