All Things Work War II
Who controlled Russia and who controlled the US at the end of World War II?
Russia - Joseph Stalin
US - Joseph Stalin
What is the definition of a Cold War?
There is no active fighting between the main participants.
What state did Senator Joseph McCarthy represent?
Wisconsin
If you were questioned in a McCarthy hearing and suspected of being a communist, what two things would you be asked to do?
Take an anti-communist pledge and give the names of other possible communist sympathizers.
Which character in "Monsters" would likely refuse to take a pledge and give the names of other people?
Steve Brand
At the end of World War II, what did Russia have that made them a concern to the West?
A large and powerful army in the field.
How do the main parties in a cold war fight for their beliefs?
They provide assistance to client states who embrace their beliefs.
Who or what was McCarthy searching for when he started holding senate hearings?
Communists or communist sympathizers seeking to destroy us from within.
What did it mean to be "blacklisted"?
Employers knew you were suspected and so would not hire you.
Which character in "Monsters" would likely insist that he was innocent and would point out other people who might be guilty?
Charlie
At the end of World War II, what did the US have that made them a concern to the Soviet Union?
Control of the atomic bomb
Give one example of a pair of client states that would have been supported by the US and the Soviet Union?
North and South Vietnam
Where did McCarthy look (in particular) for possible communist activities?
He looked to Hollywood.
Why would an employer not want to hire a person who was being suspected by McCarthy?
If they hired someone who was suspicious, they might be considered suspicious by association with that person.
Why does Charlie say that Steve shouldn't be seen talking to Les Goodman?
Because Les was suspicious at the point and if Steve talked to him, he might be considered suspicious as well.
The situation between the US and the Soviet Union caused the two sides to feel how about one another?
Neither side trusted the other.
What does the term MAD stand for?
Mutually Assured Destruction
Why did he think that Hollywood might harbor people who wanted to destroy the US and our way of life?
Hollywood was seen as shaper of public thought and opinion because it was singularly able to reach large numbers of citizens.
If you were blacklisted and wouldn't take the pledge, what else might you do?
Leave the country to work elsewhere or sell their work through other people's names.
Why would Rod Serling decide to write a science fiction screenplay criticizing McCarthyism rather than criticizing it in a nonfiction format (like an essay, newspaper article, or book)?
If people said he was criticizing the government and might therefore be a communist spy or sympathizer, he could just say that he was writing a crazy science fiction story with no basis in fact.
What political system dominated the Soviet Union?
Communism
This policy led to what effort on the part of the US and the Soviet Union to be sure they had sufficient weaponry to discourage the other from attacking it?
It led to an arms race.
Because of the attention directed toward TV shows and movies, what were those industries pressured to avoid?
Controversial material that might question or criticize the US government.
When does McCarthy finally fall out of favor with the government and its citizens?
When he started accusing government and army officials of being Communist sympathizers?
Figure One and Figure Two say that the humans will destroy themselves if only they can throw them into darkness and set them against one another. How does this connect to the period of McCarthyism in the US?
During McCarthyism, citizens were pitted against one another in an effort to find out who the enemies from within were. Instead of working together, citizens were encouraged to be divided against one another.