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Difficulty: EasyDomestic Cold War and the Second Red Scare

"There exists a world Communist movement which, in its origins, its development, and its present practice, is a worldwide revolutionary movement whose purpose it is, by treachery, deceit, infiltration into other groups (governmental and otherwise), espionage, sabotage, terrorism, and any other means deemed necessary, to establish a Communist totalitarian dictatorship in the countries throughout the world..."
— McCarran Internal Security Act, 1950

Which of the following federal government actions during the late 1940s and 1950s was most directly motivated by the concerns expressed in the excerpt?

  1. A
    The creation of the Great Society programs to eliminate urban poverty
  2. B
    The passage of neutrality legislation to prevent entanglement in European wars
  3. The implementation of loyalty-investigation programs for civil service employeesAnswer
  4. D
    The application of popular sovereignty to determine the legal status of slavery in new territories

Answer

The implementation of loyalty-investigation programs for civil service employees
The correct answer is correct because the McCarran Act reflects the intense domestic anxiety regarding communist subversion and infiltration that characterized the Second Red Scare. In response to these concerns, the federal government under President Truman instituted the Employee Loyalty Program to investigate the loyalty of federal workers, reflecting the domestic pressures of the Cold War.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the provided historical stimulus.
The excerpt from the McCarran Internal Security Act of 1950 outlines a deep fear of domestic and global communist infiltration, subversion, and espionage.
Understanding the core concern of the document helps identify the corresponding historical action.
2
Evaluate the historical context of the late 1940s and 1950s.
This period corresponds to the Second Red Scare, characterized by domestic anti-communist policies and actions by the federal government.
Placing the document in its correct chronological and thematic context aligns it with the correct era's policies.
3
Match the concern with the correct federal government response.
In response to concerns of communist infiltration, President Truman created the Employee Loyalty Program (Executive Order 9835) in 1947 to screen federal employees.
This directly connects the fear of subversion within governmental groups mentioned in the text to a specific historical policy.

Key Concept

Domestic Cold War and the Second Red Scare
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Domestic Cold War and the Second Red Scare

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