Many Americans were familiar with communism prior to the Cold War and even tolerated American intellectuals who believed communism might be superior to capitalism. However, attitudes toward communism changed after World War II, resulting in the “Red Scare,” a period of anti-Communist hysteria that left a stain on American history.

Following the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, during which Communists seized power, some Americans began to view communism as a solution to what they considered to be the evils of capitalism. Many blamed the severe economic depression of the 1930s on capitalist greed, and Communist ideology gained support as a workable economic alternative. Some also viewed communism as a better alternative to the worldwide spread of fascism. Indeed, support for the Soviet Union increased as a result of its role in helping defeat Hitler and Nazism...