Anticommunism and McCarthyism

For a modern audience, the ideas of anticommunism and McCarthyism may be difficult to distinguish because they are frequently discussed in the same context. However, it is inappropriate to view the two ideologies as synonymous because they actually reflect two related, but very distinct, political viewpoints. This distinction is critical because there are moral issues connected to McCarthyism that should not be connected to anticommunism. Anti-communism refers to a political and social belief system that opposes communism, particularly full governmental control of the economy. McCarthy built his platform on the political ideology of anticommunism, though it is important to note that many of McCarthy's most vocal critics were anticommunists as well. McCarthyism, however, expanded well beyond the idea of anti-communism and involved the unfair targeting of men and women who were suspected of being communist. Oftentimes this occurred without any reason to believe that these people were...
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