The Second World War dramatically shifted the balance of international power, giving the United States a new preeminence in world affairs. Americans felt certain not only of their military and economic might but of their moral grounding. Yet paradoxically this new confidence came hand-in-hand with fear verging on paranoia—fear not only of enemies abroad, but of infiltrators and villains at home. Thus, despite the widespread political consensus about the power of government, big business and technology to make the world better, this was also an era of political witch hunts.

Please use this page to call our attention to any interesting discoveries you make about the political climate of the 1950s—both domestic and international. Curious facts, figures, speeches, events, etc. are all welcome. You can also contribute compelling ideas from secondary sources—but I’d like to keep the emphasis here on primary rather than secondary texts.

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