Addressing the Reds

Abstract

This chapter describes how fear of radicalism defined the post-Great War Red Scare. Announcement on November 11, 1919, of an armistice ending the fighting in Europe had given Americans hope of a return to what future president Warren G. Harding would call normalcy, a renewed opportunity for the nation to enjoy its myriad benefits. Yet at least immediately this was not to be the case. Multiple manifestations of class-based dissent, in the form of strikes, protests, and horrific acts of violence, put the nation on edge. Much of the fervor focused on immigrants, as it had since the onset of industrialization, and Americans again turned their attention to the eradication of immigrant-engendered subversion. Ultimately, reaction to this Red Scare would set the stage for the implementation of new and more severe immigration policies.