The founder of modern communism is Karl Marx. Marx’s ideas on communism proved to be highly influential in many parts of the world. In the United States the dominant political culture was more conservative and thus opposition to Marxist thought was consistently strong. At various times opposition to socialism and communism reached levels nearing hysteria. Thus was the case in the first decade or so of the Cold War, when many in the federal government and the broader culture sought to restrict the political activities and even the ideas of people they deemed to hold beliefs that were dangerous to the American way of life.
Since the late 19th century, communist ideas have influenced people in all sectors of American life, while provoking fierce opposition from others. At times of social and political upheaval, the controversy over communism became more pronounced. In the tumultuous 1960’s and early 1070’s student and antiwar activist were influenced by communism thought; one of the most controversial of these figures was Angela Davis. A militant communist and fervent civil rights activist, Davis is most recognized for causing a nationwide uproar in the 1970’s. One of the reasons Davis and her contemporaries provoked controversy was because they challenged the political and social status quo during a period when the United States…show more content… Historians continue to debate the role of Alger Hiss both in terms of his likely participation in espionage and the ways in which his case became a cause for those who changed the government with having persecuted an innocent man for decades following his conviction. For the two decades following the Hiss case, most writers who the topic came to their studies already convinced of the guilt of innocence of Alger
