, MASARYK UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION Department of English Language and Literature The Red Scare: The Fear of Communism in American Society of 1919-1920 Diploma Thesis Brno 2021 Supervisor: Author: Michael George, M.A. Bc. Michaela Klosová Declaration I proclaim that I have assembled this diploma thesis by myself and that I used only sources cited in the bibliography. Prohlášení Prohlašuji, že jsem závěrečnou diplomovou práci vypracovala samostatně, s využitím pouze citovaných pramenů, dalších informací a zdrojů v souladu s Disciplinárním řádem pro studenty Pedagogické fakulty Masarykovy univerzity a se zákonem č. 121/2000 Sb., o právu autorském, o právech souvisejících s právem autorským a o změně některých zákonů (autorský zákon), ve znění pozdějších předpisů. V Brně 19.4. 2021 Bc. Michaela Klosová .............................. Acknowledgement I would like to thank to my supervisor Michael George, M. A. for his kind guidance, encouragement, valuable advice, time and helpful remarks. Annotation The aim of this diploma thesis is to present the period of the First Red Scare of 1919- 1920 to the reader and provide a deeper insight into the selected events that triggered the fears of Bolshevism within the United States, as well as, to present the fight against these fears and a subsequent development of the Red Scare. The first chapter deals with the historical background that generated the fears of Bolshevism within the United States. The second chapter deals with three sets of revolutionary threats that formed and supported fears of Bolshevism, such as the wave of strikes, racial rioting; and impact of the radical movement. The third chapter concentrates on the fight against the alien radicals by governmental representatives. The fourth chapter focuses on the causes that led to the fall of the Red Scare. Key Words Bolshevism, Fear, Communism, Palmer Raids, Red Scare Anotace Cílem této diplomové práce je představit čtenáři období Red Scare – „Obav z komunismu“, které probíhalo v roce 1919-1920 na území Spojených států amerických. Práce si klade za cíl představit toto období a poskytnout ucelený vhled na vybrané události, které vedly k obavám ze šíření komunismu. Tato práce si také klade za cíl přestavit boj vládních činitelů proti vlivu komunismu a jeho následný vývoj. První kapitola se zabývá historickými souvislostmi, které vedly k obavám z komunismu. Druhá kapitola se zaměřuje na tři druhy revolučních hrozeb, které vedly k obavám z komunistického spiknutí – tedy k období stávek, rasových nepokojů a vlivu radikálního hnutí. Třetí kapitola se soustředí na boj vládních činitelů s radikály. Poslední kapitola se soustředí na příčiny, které vedly k útlumu obav z komunismu, stejně jako se soustředí na kritiku. Klíčová slova Bolševismus, obavy, Komunismus, Palmer Raids, Red Scare The List of Content Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 7 1. The Path to the First Red Scare .................................................................................... 9 1.1. The Great War patriotism .................................................................................. 9 1.2. The Russian Revolution – Fighting the Bolsheviks ......................................... 13 1.3. The Post War Crisis ........................................................................................... 15 2. The Revolutionary Threats in the United States ......................................................... 18 2.1. The Post-war Strikes Wave ............................................................................... 18 2.1.1. The Revolutionary Threat of the Seattle General Strike ........................ 20 2.2. The Fear of the Racial Rioting of 1919 ............................................................ 23 2.2.1. The Racial Riots and the impact of Bolshevism ....................................... 23 2.3. The Fear of Radical Movement ........................................................................ 25 2.3.1. The Industrial Workers of the World ....................................................... 26 2.3.2. The Socialist Party of America .................................................................. 28 2.3.3. The Anarchism ............................................................................................ 29 3. Fighting the Bolshevism in the USA .......................................................................... 34 3.1. The Overman Committee .................................................................................. 36 3.2. The Lusk Committee of New York .................................................................. 38 3.2.1. The Soviet Bureau Raid ............................................................................. 40 3.2.2. The Rand School Raid ................................................................................ 41 3.2.3. The November Raids .................................................................................. 44 3.3. The Radical Division of Justice Department ................................................... 45 3.3.1. Palmer Raids ............................................................................................... 46 4. Evaluating the First Red Scare .................................................................................... 56 4.1. The Fall of the Red Scare .................................................................................. 56 4.1.1. The Exclusion of the Socialists ................................................................... 56 4.1.2. The Criticism of the Palmer Raids ............................................................ 58 4.2. Downsizing the radical threats after the Red Scare ....................................... 65 4.2.1. The Decline of Strikes ................................................................................. 65 4.2.2. The Racial Riots of 1919 and its aftermath .............................................. 67 4.2.3. The Downfall of the Radical Movement ............................................... 69 4.3. Outcomes of the Red Scare ............................................................................... 70 4.3.1 The Call for the Peace-time Sedition Laws ............................................... 70 4.3.2. The Lusk Laws ............................................................................................ 73 4.3.3. The Civil liberties movement ..................................................................... 76 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 77 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 79 Introduction The phenomenon of the Red Scare emerged out of two main events; the Great War and the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. It was an unparalleled period of time that experienced an enormous wave of strikes, high inflation, a set of racial riots targeting Afro-Americans, emergence of the New Negro who resisted a white mob oppression, a series of bomb attacks that targeted Governmental representatives and business leaders. The existing social order seemed to be collapsing. The American establishment seemed to be threatened by Bolshevik agitators. As a result, the fears of Bolshevism emerged and transformed into the resistance against immigrants, radicals, Bolsheviks and another non-conformist. The Red Scare was put on political agenda. Since the topic of the First Red Scare is not often the part of the school curriculum, it deserves further research; and may serve as a supplementary material for teachers or students. Therefore, this diploma thesis aims to present the period of the First Red Scare of 1919-1920 to the reader and provide a deeper insight into the selected events that triggered the fears of Bolshevism within the United States, as well as, to present the fight of governmental representatives against these fears and a subsequent development of the Red Scare. The methodology used to compile the thesis was to study of the primary and secondary sources related with the radicalism, anarchism and threat of Bolshevism. This diploma theses consists of four chapters. The first chapter deals with the historical background and identifies the roots that generated the fears of Bolshevism within the United States. The second chapter deals with the revolutionary threats that formed and supported fears of Bolshevism; such as the wave of strikes, racial rioting; or an impact of the radical movement. The third chapter concentrates on the fight against the alien radicals that were considered as conveyors of Bolshevism within the United States. It provides the steps taken by authorities against alleged Bolsheviks. It also provides the narratives of investigation of seditious activities and consequent raids that targeted alien radicals. The fourth chapter focuses on the causes that led to the fall of the Red Scare, as well as, on the causes of resistance against raiding, illegal practices and a wave of criticism. It also discusses the necessity for legislation that would prevent the radical activity, such as the immigration law, or peace-time sedition laws. 1. The Path to the First Red Scare The phenomenon of the Red Scare of 1919-1920 in the United States of America was a period of political repression and intolerance directed against radicals, Bolsheviks, immigrants and any "anti-American" individuals