Army-McCarthy hearings

Definition

The Army-McCarthy hearings were a series of investigations held in 1954 where Senator Joseph McCarthy accused army officials of harboring communists during the Cold War era.

Analogy

Imagine if someone at your school started accusing students randomly of cheating without any solid proof - that's what happened during these hearings with McCarthy accusing army officials without substantial evidence.

Related terms

Cold War: A period between 1947-1991 marked by political tension and military rivalry between two superpowers - USA (and its allies) versus USSR (and its allies), but no large-scale fighting directly between them.

Communism: A political ideology advocating for classless society where property is publicly owned and each person works according to their abilities and needs.

Red Scare: Refers to fear over perceived threat posed by communists in the U.S. during the Cold War.