What term describes the fear of communism in the United States during the 1920s and again in the 1950s?

• A. Bolshevism
• B. Red Scare
• C. McCarthyism
• D. Isolationism

Answer: (B)

The term describes a period-wide fear of communism in the United States, seen in two waves: after World War I and again in the 1950s. In the 1920s, fear of Communist influence spurred raids, deportations, and suspicions toward radicals and immigrants—part of a broader climate known as the Red Scare. In the 1950s, Cold War anxieties about Soviet influence led to investigations, loyalty programs, and public accusations, often linked to McCarthyism. The Red Scare best captures both eras’ mood and government response to perceived communist threats, whereas Bolshevism is the ideology itself, McCarthyism describes the tactics in the 1950s, and isolationism is about staying out of foreign affairs.