Why were the 1950's an ideal time for McCarthy's trials?

Answer 1

At the end of World War II, two powers emerged... the U.S. and USSR. A scramble for territory began with the USSR beginning to take Berlin + the old eastern bloc countries. The U.S. secured West Berlin while the Soviets took East Berlin. In short, mnistrust began between the two powers.

By 1948, communist paranoia was beginning and by 1950 it blossomed. In Feb. 1950, Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R) of Wisconsin claimed to have a list of communists and spies that were working for the U.S. State Department. A list never came to light.

Years and years of communist rhetoric produced the perfect atmosphere for pointing fingers and making accusations. Neighbors turned on neighbors, and suspicion ran high. Fear had taken hold.

In 1954 McCarthy asserted there were communists in the US Army and called President Eisenhower and his brother communists. For the hearings, McCarthy took advantage of the new invention, the TV which allowed 20 million people to become captivated. By the end of 1954, McCarthy had been censured by the US Senate. By 1957, McCarthy was reduced to a Senate joke. He died in May of '57.