Impacts of Anti-communism to the US

Anti-communism was a movement used to oppose the communist ideology of communism that was being used by communist parties to govern socialist states. In the 1940s capitalists, countries became concerned about communism and the probability of its spread across the world. The emerging tension from the Cold war led to the US developing the Anti-communist ideology, which had many impacts not only in the US but also on other countries.

Social impacts of Anti-communism

A culture of fear was heightened among the communist. There were an investigation and incitement of panic into the film industry that targeted all the artists promoting the communist ideology. Some were even held in contempt of congress. Such sensitive paintings through propaganda served as a threat for the communists and thus feared the public supporting their ideology. Those who attempted to disclose the FBI’s investigations, like Walt Disney and Ronald Reagan, who testified investigators’ attempt to expose communist influence, were barred from the film industry for the next ten years (Stoors &London, n.p).

The American religion was also on a fixate called the “all-out battle between communistic atheism and Christianity.” The communists were referred to as godless, and the anti-communists were god-fearing Americanism. Those who were conservative about religion advocated for traditional god-fearing against atheistic totalitarianism spread. Billy Graham, a Baptist minister, stated, “communist aim to destroy American homes and cause..moral deterioration.” Causing the country to be vulnerable to communist spread. During the Cold war, Americans emphasized the significance of religion and the belief in a supreme being. They attended church more regularly and sought to differentiate themselves from the godless communists in public (Stoors &London, n.p). It led many Americans to become religious believers

Political impacts

In the fight against communism, society was urged to conform. Any deviation was dangerous behavior. After the Second World War, women were asked to go back to house making duties, and blacks were told to go back home and adopt the American racial order. President Truman issued an executive in 1947, providing a Federal Loyalty-Security program (Lehrman, n.p). It was an improved version of an instituted program in 1939. Federal employees risked being fired if any reasonable reasons suggested they were disloyal for interacting with communists in any manner. There were a series of investigations, and the victims did not understand the source of the accusations.

Federal loyalty-security checks became the basis for employment both in the private sector and in local governments. In schools and universities, these systems were integrated, and any disloyalty to anti-communism constituted being dismissed (Lehrman, n.p).

Cultural impacts

There was an increase in the mistrust between people, and suspicion and tension were high among the communities. Hence any ties with the Soviet unions were seen as a sign of disloyalty, and it amounted to treason. Thus propaganda was on the rise, and any form of evidence to be disloyal could cause one to be fired.

There was culture change with the use of Ten Commandments Monuments in city hall and even in courts. The ten Commandment films talked about the biblical Exodus story was used as a parable painting the Soviet Union as Slaves. They were adopting the “In God We Trust” motto by the anti-communists (Lehrman, n.p).

Homosexuality, which was stigmatized, now became a dangerous endeavor that no one could engage in. keeping personal secrets and one could easily be blackmail; thus, there was a culture of mistrust and fear among the people (Stoors &London, n.p).

In conclusion, the anti-communist ideology campaign had a lot of impact on the American people’s social lives. It led to the popularity of religious faith, and the atheist was not relevant anymore. It also had an impact on the politics, culture, and policies of the US.

Work cited

Glider Lehrman. “Anti-Communism In The 1950S | AP US History Study Guide From The Gilder Lehrman Institute Of American History”. Ap.Gilderlehrman.Org, 2019, https://ap.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/fifties/essays/anti-communism-1950s.

Storrs, Landon RY. “McCarthyism and the second red scare.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History. 2015.