The best defense was attack and the only way of preventing bourgeois oppression was by waging war around the world, sparking up the communist revolution, and ridding all nations of the enemies of the working class. Whether such rhetoric was for internal purposes only, or whether it truely represented the attitude of the Soviet authorities, its effect on the American public (and that of other Western states for that matter) was undeniable. The threat of infiltration and subversive tactics suddenly became very real.
It became very rapidly apparent that the Soviet threat had to be addressed on multiple levels, both internationally and domestically. The present section will divide the American responses, as well as the Soviet behaviours into three categories for purposes of clarity: domestic security policy, third country clashes, and the technological conflict (of which the space race is the most notable component).
One of the great threats of the period was the possible infiltration by subversive Soviet agents (which was quite a realistic one – the Soviet Union did have one of the world's best intelligence services, with sleeper agents located deep in American institutions, FBI nonewithstanding). The promises of global revolution made communists less than welcome in most countries around the globe, and in America especially. One of the notable scares of that period was the infamous „witch hunt," organized by McCarthists around the country and aimed at dislodging communists.
A number of committees and institutions were created in order to limit the dangers of communist infiltration. These included: the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and the House Committe on Un-American Activities. The FBI was also given a boost, notably with the Freedom of Information Act. The late 1940s and early 1950s were subject to specific scrutiny, with considerable amounts of blacklisting and irregular investigations. Although the search for communists subsided in the following years, a great deal of resources were nevertheless maintained for counter-espionage operations and the like.
When you buy a similar research paper from us, you can be confident that you will get an authentic custom essay with no plagiarism. Our professional paper writers ensure that a custom essay you have ordered is free of errors, mistakes, and inconsistencies. Thus, employing our online writing services you are obliged to obtain academic success.
This post was brought to you by Maria Wilson.