Friday, November 2, 2018

The Red Scare

In 1921, two men, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, were put on trial for charges of theft and murder, among other things. However, the two Italian immigrants were anarchists, and the Red Scare of the 1920's, which was hysteria over the potential threat of Communism and Anarchy, created an anti-anarchist atmosphere. This, in turn, created an unfair trial for the two men. Both the jury and judge, swayed by popular belief that anarchists were inherently evil, were prejudiced against Sacco and Vanzetti, and the two men never had a chance to begin with. Despite the fact that there was no factual evidence against the two men and the crime was not connected with anarchist behavior, the general public in the 1920's was quick to convict them because of their background. This was the effect of the "Red Scare": a general societal panic, causing distrust towards anarchists like Sacco and Vanzetti. It was called the Red Scare because red was generally the colour associated with Soviets or communism and anarchy.
Image result for soviet flag

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This was a very concise yet helpful and descriptive clarification about the Red Scare and its influence on the Sacco and Vanzetti trial. I think that it is also important to include that the corruption in both the appeals and investigation system had an additional impact on the outcome of the case. Great job!

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