In what ways did mccarthyism intensify tensions within the united states during the cold war

McCarthyism helped increase tension within the US, because during the Cold War, the US (democracy) was fighting against the USSR (communism). The US did not want communists to spread into the US, for fear that they may be infiltrated and defeated that way. McCarthyism came into play when Senator Joseph McCarthy pretended that he had a list of 'well-known' communists or communist supporters inside the government, and that they had to eradicate them from the system. This soon turned to an outbreak of accusation, as many people started to blame each other of helping the communists. This led to the US further developing ways to hinder the spread of Communism, and for them to start to both protect other countries from communism, and to free other countries from the 'unjust government'. This led to an escalation in the war effort, and with this, the arms race grew exponentially.

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