What are the reasons for the red scare of the 1950s?
Following the Bolshevik revolution in Russia and the establishment of the Soviet Union, the Communists made efforts to promote revolutions in Europe and the US. In 1919, President Wilson appointed A. Mitchell Palmer as his attorney-general. His attempts to root out the communists, anarchists, and other radicals became known as The Red Scare. Bombs were found by the US Post Office, addressed to prominent politicians and capitalists. An anarchist was blown up outside of Palmer’s home. News was leaked to the press that the government was investigating important Americans and there was a belief that a radical overthrow of the government was in the works. Palmer enlisted the services of an attorney, J. Edgar Hoover, to help enforce provisions of the Espionage Act and the Sedition Act (1917/1918). A series of “Palmer Raids” were held in November, 1919, and thousands of anarchists, immigrants, and communists were rounded up. Many were detained without being charged and many were simply deport
