McCarthyism Quiz

What was the name of the phenomenon that destroyed thousands of lives and careers in the United States in the 1950s?

• McCarthyism

• Blacklist

• Cold War

• Red Scare

Who used the resources of his agency to hunt down supposed communists and eliminate them from any position of influence within American society?

• J. Edgar Hoover

• House Un-American Activities Committee

• Richard Nixon

• Joseph McCarthy

Which committee subpoenaed hundreds of people to testify before investigative bodies during the McCarthy era?

• CIA

• FBI

• Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations

• House Un-American Activities Committee

Who became notorious by flaunting ever-changing lists of alleged communists within the State Department?

• House Un-American Activities Committee

• Richard Nixon

• Joseph McCarthy

• J. Edgar Hoover

What event turned public opinion against Joseph McCarthy and diminished his power?

• The Korean War

• The Vietnam War

• The Cold War

• The Cuban Missile Crisis

Which institution failed to stop the witchhunt during the McCarthy era?

• House Un-American Activities Committee

• Supreme Court

• Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations

• FBI

What was the main reason for the reaction to domestic communism being so extreme?

• The reaction was justified

• The threat was non-existent

• The threat was significant

• The reaction was exaggerated

What did the campaign of McCarthyism wildly exaggerate?

• The danger of communist subversion

• The power of the American Communist Party

• The threat of nuclear war

• The influence of the Soviet Union

Who used such hearings as a partisan weapon, accusing democrats of being soft on communism?

• House Un-American Activities Committee

• J. Edgar Hoover

• Richard Nixon

• Joseph McCarthy

What did McCarthyism ruin hundreds, if not thousands, of during its reign?

• Civil rights movements

• Hollywood movies

• Careers

• Labor unions