Chapter 20-1: Critical Thinking # 3

Do you think Americans were justified in their fear of radicals and foreigners in the decade following World War I? Explain our answer. Think About:

• the goals of the leaders of the Russian Revolution
• the challenges facing the United States

I do think that the Americans were justified in their fear of radicals and foreigners in the decade following the World War I. One threat that Americans dealt with was communism. Communism was an economic and political system based on a single-party government ruled by a dictatorship. Americans were right to act the way they did during the "Red Scare". During this time period things like sending bombs through the mail to the U.S government occured. Once a communist party had formed, it made sense that America acted they way it did. They feared that the Communists were going to take over the U.S.

Even though America seemed to have a logically reason for fearing radicals and foreigners, some actions they did were not justifiable. For instance, the KKK was a huge event that was overly exagerated. Also, the Palmer raids and quota system could have also been easier without.