The Red Scare of the 1920s

What was the first Red Scare?

The first Red Scare took place after the First World War, as Americans became worried about the new immigrants, particularly those from eastern Europe.

Who were people afraid of in the first Red Scare?

Americans were afraid of people who held radical political ideas.

• ❖ Communists, who believed that property should be taken from private owners and controlled by the state.
• ❖ Anarchists, who believed that the government should be abolished.
• ❖ People with extreme left-wing ideas, who often wanted to see massive change to society, brought about by violence.

Why did people get scared in the first Red Scare?

In the 1920s, a number of events highlighted people's fear of new radical political ideas.

• ❖ Many new immigrants were coming from countries where radical ideas had taken hold, such as Russia.
• ❖ After the First World War, there was a lot of industrial unrest and strikes. These were a problem for politicians and business owners, and sometimes led to violence.
• ❖ In April 1919, 40 mail bombs were sent to the homes of important politicians.
• ❖ In June 1919, 8 cities were hit with bomb attacks.

Who was Alexander Palmer in the first Red Scare?

Alexander Palmer was the Attorney General whose house was damaged by a bomb in June 1919. He reacted by trying to get rid of the radical political threat.

How did the government react to the first Red Scare?

The American government, led by Attorney General Palmer, began to hunt down people it believed were political radicals, using different methods.

• ❖ In 1919, Palmer set up the General Intelligence Board to spy on radical groups.
• ❖ It raided radical political groups, searching their offices and making arrests between November 1919 and 1920.
• ❖ On the 2nd January, 1920, raids took place in 33 different cities.

What were the Palmer Raids during the first Red Scare? Tell me about the Palmer Raids during the first Red Scare.

The Palmer Raids took place at the end of 1919 and the beginning of 1920, when police and the General Intelligence Board arrested suspected political radicals and searched their offices.

What was the General Intelligence Board in the first Red Scare?

The General Intelligence Board was a government policing group.

• ❖ It was set up by Alexander Palmer in 1919.
• ❖ It was set up to find out information about radical political groups.
• ❖ It was led by J Edgar Hoover.
• ❖ It later became the Federal Bureau of Investigation - the FBI.

What were the effects of the first Red Scare?

The first Red Scare and the Palmer Raids had a number of effects on American society.

• ❖ Thousands of people were arrested.
• ❖ Around 600 people were deported.
• ❖ Some people died or committed suicide in the poor conditions in jail.
• ❖ Immigrants and immigration were blamed for political radicalism.
• ❖ There was more public support for the government to limit immigration.
• ❖ There was less public support for the trade unions and strikes, because they were seen as communist.
• ❖ The attitudes it created played a role in the Sacco-Vanzetti case.