Final answer:
Joseph McCarthy presented the threat of communism by accusing the U.S. government of being infiltrated by Communists without providing evidence. This practice, part of the 'Red Scare', was known as McCarthyism and was used by McCarthy as a political strategy to create public anxiety and gain support, impacting the political climate of the 1950s.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Threat of Communism Presented by Joseph McCarthy
The threat of communism as presented by Senator Joseph McCarthy during the early 1950s, particularly known as McCarthyism, was based on a series of groundless accusations that the U.S. government was infiltrated by Communists. McCarthy claimed to have lists of known Communists in the State Department and other government agencies, changing the number of implicated persons without ever providing evidence. His charges extended to accusing the Democratic Party of treason, stating that they allowed Communists to infiltrate the federal government, a claim that was part of a wider anti-Communist hysteria at the time.
McCarthy unleashed what became known as the 'Red Scare', fostering an atmosphere of fear and suspicion. Although his claims were unsupported, they were viewed by some in the Republican Party as advantageous for winning elections, notably during the 1952 presidential campaign. McCarthy's tactic of making vague, unverifiable accusations became a hallmark of this period and had significant impacts on American society and politics.