Clay Risen

in a fundamentally religious, Christian, Protestant worldview. And, you know, this was all linked together for a lot of people, for a lot of critics, that it was both, you know, there was this culture, but there was also this economic change and government assertion going on through the New Deal.

in a fundamentally religious, Christian, Protestant worldview. And, you know, this was all linked together for a lot of people, for a lot of critics, that it was both, you know, there was this culture, but there was also this economic change and government assertion going on through the New Deal.

Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. And another aspect of the 1930s that was both motivating for a lot of people but also seeding a backlash was that the left was very fluid. So that you had people toward the center as well as people on the far left, on the Communist Party and other radicals who saw themselves as part of a united front, a popular front.

Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. And another aspect of the 1930s that was both motivating for a lot of people but also seeding a backlash was that the left was very fluid. So that you had people toward the center as well as people on the far left, on the Communist Party and other radicals who saw themselves as part of a united front, a popular front.

Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. And another aspect of the 1930s that was both motivating for a lot of people but also seeding a backlash was that the left was very fluid. So that you had people toward the center as well as people on the far left, on the Communist Party and other radicals who saw themselves as part of a united front, a popular front.

And whether that was in foreign policy, domestic policy, there was a sense that we're all working on this together. And so there was a lot of cross-mixing. And that became a problem for the people who then went into government jobs.

And whether that was in foreign policy, domestic policy, there was a sense that we're all working on this together. And so there was a lot of cross-mixing. And that became a problem for the people who then went into government jobs.

And whether that was in foreign policy, domestic policy, there was a sense that we're all working on this together. And so there was a lot of cross-mixing. And that became a problem for the people who then went into government jobs.

And after the war, when communism started to be seen as this threat, suddenly any affiliation that they may have had a decade earlier became this scarlet letter that people could be used as a way of targeting them and blacklisting them, whether they were in the government or education or in Hollywood. I mean, name an industry or a sector. And there was an element of the Red Scare going on.

And after the war, when communism started to be seen as this threat, suddenly any affiliation that they may have had a decade earlier became this scarlet letter that people could be used as a way of targeting them and blacklisting them, whether they were in the government or education or in Hollywood. I mean, name an industry or a sector. And there was an element of the Red Scare going on.

And after the war, when communism started to be seen as this threat, suddenly any affiliation that they may have had a decade earlier became this scarlet letter that people could be used as a way of targeting them and blacklisting them, whether they were in the government or education or in Hollywood. I mean, name an industry or a sector. And there was an element of the Red Scare going on.

But also to your point, I mean, one of the reasons why the Red Scare happened when it did was that as much as there was a sentiment against New Deal America, New Deal culture in the 30s, it really didn't find a purchase. Roosevelt was very popular. The Depression was on. Then the war was on. And it was really only after that when a lot of people wanted to get back to normal.

But also to your point, I mean, one of the reasons why the Red Scare happened when it did was that as much as there was a sentiment against New Deal America, New Deal culture in the 30s, it really didn't find a purchase. Roosevelt was very popular. The Depression was on. Then the war was on. And it was really only after that when a lot of people wanted to get back to normal.

But also to your point, I mean, one of the reasons why the Red Scare happened when it did was that as much as there was a sentiment against New Deal America, New Deal culture in the 30s, it really didn't find a purchase. Roosevelt was very popular. The Depression was on. Then the war was on. And it was really only after that when a lot of people wanted to get back to normal.

There was a lot of fear over not being able to do that because of the communist threat abroad. And so it was sort of a ripe moment for opportunists and ideologues to pick up that culture conflict of the 30s and give it this injection of real fear of another world war.

There was a lot of fear over not being able to do that because of the communist threat abroad. And so it was sort of a ripe moment for opportunists and ideologues to pick up that culture conflict of the 30s and give it this injection of real fear of another world war.

There was a lot of fear over not being able to do that because of the communist threat abroad. And so it was sort of a ripe moment for opportunists and ideologues to pick up that culture conflict of the 30s and give it this injection of real fear of another world war.

Yeah, Truman, when he came into office, it was at the tail end of World War II, one of the first things he had to do was decide to drop the atomic bomb and then deal with Stalin. I mean, he was thrown right into the deep end. And...

Yeah, Truman, when he came into office, it was at the tail end of World War II, one of the first things he had to do was decide to drop the atomic bomb and then deal with Stalin. I mean, he was thrown right into the deep end. And...

Yeah, Truman, when he came into office, it was at the tail end of World War II, one of the first things he had to do was decide to drop the atomic bomb and then deal with Stalin. I mean, he was thrown right into the deep end. And...