Re: [Marxism] Dashiell Hammett

[Einde O'Callaghan <einde@xxxxxx>]

Carrol Cox schrieb:
> 
> Bill Quimby wrote:
> 
>>In case any comrades are interested in the McCarthyist period
> 
> 
> The search is already distorted by naming it the "McCarthyist" period.
> The Red Hunt was well underway before McCarthy intervened, and he
> _never_ was the primary party in that Red Hunt. The more accurate label
> would be the "Truman Era," because it was his Administration that
> launched it and developed or encouraged its most vicious aspects.
> 
> It's asthough the period from 1939-45 should be called "The Great Audie
> Murphy War." McCarthy was that small a bump in the Great Red Hunt.
> 
This wasn't apparently the attitude of the SWP (US) at the time. the 
party apparently saw McCarthyism as qualitatively different from the 
reactionary anti-Communist witchhunt launched under Truman. For example, 
the main article in Fourth International (Vol.25 No.1, Winter 1954) 
<http://www.marxists.org/history/etol/writers/weiss/1954/01/mccarthy.htm>, 
which was written by Murry Weiss (then editor of Militant IIRC), has 
this to say:

"In an atmosphere of impending social crisis, when the props have been 
taken out from under the world conditions for the economic stability of 
American capitalism, McCarthy’s formula is a ready-made premise for a 
fascist program. The middle class feels betrayed and insecure. It feels 
the hot breath of depression on its neck. It must, find a new 
orientation. McCarthy makes his bid for the support of this mass, and 
offers a way out – destroy the traitorous gang in power and replace 
them, with leaders bathed in the fire of McCarthyism.

"With this formula McCarthy lays the groundwork for posing as the 
crusading enemy of the scoundrels in high places.

"By accusing the previous Democratic administration, the Democratic 
Party, and half the Republican Party of treachery, dupery, bungling, 
corruption and blundering mismanagement, he bids to become the champion 
of the “small people” who are justifiably suspicious of the “big shots” 
in high places.

"He hopes to become the champion of the discontented and the opponent of 
the status quo.

"This kind of demagogy by McCarthy, when taken together with other 
symptoms, signifies an attempt to rally a mass movement around a fascist 
banner."

Again and again the article refers to McCarthy as a fascist, e.g. 
"McCarthyism is the American fascist movement at a particular stage of 
development."

This line was followed for several issues of FI - I don't know if any of 
the participants in this forum can comment on the attitudes of the 
contemporary American left towards McCarthy and McCarthyism.

Einde O'Callaghan

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