Spider Web : The Birth of American Anticommunism / Nick Fischer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fischer, Nick, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Propaganda--United States--History--20th century.

Propaganda.

Myth--Political aspects--United States--History--20th century.

Myth.

Conservatism--United States--History--20th century.

Conservatism.

Anti-communist movements--United States--History--20th century.

Anti-communist movements.

United States--Politics and government--1933-1945.

United States.

United States--Politics and government--1919-1933.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (369 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Urbana, [Illinois] ; Chicago, [Illinois] ; Springfield, [Illinois] : University of Illinois Press, 2016.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"The McCarthy-era witch hunts marked the culmination of an anticommunist crusade launched after the First World War. With Bolshevism triumphant in Russia and public discontent shaking the United States, conservatives at every level of government and business created a network dedicated to sweeping away the 'spider web' of radicalism they saw threatening the nation. In this groundbreaking study, Nick Fischer shines a light on right-wing activities during the interwar period. Conservatives, eager to dispel communism's appeal to the working class, railed against a supposed Soviet-directed conspiracy composed of socialists, trade unions, peace and civil liberties groups, feminists, liberals, aliens, and Jews. Their rhetoric and power made for devastating weapons in their systematic war for control of the country against progressive causes. But, as Fischer shows, the term spider web far more accurately described the anticommunist movement than it did the makeup and operations of international communism. Fischer details how anticommunist myths and propaganda influenced mainstream politics in America, and how its ongoing efforts paved the way for the McCarthyite Fifties--and augured the conservative backlash that would one day transform American politics"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Chapter 1. The Origins of American Anticommunism, ca. 1860-1917

Chapter 2. The First World War and the Origins of the Red Scare

Chapter 3. Here Come the Bolsheviks! : The Russian Revolution and the Red Scare

Chapter 4. The Spider Web Chart

Chapter 5. Mapping a Political Network : The Anticommunist Spider Web

Chapter 6. John Bond Trevor, Radicals, Eugenics, and Immigration

Chapter 7. Jacob Spolansky : The Rise of the Career Anticommunist Spook

Chapter 8. The Better America Federation and Big Business's War on Labor

Chapter 9. Political Repression and Culture War

Chapter 10. Anticommunism and Political Terror

Chapter 11. The Mythology of Anticommunism

Chapter 12. Antidemocracy and Authoritarianism

Conclusion: Legacies of the Spider Web

Afterword.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 315-327) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780252098222

0252098226

OCLC:

948297292