Question #17efd
1 Answer
McCarthyism.
Explanation:
Joesph McCarthy was just one figure in a cornucopia of hysteria that was the Red Scare. McCarthy was a Republican senator from Wisconsin that was in the headlines throughout the 1950's. During a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, he claimed he had a list of communists that worked in the American Gov't
He led investigations and hearings that resulted in thousands losing their jobs or credibility. If anyone challenged McCarthy, he would simply call them a communist. McCarthyism is a term derived from him. It is defined as accusing people of treason/subversion without having any evidence.
It's use in America had kind of died out since the fall of the Iron Curtain in the 1980's-1990's. We are functioning better today because of him. The effects of McCarthy are we now take these accusations more seriously and demand more evidence before taking action. Just plain hearsay doesn't have the capacity it use to. If someone makes outrageous accusations with little to no evidence, they aren't taken sincerely.
