Following the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, the Red Scare spread across the United States. A series of anarchist bombings triggered nationwide fear of communists, socialists, anarchists, and other dissidents. The nation lived in fear. Innocent people were jailed for expressing their views, civil liberties were ignored, and many Americans feared that a Bolshevik-style revolution was at hand.

During World War I, strong patriotism was prevalent in the United States. Many Americans fought the “enemy” on the home front. Anyone deemed unpatriotic—conscientious objectors, draft dodgers, German-Americans, immigrants, Communists—was suspect.

At the end of World War I, approximately nine million people worked in war-related industries. Another four million served in the armed forces. After the war, millions were left jobless. Economic difficulties and worker unrest increased as immigrants competed with Americans for jobs.

Source: The Red Scare
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