What does the term McCarthyism refer to?

• A. The practice of accusing people without evidence of being communist
• B. The Red Scare
• C. Loyalty Oath Campaign
• D. McCarthyist Tactics

Answer: (A)

McCarthyism is about accusing people of being communist without solid evidence. In the early Cold War, Senator Joseph McCarthy led aggressive investigations and hearings aimed at rooting out supposed communists in government and other areas. Those efforts often rested on little or no proof and relied on fear, guilt by association, and public smearing, which damaged many careers and civil liberties.

The broader mood of fear about communist influence in American society is the Red Scare, which provides the backdrop for McCarthyism but doesn’t define it. The other options describe related elements or outcomes, but they don’t capture the specific practice of making unproven accusations that the term denotes.