Discussion Questions
September 30, 2015
- What does Schrecker mean when she argues that the main impact of
McCarthyism ( and by extrapolation the anti-communist crusade generally)
"...may well have been in what did not happen rather than what
did...."?
- How do we explain McCarthyism and the anti-communist crusade generally
in terms of national participation? Why did Americans subscribe to
this? Why did they accept it and permit it to happen?
- Who were the Beats, in terms of values, etc.? Why would many
Americans perceive them as a threat?
- How did Americans reconcile the apparent/obvious restrictions of
their liberties on one hand and the global fight for freedom (ie
anti-communism) on the other? What were the justifications used to
support restrictive policies in education and in the government?
- Given what you saw in "Seeds of the Sixties", in "Atomic
Cafe" and read in "Mental Hygiene", what do you think the
effect on America's youth would have been?
- What were the obstacles which prevented
social activists from achieving reform? Of them, which do you think
is the most significant, and why?
- What were the parallels, if any, between
the experiences of women, blacks,
and labour during this period?