In the United States, decade following World War II should have been
             an era of prosperity and peace. After all, the Great Depression that had
             pervaded the 1920s through the 1930s was over. The United States had
             emerged victorious from the war. The country's position as a military
             superpower was rapidly being solidified by its emerging economic might.
             However, the United States of 1940s and the 1950s can also be
             characterized by a hysterical wave of anti-Communist paranoia. The result
             was a government-sanctioned system of political repression and widespread
             violation of the rights of many citizens. One of the most important
             periods of this era was the McCarthy trials, during which Congressional
             hearings were conducted to expose and in many cases, persecute people for
             their "un-American" beliefs.
             It is difficult for the modern reader to understand how such
             repressive practices could have happened, particularly in a country that
             emerged victorious from a war, was experiencing economic upheaval and was a
             strong advocate for individual civil liberties. This situation is even
             more ironic given how "McCarthyism" enjoyed strong public support among the
             American people.
             This paper argues that the public support for McCarthyism was caused
             not merely by Senator Joseph McCarthy, but by widespread irrational thought
             and frustration among the general public. The first part of this paper
             looks at the socio-economic and political conditions that nurtured the anti-
             Communist hysteria. The next part then looks at how this fear was nurtured
             by the media and by prominent citizens like writer Ayn Rand. In the last
             section, the paper looks at the result of these factors, through the
             testimony of different people in front of the House UnAmerican Activities
             Committee.
             By looking at these factors, this paper hopes to contribute to a
             greater understanding of the conditions that spawned not onl...