Joseph McCarthy was able to wield power due to publicity which increased his approval rating, and gained him a powerful following.
by making irresponsible allegations
The Army-McCarthy hearings, held April through June of 1954, initiated the undoing of Senator Joseph McCarthy as far as his political power was concerned. By year's end McCarthy would be censured by the Senate and completely void of influence.
making irresponsible alllegations
his attempts to prove that subversives had infiltrated the Army failed.
Playing on public fear of unseen enemies.
It proved to the world how crazy his allegations were when he accused so many innocent Americans of communism.
Senator McCarthy's motives for his hearings were for, as he stated, to uncover communists in the US government and in the film industry as well. His hearings finally caused him to be censored by the Senate & criticized by US President Eisenhower. McCarthy ruined the lives of many people during these hearings. As an aside, Robert F. Kennedy and attorney Roy Cohen were for a time on McCarthy's staff.
I have not given this any study. But my first reaction is the danger of giving too much power to one individual. I know, he was a senator and not an emperor, but he was a terror, and found himself amassing power at the people's expense.
No. McCarthy lost power y accusing other people to be Communist- with no evidence that they were.
Joseph McCarthy gained significant fame during the height of McCarthyism in the early 1950s, as he became a prominent figure in the anti-communist movement. His aggressive tactics, including unsubstantiated accusations and public hearings, drew national attention and initially bolstered his political power. However, his influence waned after the televised Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954, which exposed his methods and led to widespread public disapproval, ultimately resulting in his censure by the Senate.
Joseph McCarthy began to be discredited in the early 1950s, particularly after the Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954, where his aggressive tactics and unfounded allegations against individuals in the military were publicly scrutinized. The televised hearings revealed his bullying behavior and lack of evidence, leading to a significant decline in public support. By December 1954, the U.S. Senate formally condemned him for unbecoming conduct, marking a definitive end to his influence and power.