29.0k views
1 vote
How were mccarthys accusations against the state department reflective of earlier developments

2 Answers

0 votes

Final answer:

McCarthy's accusations against the State Department mirrored earlier Cold War paranoia and Communist scare tactics. His groundless assertions of Communist infiltration reflected broader national insecurities but eventually led to his censure after the Army-McCarthy Hearings showcased his reckless methods to the public.

Step-by-step explanation:

Senator Joseph McCarthy's accusations against the State Department reflected earlier developments rooted in the fear of Communist infiltration within the United States government. These claims of Communist sympathizers working in federal agencies were amplified in the context of global Cold War tensions and the recent Communist victory in China, as well as espionage cases such as Alger Hiss’s conviction and other spy scandals that surfaced in the late 1940s and early 1950s. McCarthy tapped into the prevailing fears of the time with sensational yet unsubstantiated allegations, leading to what became known as McCarthyism—a term defining the practice of making accusations of subversion or disloyalty without proper evidence.

User Chris Suter
by
5.6k points
1 vote

Mccarthy's accusations against the state department were reflective of earlier developments through his accusations that triggered a series of events that defined the Division of Security’s course for the next decade.

First, there was an establishment of a Congressional committee which called several former and current Department of State officers and advisers to testify and answer charges about their loyalty to redouble its efforts on background investigations of its employees. Second, one Department official’s was reluctant to admission which accidentally triggered a purge of gays at the Department. Thirdly, there was an establishment of the Congressional subcommittee that studied physical security at United States posts overseas, where its report led to increased resources allocation for overseas security.

Mccarthy's had announced that he possessed a list of 205 members of the Communist Party who were “working and shaping policy” in the Department of State.

User Ashfaq
by
4.9k points