Red Scare Mccarthyism

1527 Words4 Pages

The 1950s brought a state of disorientation throughout the world due to the unavoidable nuclear war becoming more imminent day by day. The USSR and the United States engaged in a war under the eyes of the world when the USSR was inching communism toward borders and communities. The goal of the USSR was to create chaos in American society by using propaganda to fabricate mass hysteria to destabilize the United States society. The situations surrounding the characters of Jack and Ralph in Golding’s Lord of the Flies are directly traceable to the Red Scare, the Cold War, and McCarthyism in the 1950s. The Red Scare brought a period of unease and mass hysteria in the United States during the 1950s as communism was spreading and the Cold War was …show more content…

Also, Communism was spreading quickly east as a result of the USSR's acquisition of Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, east Germany, Poland, Romania, and Yugoslavia after defeating Germany in WW2. Communism was on the doorstep of democracy, waiting for the right moment to push democracy out of the door. In Lord of the Flies, Jack attempts to push Jack out of his leadership role to take his power and control of his clan. The power-hungry Soviet Union and Jack were both willing to do whatever it took to take control of their surrounding people and country. Desiring power blinds the morals and sympathetic minds of human beings, causing a dark and cowardly side to be brought to light. The Lord of the Flies and the Soviet Union illustrate what man will do to gain power and what happens to the mind when great power is given, with great power comes great responsibility. The Cold War was the start of the end of humanity, starting the inevitable conflict between world powers to gain power. Moreover, Senator Joseph McCarthy created a witch hunt in the 1950s for communists who were believed to have infiltrated …show more content…

Senator McCarthy accused communists of infiltrating the U.S. government in order to boost his popularity as a senator. McCarthy's acts worried the population to the point where they were easily manipulated. In Lord of the Flies, Jack declares himself to be the leader of the clan and beheaded a sow as an act of power, striking fear into the boys around him. In chapter 8, Jack says,” This head is for the beast.” The boys are pushed to fear their leader just as the United States population was pushed to fear communism in order to be manipulated into following the agenda. Senator McCarthy and Jack both use the same tactics to boost popularity in order to have a higher power over their peers. Jack’s popularity was due to his overwhelming sense of power seen by the other boys, McCarthy was nothing without his influential actions. (Joseph McCarthy 2). Senator McCarthy brought political corruption to light, politicians will turn their back on their brothers and sisters for power and influence. Furthermore, conflicts began worldwide in the 1950s to stop the spread of

More about Red Scare Mccarthyism

Open Document