1. The Crucible, Communism and Senator Joseph McCarthy (McCarthyism)

2. WHAT IS COMMUNISM? Communism is a political theory invented by a couple of German guys, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848. Some other political theories are: democracy, totalitarianism, a dictatorship Political theories can become systems of government. For example, New Zealand has a democratic system of government. 3. MORE ON COMMUNISM Communism was invented originally to make people more equal. For example, it was based on the wish for equality and dislike of social classes (hierarchies) and the difference in wages between factory workers and owners, this political theory said that the factories and farms should be owned by the people. Basically, Marx and Engels thought it was unfair that there were sooooo many poor people and so few rich. 4. YOU GOT IT COMMUNISM This is kind of what Marx wanted to happen with communism: 1.A communist party or government takes control of a country. (This happened in Russia in 1917. Then Russia became the USSR).2.The communist government banishes private property (people privately owning things)3.The theory is then that the people, the public, will own everything4.Because the public owns everything, there will be no need for government, so the state (government and what not) will be destroyed5.The end result is a society with no social classes or hierarchies. (Note: this has never actually happened. It usually turns into a dictatorship. ) 5. SO WHATS THE LINK WITH MCCARTHYISM? When Russia became communist, they helped the British and Americans win World War Two. People saw the USSR as becoming a powerful country. The USSR wanted to take over other countries and turn them communist. China became an (independent) communist country in 1949 which really upset the Americans. The Americans were scared communism was going to take over. The whole American dream is founded upon wealth and being rich so the ideas behind communism made many of them very uncomfortable. This rivalry became known as the cold war (note: this is a very basic summary :0) 6. MORE ON MCCARTHYISM. YAY A VIDEO! 7. MCCARTHYISM IN U.S.A. During the 1950s, in the United States, a modern kind of witchhunt created a climate of terror suggestive of the Salem witch trials. The accusations were aimed at socalled-Communists, left wing sympathisers, trade unionists and other liberals. 8. MCCARTHYISM IN U.S.A. #2 Right-wing authorities believed in absolute right or wrong. Individuals were on one side or the other. Opposition or non-cooperation with the authority or its policies became grounds for loss of job, being persecuted by the C.I.A. and imprisonment . 9. DOES THIS SORT OF THING STILL AFFECT US? Yip: The War On Terror Since September 11th, 2001, America and Britain have once again become extremely right wing and conservative. Civil Liberties are once again under attack. 10. THE NEW WITCHES Suspected terrorists and terrorist sympathisers can be detained or kept in prisons forever, without proof. This is in non-cooperation with International Laws on Human Rights. Often these victims are Muslim and persecuted.