Red Scare - FBI and the Origins of Anticommunism in the United States, 1919-1943 - Monograph

Aug 27, 2026

This monograph traces how anticommunism emerged in the United States between 1919 and 1943 through the FBI’s expanding political role. It examines the early roots of the “Red Scare,” the origins and mechanisms of federal political surveillance, and how the state responded to radical labor, immigration, and civil dissent. The analysis follows internal policy-making, committee structures, and public narratives, then assesses the decline of the scare and its political aftereffects on presidential intelligence.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages392

Reading Time16 h 28 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Introduction: FBI and the Politics of Anticommunism

The Origins of the Red Scare

The Bureau and the Red Scare

Constructing the Red Scare

1919: Containing the Social Unrest

The Palmer Raids: Deporting Political Ideas

The Decline and fall of the Red Scare

Aftermath: The FBI and Presidential Politics

[www.ssoar.info](www.ssoar.info) Red scare: FBI and the origins of anticommunism in the United States, 1919-1943 Schmidt, Regin Veröffentlichungsversion / Published Version Monographie / monograph Zur Verfügung gestellt in Kooperation mit / provided in cooperation with: OAPEN (Open Access Publishing in European Networks) Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Schmidt, R. (2004) . Red scare: FBI and the origins of anticommunism in the United States, 1919-1943. . Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press. [https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-271396](https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-271396) Nutzungsbedingungen: Dieser Text wird unter einer CC BY-NC-ND Lizenz (Namensnennung-Nicht-kommerziell-Keine Bearbeitung) zur Verfügung gestellt. Nähere Auskünfte zu den CC-Lizenzen finden Sie hier: [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.de](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.de) Terms of use: This document is made available under a CC BY-NC-ND Licence (Attribution-Non Comercial-NoDerivatives). For more Information see: [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Copyright © Museum Tusculanum Press RED SCARE Regin Schmidt: Red Scare. FBI and the origins of Anticommunism in the United States, 1919-1943; e-book. 2004. ISBN 87 635 0012 4 Copyright © Museum Tusculanum Press Regin Schmidt: Red Scare. FBI and the origins of Anticommunism in the United States, 1919-1943; e-book. 2004. ISBN 87 635 0012 4 Copyright © Museum Tusculanum Press Regin Schmidt RED SCARE FBI and the Origins of Anticommunism in the United States, 1919-1943 e-Book MUSEUM TUSCULANUM PRESS UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN 2000 [e-book – 2004] Regin Schmidt: Red Scare. FBI and the origins of Anticommunism in the United States, 1919-1943; e-book. 2004. ISBN 87 635 0012 4 Copyright © Museum Tusculanum Press Regin Schmidt: Red Scare. FBI and the origins of Anticommunism in the United States, 1919-1943; e-book © Museum Tusculanum Press 2004 English revision by Joyce Kling Composition by Ole Klitgaard ISBN 87 635 0012 4 An unchanged version in PDF format of the printed book: Regin Schmidt: Red Scare © Museum Tusculanum Press 2000 English revision by Joyce Kling Composition by Ole Klitgaard Cover design by Henrik Maribo Pedersen Printed in Denmark by Narayana Press, Gylling ISBN 87 7289 581 0 Supervisors: Inga Floto and Niels Bjerre Poulsen Published with the support of The Danish Research Council for the Humanities and Unibank-fonden Museum Tusculanum Press University of Copenhagen Njalsgade 92 DK-2300 Copenhagen S Denmark [www.mtp.dk](www.mtp.dk) Regin Schmidt: Red Scare. FBI and the origins of Anticommunism in the United States, 1919-1943; e-book. 2004. ISBN 87 635 0012 4 Copyright © Museum Tusculanum Press Contents 1. Introduction: FBI and the Politics of Anticommunism ......... 9 The Literature on the FBI 10 Theories on the Development of the FBI’s Political Role 14 The Theses 18 The Sources 20 2. The Origins of the Red Scare .............................. 24 1919: The Revolution That Never Was 24 An Apathetic Opinion 28 The Business Offensive 32 The Patriotic Right 35 The Sensationalist Press 36 The States Crack Down 38 “The Search for Order” 40 The Bureau of Investigation and “the Administrative State” 43 The Federalization of Political Surveillance 50 Controlling the Aliens 55 The Betrayal of the Blacks 59 The War Against Radical Labor 69 The Wilson Administration and the Red Scare 72 3. The Bureau and the Red Scare ............................. 83 The Bureau and the Drive for Bureaucratic Expansion 83 The Personification of Social Unrest 86 The Bureau Network and Political Associationalism 95 The Bureau and the Patriotic Right 96 The Bridgman Affair 102 The Centralia Massacre 105 The Destruction of the World War Veterans 1

FAQs

What historical period does the Red Scare study cover?

It focuses on the development of anticommunism in the United States from 1919 to 1943, following the Red Scare’s rise, operations, and later decline.

How does the book describe the FBI’s role in anticommunism?

It analyzes how the FBI expanded its political role, built networks for surveillance, and helped construct and sustain the Red Scare through files, organization, and governmental coordination.

What themes appear in the sections about “Constructing the Red Scare”?

The book addresses assessing revolutionary danger, publicizing threats through committees, keeping records updated, and financing and organizing the campaign.

Aug 27, 2026

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