Why did the USA develop a fear of Communism after 1945?

Answer 1

American's fear of Communism/Socialism began in the late 1800's as the working class began to organize and push for basic rights, wage concessions, etc. The country's economic and political leaders felt threatened by this assault on their power. The 'Communists' threatened to overturn all aspects of American society, from class structures to race relations. Such a change would have meant disaster for not just the upper class, but all Americans. Revolutions take years to settle into a working government where the rule of law and not might is king. Look at the American Revolution, the French Revolution, post-Bonaparte France, the Soviet Revolution, the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the resulting nation building, etc.

Between 1880 and 1917, Communists were a small, relatively powerless and unorganized group. Their ideas were more a threat than any actions they could make. After Red October and the Bolsheviks rise to power in Russia, the threat posed by Communism increased exponentially. The US sent limited troops and material to aid the 'White Russians'.

During the 1920's American political leaders watched in mixed horror, amazement, and amusement as Stalin took control of the Soviet Union and stumbled towards being an industrialized nation. What took Stalin 15 years to do took the Western nations over 50 years. The USSR was an evolving, growing threat to the balance of World power.

During WWII, it was necessary to form a temporary alliance to defeat Germany. Both sides knew that the other couldn't be trusted. The Soviet Army became a vicious, well trained and well armed force that controlled half of Europe. Coupled with agreements made by FDR, Churchill and Stalin which in effect gave the USSR permanent political control over Eastern Europe, many believed that the Red Army would continue past Berlin and conqour all of Europe. Local Communists in France came close to taking power after WWII due to disillusionment with the untraditional political parties. At the time, the threat appeared to be real and dire.

American political leaders used the dual threat of Communism (threat to the 'American Way of Life' and of military conquest) as a way to avoid Americans returning to an isolationist stance and as a 'wedge' issue, like social security, health care, the Iraq war in are used todays political scene. No one really says or does anything with the issues, they just use them to further their political careers. By taking a strong stand against 'Communism' the Republican party was able to begin rebuilding the power base it lost during the FDR years.

Answer 2

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Why did the USA develop a fear of Communism after 1945?

Answer 3

The wartime alliance was a marriage of convenience if ever there was one. After the war, Stalin consolidated his power over central and Eastern Europe, installing communist regimes with his terror apparatus (don't forget many Aricans had family ties with these countries). Stalin made no secret of his aggressive intentions, as witnessed by the Berlin blockade of 1948. All the European Communist parties except that of Yugoslavia were his tools and utensils.
In the east, China, where America had (mis)directed a lot of its efforts in WWII, fell with a daunting crash in 1949, at the same time The USSR announced it had developed nuclear weapons.
In the circumstances, it is the moderation of the US that is most surprising. As for measures inside the US, I'm sorry for the democratic socialists caught up in the anti-communist net, but not the communists - why should they bleat about the constitution, if according to what they said they believed, the constitution was just a mask for the power and oppression by the boss classes? They should have been happy to have persecution prove them right! In fact, of course, the eventual humane treatment they got proved them wrong.
The US govt's only mistake about the American communists was to take them at their own absurd over-estimate.

Answer 4

Fear Of Communism

Answer 5

There are alot of reasons really, the US was suspicious of Communism before WW2, and then Russia became an ally during WW2 and he was completely insane...so the US was allies with Russia only by necessity...US military forces wanted to take Russia down right after WW2 but the President said no.

The Marshall Plan was a plan that the US govt came up with to stop the spread of communism, and ultimately failed.

Read some books by Noam Chomsky if you're really interested...

Answer 6

Mostly because of Josef Stalin. There was little doubt that he would spread communism through conquest if the could. If he had felt he'd win, he probably would have invaded Europe shortly after WW2. So with a known enemy representing a political system the west had feared for years it was easy to be afraid.

Answer 7

Greetings. didn't. they were against communism from the very beginning. during world war one we sent troops into Russia to fight the communists. we just got worse after world war 2, after we allied ourselves with them for most of the war. besides our government needed a enemy to threaten the people with to stay in power after the war, and the communists were handy. and do not forget that America has always been ruled by the rich. Communism or Socialism is a direct threat to their empire that they cannot tolerate. so hate communists. Just like now "Hate Moslems" note that just about every terror threat that we were told about the communists were false, just as every terror threat we are given now to keep us afraid is false. just the way the rich are trying to hang onto control and continue their domination of our lifes for their benefit. If communism hadn't been phony and actually did what it claimed to stand for then there would have been real trouble. but fortunate for our government they were as corrupt as our leaders were. sort of like Christians. if they actually followed the teachings of Christ this would not be the world they are forcing us into now. we would not hate everyone because of their religion or color or nationality. but we are taught to, are we not.

Answer 8

Now we made them want to be just like us with 3 car garages and big screens. Six times our rate of resource consumption will deplete it all in the next 50 years.

Answer 9

Well, after that idiot Roosevelt delivered eastern Europe to Stalin on a silver platter, people began to realize that Stalin wanted more, more, and MORE

Answer 10

That's the usual scary tactics employed by any elite: create an enemy to scare your own people, because fear is the best governor.
If you have a candidate for an enemy, use it. If you don't have one, create it from nothing (Saddam Hussein).