The First Red Scare was the fear of communism and anarchism which erupted after WWI. Caused by anarchist bombings, the Bolshevik Revolution, and radical politics, the First Red Scare resulted in the seizure of over 4,000 accused radicals, thousands of deportations, and multiple raids organised by the US government. What was it like to live through the First Red Scare, and what did it mean for the US? Let's find out!
What was the First Red Scare?
During the 20th century in the US, the First Red Scare is remembered by the fear of far-left figures and movements that spread across the nation, these being anarchism, communism, and Bolshevism. Erupting soon after WWI, the First Red Scare was also centred around the threat of an American labour movement.
Fig. 1 - 1919 Political cartoon reading "100 per cent Americanism"
Red Scare
A political device that promotes a fear of communism and anarchism among the public as a means of safeguarding against these movements.
Did you know?
It is called a 'Red' Scare in reference to the symbol of communism: a red flag.
First Red Scare in America
Following WWI, America developed a strong sense of patriotism, which aided the political hysteria created during the First Red Scare. Political scientist and former member of the Communist Party, Murray B. Levin, sums up the fears and beliefs of the American public and the US government in the following statement.
[The First Red Scare was] a nationwide anti-radical hysteria provoked by a mounting fear and anxiety that a Bolshevik revolution in America was imminent— a revolution that would change Church, home, marriage, civility, and the American way of Life.1
- Murray B. Levin, 1971.
When did the First Red Scare occur?
Climaxing in 1919 and 1920, after US General Palmer began his Palmer Raids, the First Red Scare saw its end on May Day 1920. A period of violent law-enforced raids which targeted anarchists and radicals was well underway in 1919, and this time of unrest quickly became known as the Red Summer.
May Day 1920
Palmer had previously warned that on May Day 1920 (1st May) there would be a Bolshevik uprising against the US government, claiming that they needed to prepare for riots, assassinations and vast civil unrest on 1 May as American communists would attempt a coup.. Palmer's claims were false, and when this day came, nothing happened. The Red Scare died down rapidly after this incident as people saw through the propaganda and so the government could not continue many more Red Scare tactics.
Did you know?
A similar occurrence happened with McCarthy's briefcase. McCarthy has claimed that there was 'X' amount of communists in US government, but his claims, similar to Palmers turned out to be false.
The US government wished to safeguard their nation from a communist invasion, and create a hatred of communism among the US public to ensure this never happened. The propaganda that they produced was in the short tem, successful in doing this, and the concept of xenophobia expanded during 1919-1920. This control over public opinion worked, and later influenced the passing of the 1924 Immigration Act, but that the Red Scare wasn't really seen again until after WWII with McCarthyism and the Second Red Scare.
It is suggested that J. Edgar Hoover, an ardent anticommunist and director of the FBI, was involved in a Red Scare that preceded the one in 1920. This earlier Red Scare between 1914 and 1918 was much less pervasive or impactful. However, it influenced the passing of the Sedition Act of 1918.
The Sedition Act of 1918
An Act which targeted those who would voice criticism against the US government. It monitored Labour Union leaders and known radicals, threatening deportation.
What Caused the First Red Scare?
The First Red Scare was impacted by many different cultural, historical and political factors that were ongoing at the time.
Labour Strikes
Labour strikes by industrial workers were rife in 1916 and 1917, and these strikes were putting pressure on America and the necessary productions for wartime supplies as they reached various industries such as copper mining, coal mining, shipbuilding, and steel working.2 The media tainted the appearance of the strikes, showing them as a threat to American society, and radical in their actions. This viewpoint from the media meant that although the strikes originated from socialist agendas, the press presented them instead as a communist threat, perpetuating the Red Scare.
Let's have a look at the numbers! In 1919, the number of strikes was high. Over 3,600 strikes had taken place, and people clearly wanted a change in American Society!
Labour unions throughout history have shown themselves to be a powerful force against a government, with strikes halting the country and allowing workers to argue for better treatment. The Red Scare meant that the government could spread fear of communism, and in turn socialism. Thus disregarding the demands of the unions.
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World was an international labour union that was started in 1905. It believed that workers should unite and that capitalism should be destroyed.
Fig. 2 - Industrial Workers of the World Labor Day 1939
Violent acts and Bombings
Violent acts and bombings in 1919 and 1920 were depicted as another cause of the First Red Scare by US politicians who opposed communism. In April 1919, US authorities discovered plans for around 36 mail bombings that would be addressed to high classed members of the political and economic parties. These included: immigration officials, U.S. Attorney General Alexander Mitchell Palmer, J. P. Morgan Jr., and John D. Rockefeller. On 2 June 1919, there were eight simultaneous bombings.
As the bombings were on US home turf, and presented by the media as deployed by anarchists and socialists who wanted political and economic change in the US, they were used as direct evidence by the government as a reason to fear change.
Did you know?
The bombings were examples of how communist thought was seemingly spreading from the Bolshevik Revolution.
By generating the fear of communism in the US, the goverment took control the civil unrest un order to maintain democracy and keep themselves in a power position. This meant that the government was able to restrict the riots occurring during this period and therefore avoided enacting large change to the political or economic situation many Americans struggled in after WWI.
16 September 1920 saw the bombing of Wall Street, and although communists and anarchists were blamed for this, there were no individuals indicted. The bombings influenced a large factor of the First Red Scare: The Palmer Raids.
Let's have a look at the numbers! 141 people were injured, and 38 were killed by the Wall Street bombing in 1920, showing the extent of the influence it would have had on the upcoming Palmer Raids.
The Palmer Raids
U.S. Attorney General Alexander Mitchell Palmer launched the Palmer Raids under the US Justice Department. The Palmer Raids were numerous raids that aimed to catch socialists, anarchists, and communists in action and deport them. The breach of civil liberties that occured under the Palmer raids contributed to the downfall of the First Red Scare.
Fig. 3 - The Soviet Ark that deported accused left-wing individuals
Let's have a look at the numbers! The Palmer Raids resulted in 249 Russian immigrants being deported, the creation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and over 5,000 citizen arrests and home invasion searches ignoring constitutional rights.
Bolshevik Revolution
The Bolshevik Revolution (1917) was one of the primary causes of the First Red Scare. The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia took place in 1917 and resulted in the Bolsheviks being in power, the demise of the imperial government, and Russia becoming a communist country. The Revolution led to corruption throughout the government, economic struggle, societal dissatisfaction, and Russian losses in WWI.
- The Revolution laid the foundations for communism to spread across the world, and communism was quickly becoming an influential political system.
- The deposition of the Romanov dynasty enhanced the fear of communism.
- It caused the rise of the Soviet Union, which opposed the US in the Cold War.
- The Revolution was concrete evidence that communism could succeed in governing a country, creating the scare of it reaching the US.
Did you know?
The Red Scare was largely not based on fact, and there was little proof of communists in America. In fact, it was mostly scared politicians who were hypothesising about the prevalence of communist thought in America. The Bolshevik Revolution is one of the few factual events that showed the threat of communism.
First Red Scare Propaganda
The US government responded to the threat of communism through multiple forms of propaganda. Newspapers published articles that denounced the radical movements such as the bombings and labelled those who were committing these crimes as 'Reds'.
Anti-communist literature did not distinguish between communists and anarchists, and to the public eye, these two groups were pictured as one, working together to create political and social disruption throughout America.
There seemed to be a common understanding in most of the propaganda from this period that anything anti-American should be lumped into the category of anti-democracy and anti-freedom.3
- Christy Schroeder
Historian Christy Schroeder delves into US propaganda and its fight against communism. She addresses how propaganda was mass-produced and distributed among all areas of society. Furthermore, most propaganda came in the form of political cartoons which would be printed in newspapers. The First Red Scare itself can be seen as a form of propaganda as it aided in controlling public opinion and fighting against the spread of communism.
Fig. 4 - US Propaganda Political Cartoon 1919
The image above is a political cartoon printed in the New York Evening Telegram on 1 November 1919. Produced by Sidney Joseph Greene, and named 'Step by Step', the cartoon depicts the ongoings of the Labour movement, referencing 'strikes', 'riots', 'bolshevism', 'chaos', and an ominous '?'. This propaganda was used to instil fear for the future of the US and feed the resentment of labour movements and communism.
First Red Scare Significance
The Red Scare and its lack of distinction between communism, anarchism, socialism, or social democracy resulted in forms of prejudice and an aggressive approach to certain ideologies. As a result, many Supreme Court cases centred around debating free speech. In 1919 and 1920, many reforms took place, and a few states passed criminal syndicalism laws, legislating against violent acts for social change. These restrictions also included limitations on freedom of speech and provided laws to investigate those accused of supporting left-wing movements more aggressively, leading to a rise in arrests and deportations.
Criminal Syndicalism Laws
The Criminal Syndicalism Law was enacted on 30 April, and made syndicalism illegal.
Syndicalism
Syndicalism is a movement that fights for the control over distribution and production to be handed over to the worker's unions.
Americans were impacted by the First Red Scare on a more personal level after WWII, with the potential threat of being accused of being communists, rioters, or sympathisers to their movements. McCarthyism separated people from their families, got them fired from their occupations, and meant that people were arrested frequently. Those accused during this time were mostly under false allegations, but this was common due to the widespread fear that the First Red Scare had planted. The majority of the Red Scare was a political tactic, but after May Day 1920, it was proved to be baseless. But this did not mean that the Red Scare was not efficient in its aims! The propaganda produced during the Red Scare to deface communism had long lasting effects on the US and its public. McCarthyism in the 1950s also saw the government engage once again with red scare tactics, which was aided by the initial seeds of anti-communism planted in the First Red Scare.
McCarthyism
A campaign that took place between 1950 and 1954. The campaign targeted alleged communists.
Fig. 5 - Anticommunist Literature 1950s
The First Red Scare Summary
To summarise, the Red Scare was a complex political tactic and public view with many layers. While both the First Red Scare, led by Palmer, and the Second Red Scare led by McCarthy, were governement-led scare policies, it is important to understand that public opinion and fear of communism was also an underlying red scare during these periods.
The Second Red Scare
The Second Red Scare is considered to be primarily in the late 1940s and 1950s, as it was a consequence of WWII. The fear that foreign communists were infiltrating the US government and American society was rife and driven mostly by the growing strength of communist countries in the aftermath of WWII, in particular, the Soviet Union. The Second Red Scare included the belief that these communist forces were aiming to overthrow the US and spread communism.
The First Red Scare is said to have grown out of supposed internal threats to the rising post-WWI patriotism. In contrast, the Second Red Scare occurred when the Soviet Union and the US were two of the most powerful nations and so was instead fuelled by their larger stakes and opposition.
Did you know? Both the First and Second Red Scares caused laws that restricted civil liberties to be passed!
House Committee on Un-American Activities
The House Committee on Un-American Activities (dubbed HUAC) was founded in 1938 with the purpose of reviewing groups who were suspected of engaging in 'un-American' activities. 1947 was the start of their public hearings which addressed the Communist Party of America and the threats that they believed they posed.
Did you know? Ten writers, directors and producers from Hollywood were suspected of just this! When accused and questioned by HUAC, the people in question refused to answer and stated the First Amendment as their right. This did not go down well with the HUAC, the group was arrested and jailed for a year, and their careers were destroyed.
First Red Scare - Key takeaways
- The First Red Scare was the widespread fear that communism was spreading throughout the US, causing political and social unrest and chaos.
- The First Red Scare was caused by the Bolshevik Revolution as it was evidence that communism was capable of governing a nation and meant that communism was in a position of influence and power.
- Other influencing factors that contributed to the First Red Scare were violent acts and strikes. These were involved in the socialist movements but got grouped together by the government and the media as attacks on 'American life', and therefore those connected to them were referred to as 'reds'.
- The US Government produced and mass-distributed anti-communism, anti-socialist, and anti-labour propaganda in the form of political cartoons in the newspapers. These fed into the idea of the First Red Scare and controlled public opinion on the matter.
- The First Red Scare was significant because it influenced the laws around freedom of speech and civil liberties, impacted the American people and their daily lives, and influenced the later Red Scares and McCarthyism.
References
- Murray B. Levin, 'Political Hysteria in America: The Democratic Capacity for Repression', (1971), pp. 29.
- Additional Reading. Gale Family Library. Iron Range Miners' Strikes of 1907 & 1916: Overview.
- Christy Schroeder, 'Red Scare Propaganda in the United States: A Visual and Rhetorical Analysis' (2007), pp. 16.
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