Starter quiz
- Write the missing word: Older Americans worried that teenage culture and rebelliousness meant that a ______ gap was being created in post-war America.
- 'generation' ✓
- How did education in the USA change during the 1940s?
- Education became more expensive.
- Most children remained in school for longer. ✓
- Most children began leaving school earlier.
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- What type of main character was featured in the 1950s film 'The Wild One'?
- adult cowboy
- elderly soldier
- hardworking student
- rebellious teenager ✓
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- Why were Rock and Roll songs often popular with teenagers?
- They were very short.
- Records were very cheap to buy.
- Lyrics often contained sexual references. ✓
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- How did cinema attendance change during the 1940s and 1950s?
- more than halved ✓
- remained the same
- more than doubled
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- Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
- 1⇔Russia becomes a communist country
- 2⇔first Red Scare in the USA
- 3⇔outbreak of WW2
- 4⇔USA becomes an ally of the Soviet Union
- 5⇔end of WW2
Exit quiz
- Match each of the keywords to their correct definitions.
- ideology⇔set of beliefs which shapes a person's understanding of society ✓
- communism⇔belief that all wealth should be shared equally between people ✓
- McCarthyism⇔making strong accusations against people without proper proof ✓
- Write the missing word. HUAC stands for House ______ Activities Committee.
- 'un-American' ✓
- Who was the USA's superpower rival after 1945?
- Britain
- France
- Germany
- USSR ✓
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- How many names of communists working in government did Joseph McCarthy initially claim to have in 1950?
- 55
- 105
- 155
- 205 ✓
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- Which statement is most accurate about the second Red Scare?
- There were only hunts for communists working in government.
- There were only hunts for communists working outside of the government.
- There were hunts for communists working in a wide range of careers. ✓
- There were only hunts for communists from foreign backgrounds.
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- Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
- 1⇔Russian Revolution
- 2⇔first Red Scare in the USA
- 3⇔USA and USSR become allies
- 4⇔Cold War begins
- 5⇔second Red Scare
Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The USA experienced the second Red Scare during the 1940s and 1950s.
- Historical, international and domestic factors contributed to the second Red Scare.
- A wide range of Americans were investigated during hunts for communists.
- Joseph McCarthy became a leading anti-communist figure.
- McCarthyism involved accusing others of being communists with little proof.
Common misconception
The limited number of communists in the USA meant few people were affected by the Red Scare.
Millions of Americans were investigated during the Red Scare and thousands lost their jobs and social standing due to suspicions about their political beliefs.
Keywords
Ideology - an ideology is a set of beliefs which shapes a person's’ understanding of society and the world
Communist - a communist is a person who believes that wealth should be shared equally between people
Paranoia - paranoia is a situation where people are are unreasonably or excessively scared of something
Blacklisted - a situation where people refuse to deal or interact with a group of others who they consider to be bad is known as being blacklisted
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