Red Scare : blacklists, McCarthyism and the making of modern America / Clay Risen.
"Red Scare tells the story of McCarthyism and the Red Scare--based in part on newly declassified sources--by an award-winning writer of history and New York Times reporter"-- Provided by publisher.
The film Oppenheimer has awakened interest in this vital period of American history. Now, for the first time in a generation, Red Scare presents a narrative history of the anti-Communist witch hunt that gripped America in the decade following World War II. The cultural phenomenon, most often referred to as McCarthyism, was an outgrowth of the conflict between social conservatives and New Deal progressives, coupled with the terrifying onset of the Cold War. This defining moment in American history, unlike any that preceded it, was marked by an unprecedented degree of political hysteria. Drawing upon newly declassified documents, journalist Clay Risen recounts how politicians like Joseph McCarthy, with the help of an extended network of other government officials and organizations, systematically ruined thousands of lives in their deluded pursuit of alleged Communist conspiracies. Beginning with the origins of the era after WWI through to its conclusion in 1957, Risen brings to life the politics, patriotism, opportunism, courage, and delirium of those years through the lives and experiences of a cast of towering historical figures, including President Eisenhower, Roy Cohn, Paul Robeson, Robert Oppenheimer, Helen Gahagan Douglas, Richard Nixon, and many more individuals known and unknown. Red Scare takes us beyond the familiar story of McCarthyism and the Hollywood blacklists to a fuller understanding of what the country went through at a time of moral questioning and perceived threat from the left, and what we were capable of doing to each other as a result. An urgent, accessible, and important history, Red Scare reveals an all-too-familiar pattern of illiberal conspiracy-mongering and political and cultural backlash that speaks directly to the antagonism and divisiveness of our contemporary moment.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781982141806
- ISBN: 1982141808
- ISBN: 9781982141813
- ISBN: 1982141816
- Physical Description: xiv, 460 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, portraits ; 24 cm
- Edition: First Scribner hardcover edition.
- Publisher: New York, New York : Scribner, 2025.
- Copyright: ©2025
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages [427]-440) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- A blue envelope -- Swimming-pool Communists -- We'll all go to jail -- A civil war on the Left -- Un-American activities -- One of you Is lying -- Foley Square -- Peekskill USA -- A clear and present danger -- The ballad of Harry Bridges -- I have in my hand a list -- A government within the government -- The China lobby -- The Russians are coming! -- The pink lady -- Running with the hounds -- Naming names -- The China hands -- Terror by index cards -- Positive loyalty -- How red are the schools? -- A race for death -- A dry crucifixion -- The Tonangeber -- Who promoted Peress? -- McCarthywasm -- Red Monday -- The coal-seam fire.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Anti-communist movements > United States > History > 20th century.
McCarthy, Joseph, 1908-1957.
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Un-American Activities.
Subversive activities > United States > History > 20th century.
Communism > United States > History > 20th century.
Blacklisting of entertainers > United States > History > 20th century.
Internal security > United States > History > 20th century.
United States > Politics and government > 20th century. - Genre:
- Informational works.
Available copies
- 28 of 30 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at McDowell County Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 30 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion Library | 973.91 RIS (Text) | 37810435832489 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
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| 245 | 1 | 0. | ‡aRed Scare : ‡bblacklists, McCarthyism and the making of modern America / ‡cClay Risen. |
| 246 | 3 | 0. | ‡aBlacklists, McCarthyism and the making of modern America |
| 250 | . | ‡aFirst Scribner hardcover edition. | |
| 264 | 1. | ‡aNew York, New York : ‡bScribner, ‡c2025. | |
| 264 | 4. | ‡c©2025 | |
| 300 | . | ‡axiv, 460 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : ‡billustrations, portraits ; ‡c24 cm | |
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| 337 | . | ‡aunmediated ‡bn ‡2rdamedia | |
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| 504 | . | ‡aIncludes bibliographical references (pages [427]-440) and index. | |
| 505 | 0 | . | ‡aA blue envelope -- Swimming-pool Communists -- We'll all go to jail -- A civil war on the Left -- Un-American activities -- One of you Is lying -- Foley Square -- Peekskill USA -- A clear and present danger -- The ballad of Harry Bridges -- I have in my hand a list -- A government within the government -- The China lobby -- The Russians are coming! -- The pink lady -- Running with the hounds -- Naming names -- The China hands -- Terror by index cards -- Positive loyalty -- How red are the schools? -- A race for death -- A dry crucifixion -- The Tonangeber -- Who promoted Peress? -- McCarthywasm -- Red Monday -- The coal-seam fire. |
| 520 | . | ‡a"Red Scare tells the story of McCarthyism and the Red Scare--based in part on newly declassified sources--by an award-winning writer of history and New York Times reporter"-- ‡cProvided by publisher. | |
| 520 | . | ‡aThe film Oppenheimer has awakened interest in this vital period of American history. Now, for the first time in a generation, Red Scare presents a narrative history of the anti-Communist witch hunt that gripped America in the decade following World War II. The cultural phenomenon, most often referred to as McCarthyism, was an outgrowth of the conflict between social conservatives and New Deal progressives, coupled with the terrifying onset of the Cold War. This defining moment in American history, unlike any that preceded it, was marked by an unprecedented degree of political hysteria. Drawing upon newly declassified documents, journalist Clay Risen recounts how politicians like Joseph McCarthy, with the help of an extended network of other government officials and organizations, systematically ruined thousands of lives in their deluded pursuit of alleged Communist conspiracies. Beginning with the origins of the era after WWI through to its conclusion in 1957, Risen brings to life the politics, patriotism, opportunism, courage, and delirium of those years through the lives and experiences of a cast of towering historical figures, including President Eisenhower, Roy Cohn, Paul Robeson, Robert Oppenheimer, Helen Gahagan Douglas, Richard Nixon, and many more individuals known and unknown. Red Scare takes us beyond the familiar story of McCarthyism and the Hollywood blacklists to a fuller understanding of what the country went through at a time of moral questioning and perceived threat from the left, and what we were capable of doing to each other as a result. An urgent, accessible, and important history, Red Scare reveals an all-too-familiar pattern of illiberal conspiracy-mongering and political and cultural backlash that speaks directly to the antagonism and divisiveness of our contemporary moment. | |
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