the fear of communism in the 1950s can be linked easily to the repulsion towards

the soviet union, especially during the cold war. this period known as
mccarthyism, began before joseph mccarthy himself incited the rage. specific cases
of soviet espionage and divulging of american military secrets only angered more
people. mccarthy gained large media attention when he reported he obtained a list
of over 200 officials working for the government, regardless of their affiliations
with communists. this and franklin roosevelt�s new deal aroused the fear of the
influence of communism in politics. salem witch trials of the 1690s inspired
similar cases of accusing innocents, being that they were different or opposed
another person. the accusation of president truman by joe mccarthy can be linked
to the accusation of elizabeth by abigail in the crucible. social pressure also
played a role in both hysterias, and many republicans felt the need to side with
mccarthy to avoid accusations, also the case in many salem with trials.