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The Korean War and McCarthyism

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By Seokhyun (Nathan) Baek

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The tangled tale of how Korea's post-World War II geopolitics fueled McCarthyism in the United States.

Graphic timeline of the Korean War.  

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After the fall of Germany and Japan in World War II, the Allied forces, including the United States, competed with the Soviet Union to grab power vacuums across the world. Thus, it is not an overstatement to say that the United States and the Soviet Union shaped post-World War II international politics. With ideological tensions escalating between democratic and communist countries, the rise of the Soviet Union, and China’s communist revolution, the conflict boiled over on the Korean peninsula. With the USSR/China supporting North Korea and the Allied powers aiding South Korea, the peninsula offered ideal geopolitics for the two ideologies to duel. The resulting war lasted four years (1950–1953). Although an armistice was reached at the 38th parallel after millions of lives had been lost, in many ways, the war is still underway, though at a stalemate. However, little has been said about how the Korean War stimulated McCarthyism in the United States.

The United States was covered with anti-communist narratives during the Korean War, and Joseph McCarthy, a former Republican U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, abused this notion by capitalizing on people’s fear (Achter). Credited with starting the “Red Scare,” McCarthy launched his career by making headlines after accusing hundreds of State Department officials of being communists (“Red Scare: Cold War, McCarthyism & Facts”). For instance, he claimed to have a list of “205 Communists” working in the U.S. Department of State (“McCarthyism / the ‘Red Scare’”). Although his claims were baseless, McCarthy profited from the public’s desire to eliminate communism, especially while United States soldiers were dying in Korea. Soon, McCarthy’s  anti-communist campaigns catapulted him to fame and established a strong basis for his re-election as Senator. 

 

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McCarthy details alleged communist activity in the United States during a hearing in Washington, D.C., on June 9, 1954. 

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In 1952, McCarthy began to exercise his power as the chair of the Senate Permanent Investigations Subcommittee by interrogating more than 500 people (Stolberg). At McCarthy’s peak, his dominance in controlling fear meant that being called to his committee was a career death sentence. His sphere of influence stretched beyond the government to activists, intellectuals, and even the military. Moreover, those who were investigated under the Army-McCarthy hearing were essentially “black-listed” from social life in America. For example, one witness lost a Fulbright scholarship, and a potential witness committed suicide to avoid having to testify (Stolberg). The nationally televised hearing also scrutinized government centers, such as the Government Printing Office, and subpoenaed renowned journalists, including James Aronson from The New York Times (Stolberg). Furthermore, McCarthy did not hesitate to employ unjust legal tactics, such as conducting these sessions on short notice, to frame people with his accusatory narrative. 

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After all, McCarthy gained public attention because people felt that there was an immediate threat to the United States from the Soviet Union while America’s military was fighting in Korea. For example, McCarthy appointed a special subcommittee on October 6, 1953, to probe the “atrocities” committed by Communists in Korea, leading to several hearings and resulting in “The Korean War Atrocities Report” (United States Congress). If the Korean War had not occurred during McCarthy’s tenure, he might not have been able to use fear as a tool to support his agenda.

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In the end, McCarthy lost his influence when political commentators and the Senate began to denounce him, ultimately leading to his censure in December 1954. Despite his short tenure, however, McCarthy gained international attention, highlighting his strong grip on American foreign policy during the 1950s. Now, his political story serves as an example of how fear can be weaponized amid ideological conflicts. Essentially, McCarthy weaponized the Korean War’s ideological duel to stoke the Red Scare in America and bolster his career by manipulating the public perspective.

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Although the connection between an American Senator’s career and Korea may seem weak, research reveals how foreign policy and morale can be used to fuel someone’s popularity and prolong his career.