Significance
The Red Scare is significant because the US government was involved in illegal activities to spread fear and xenophobia among the people. Innocent people were targeted and even deported because they questioned how workers were treated. The government took advantage of anti-German and anti-Russian emotions and created fear among the people. I believe it is also significant as we are dealing with a similar situation almost 100 years later. Politicians are targeting immigrants and minorities as possible threats to the status quo.
The US government approved the use of illegal tactics to identify, arrest and even deport citizens who were suspected of being communist. The judicial system also became a part of this effort in the name of national security. This is what makes this event so significant. It was the first time the government targeted an entire category of citizens. It sowed the seeds for the second Red Scare that took place in the 50s. This series of events was a preview of the Cold War. An entire generation of Americans believed that Russia and communism was to be feared and stood for everything that was anti-American.
And finally, it seems like a similar situation is happening right now. The civil rights of many Americans are being threatened in the name of national security. It is possible that the fear of being a terrorist is the 21st century equivalent of the red scare? There are many similarities, such as the fear of immigrants and general xenophobia, that make today’s political climate similar to that of the 20s.