The First Red Scare (1917-1920) (jan 1, 1917 – jan 1, 1920)

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The First Red Scare was driven by fears that the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, which overthrew Russia’s monarchy and established a communist government, could inspire a similar workers' revolution in the United States that would dismantle the capitalist system. This led to a widespread crackdown on leftist groups like the Socialist Party and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), even if they were not violent or revolutionary. As a response, some Italian anarchists resorted to violence. The Wall Street bombing on September 16th, 1920 killed over 38 people and injured over hundreds outside the J.P Morgan and Co. bank offices. Because Wall Street and this particular bank were the financial heart of the US, Americans started to have even more fear that foreign-born socialists and communists would someday ruin capitalism. Incidents like this contributed to the passage of immigration policies like the Emergency Quota Act of 1921, to keep "dangerous" immigrants out of the United States.




Image source: Bolshevism on trial [Movie poster]. (1919). USA: Mayflower Photoplay Company.

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