Wikipedia defines McCarthyism as “…the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence.” The term originated during the “Second Red Scare” in which there was fear of Soviet influence and espionage. The term was coined to criticize the anti-communist pursuits of Senator Joseph McCarthy, but has evolved to include activities of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and the “Hollywood blacklist” that came from those hearings. I’ve written a three part review on this web site of the book “Blacklisted by History, the Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy. The most recent review is in two parts about the book “No Sense of Decency” that takes the negative side of Joe McCarthy’s life and times. I’ve also posted a discussion about the subject on the blog link of this web site.

There is compelling evidence that the biggest mistake McCarthy made was significantly underestimating the magnitude of Soviet espionage during and after World War II. However, his reputation will be forever branded by the term “McCarthyism.”