What Were The Key Features of McCarthyism? McCarthyism is a term in use by 1954 to refer to the campaign against communism, which was started by a senator man from Wisconsin, called Senator Joe McCarthy. There are many key features of McCarthyism; the main ones are malpractices, fabricated evidence and unfair accusations in order to suppress the opposition. Senator McCarthy was crude and boorish. McCarthy was a heavy drinker and was intellectually lazy. However, he was extremely ambitious and his unscrupulous behaviour allowed him to exploit the fears of the American public. McCarthy said that "The government is...
people were able to stand against McCarthy because they feared what he could do to them. When Eisenhower agreed to an investigation of the civil service in 1953, nearly 7,000 people lost their jobs.

McCarthy ruined many lives, including those of famous Hollywood stars such as Charlie Chaplin who was blacklisted; the Hollywood 10 found it hard to find work. The main legacy left behind was where tolerance had been completely forgotten; people were afraid to put forward their opinions. McCarthyism was known to be an embarrassing and shameful episode of American history in the long term.