Synopsis

Incorporating important recent scholarship, this popular supplement combines a comprehensive essay on the history of McCarthyism with compelling documents that trace the course of anti-Communist furor in the U.S. The volume’s 95-page essay follows the campaign against domestic subversion from its origins in the 1930s through its escalation in the 1940s to its decline in the 1950s. The second part includes over 47 original documents (including 6 new sources) — congressional transcripts, FBI reports, speeches, and letters — that chronicle the anti-Communist crusade. The essay and documents have been thoroughly updated to reflect new scholarship and recently revealed archival evidence of Soviet spying in the U.S. Also included are headnotes to the documents, 15 black-and-white photographs, a glossary, a chronology of McCarthyism, a revised bibliographical essay, and an index.

Booknews

The first section comprises an essay of about 100 pages discussing the origins, escalation, and demise of the anti- Communist campaign in the US. The second part consists of 22 congressional transcripts, FBI reports, speeches, letters, and other original documents from the era. Also includes an extensive bibliographical essay, a chronology, and b&w photos. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Biography

Ellen Schrecker is professor of history at Yeshiva University, where she has taught since 1987. Widely recognized as one of the nation's leading experts on McCarthyism, she has published many books and articles on the subject including Many Are the Crimes: McCarthyism in America (1998), a Choice "Outstanding Academic Book, 1998," and No Ivory Tower: McCarthyism and the Universities (1986), winner of the History of Education Society's Outstanding Book Award for 1987. The recipient of fellowships from the Bunting Institute and the National Humanities Center, she has taught at Harvard and Princeton. Since 1998 she has also been the editor of Academe, the magazine of the American Association of University Professors.