What is McCarthyism? And how did it happen? - Ellen Schrecker

翻译人员: Jin Wang 校对人员: Tianji (Homer) Li

Imagine that one day, you're summoned before a government panel.

假设某日，你被政府部门传唤。

Even though you haven't committed any crime,

尽管你并没有犯罪，

or been formally charged with one,

也没有被起诉，

you are repeatedly questioned about your political views,

但你却被反复质问 你的政治观点，

accused of disloyalty,

并被指责不忠诚，

and asked to incriminate your friends and associates.

并要求你指控你的同事朋友。

If you don't cooperate, you risk jail or losing your job.

如果你不配合，你将失去工作， 或者锒铛入狱。

This is exactly what happened in the United States in the 1950s

以上正是美国上世纪 50年代发生的事，

as part of a campaign to expose suspected communists.

作为找出潜在共产主义者 活动的一部分。

Named after its most notorious practitioner,

以其最臭名昭著的实施者 麦卡锡命名，

the phenomenon known as McCarthyism destroyed thousands of lives and careers.

麦卡锡主义毁灭了 数以千计人民的生活和事业。

For over a decade, American political leaders trampled democratic freedoms

美国政客在十年内 以保护民主自由的名义，

in the name of protecting them.

践踏着民主自由。

During the 1930s and 1940s,

在上世纪30年代至40年代，

there had been an active but small communist party in the United States.

美国曾活跃过 一小规模的共产党组织。

Its record was mixed.

其评价好坏参半。

While it played crucial roles in wider progressive struggles

一方面，共产党在劳动、 民权进步斗争中

for labor and civil rights,

扮演着关键的角色，

it also supported the Soviet Union.

另一方面，它支持苏联政府。

From the start, the American Communist Party faced attacks

从一开始，美国共产党面对着

from conservatives and business leaders,

来自保守派和商业巨头的打击，

as well as from liberals who criticized its ties to the oppressive Soviet regime.

传统左派还指责美共外通苏联政权。

During World War II, when the USA and USSR were allied against Hitler,

在二战中，美国和苏联 结盟对抗希特勒期间，

some American communists actually spied for the Russians.

曾有美国共产主义者为俄国人做间谍。

When the Cold War escalated and this espionage became known,

当冷战升级，间谍活动被曝光，

domestic communism came to be seen as a threat to national security.

美国国内的共产主义 被视为国家安全的威胁。

But the attempt to eliminate that threat

然而试图消除这些威胁的尝试

soon turned into the longest lasting and most widespread episode

立马转变为在美国历史上政治镇压

of political repression in American history.

持续时间最长以及最为世界所知的事件。

Spurred on by a network of bureaucrats,

由于一系列的官僚，

politicians,

政治家，

journalists,

记者，

and businessmen,

商人的驱使，

the campaign wildly exaggerated the danger of communist subversion.

共产主义者颠覆政权的 危险被极度夸大。

The people behind it harassed anyone

事件策划者侵扰着任何可能

suspected of holding left-of-center political views

持有中左翼政治观点的人

or associating with those who did.

以及有牵连的人士。

If you hung modern art on your walls,

如果你在家里挂现代艺术作品，

had a multiracial social circle,

有一个多种族的社交圈，

or signed petitions against nuclear weapons,

或是签署了反对 核武器的请愿书，

you might just have been a communist.

那么你就可能被认为 是共产主义者。

Starting in the late 1940s,

从上世纪40年代后期

FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover

时任美国联邦调查局局长的 J.埃德加·胡佛

used the resources of his agency to hunt down such supposed communists

利用调查局资源抓捕了 上述的共产主义者

and eliminate them from any position of influence

并且根除了这些共产党员 在美国人中

within American society.

可能产生的任何影响。

And the narrow criteria that Hoover and his allies used

此外，胡佛局长及其的同僚用于

to screen federal employees

监视联邦政府职员的严苛标准

spread to the rest of the country.

扩散到了国内其他领域。

Soon, Hollywood studios,

很快，好莱坞，

universities,

大学，

car manufacturers,

汽车制造商，

and thousands of other public and private employers

以及数以千计的 政府领导，企业家

were imposing the same political tests on the men and women who worked for them.

都对其下无论男女员工， 进行了相同的政治测试。

Meanwhile, Congress conducted its own witchhunt

与此同时，国会也 开始了内部政治审查

subpoenaing hundreds of people to testify before investigative bodies

在调查局开始前传唤了 上百名职员进行测验

like the House Un-American Activities Committee.

就像众议院非美活动 调查委员会做的一样执行。

If they refused to cooperate, they could be jailed for contempt,

如果被调查者拒绝合作， 他们将可能因蔑视罪名入狱，

or more commonly, fired and blacklisted.

更加常见的情况是 被解雇并拉入黑名单。

Ambitious politicians, like Richard Nixon

像理查德·尼克松

and Joseph McCarthy,

和约瑟夫·麦卡锡这样的 野心政治家，

used such hearings as a partisan weapon

利用这样的听证会 作为坚固政党的武器

accusing democrats of being soft on communism

来制裁对于共产主义 手软的民主党人，

and deliberately losing China to the Communist Bloc.

并指控民主党蓄意将中国 推向共产主义集团。

McCarthy, a Republican senator from Wisconsin

来自威斯康星州的共和党议员麦卡锡

became notorious by flaunting ever-changing lists of alleged communists

在美国政府内因炫耀不断 增加的所谓共产主义者名单

within the State Department.

而臭名昭著。

Egged on by other politicians,

来自于其他政治家的怂恿，

he continued to make outrageous accusations

麦卡锡歪曲事实捏造证据

while distorting or fabricating evidence.

不断作出令人震惊的指控。

Many citizens reviled McCarthy while others praised him.

在有不少民众斥责麦卡锡的同时， 也有人称赞其行为。

And when the Korean War broke out, McCarthy seemed vindicated.

朝鲜战争爆发之时，麦卡锡的 所作所为似乎被证明是正确的。

Once he became chair

麦卡锡在1953年成为

of the Senate's permanent subcommittee on investigations in 1953,

参议院常设调查委员会主席之后，

McCarthy recklessness increased.

其行为更加肆无忌惮。

It was his investigation of the army that finally turned public opinion against him

麦卡锡对于军队的调查最终 使得公众舆论的矛头指向他，

and diminished his power.

他的权力也因此削减

McCarthy's colleagues in the Senate censured him

麦卡锡受到了来自 参议院同事的谴责，

and he died less than three years later, probably from alcoholism.

此后不到三年， 他或因酗酒而死亡。

McCarthyism ended as well.

麦卡锡主义也就此终结。

It had ruined hundreds, if not thousands, of lives

麦卡锡主义伤害了 上百甚至上千的人的生活，

and drastically narrowed the American political spectrum.

并且巨大地伤害了美国政治。

Its damage to democratic institutions would be long lasting.

而其对于民主机构的 伤害是长远的。

In all likelihood, there were both Democrats and Republicans

当时，民主党人和 共和党人多半了解

who knew that the anti-communist purges were deeply unjust

反共主义清除异己 活动是非正义的，

but feared that directly opposing them would hurt their careers.

然而担心正面对抗会伤及 自己的职业而不敢发声。

Even the Supreme Court failed to stop the witchhunt,

即便是最高法院也无法遏制迫害，

condoning serious violations of constitutional rights

以保护国家安全的名义

in the name of national security.

赦免了严重违反 宪法权利的行为。

Was domestic communism an actual threat to the American government?

对于美国政府来说， 国内的共产主义真的是威胁吗？

Perhaps, though a small one.

或许，有那么一丁点儿威胁。

But the reaction to it was so extreme that it caused far more damage

然而事件结果如此极端， 其造成的损失

than the threat itself.

已超过其可能的威胁。

And if new demagogues appeared in uncertain times

如果未来有新的煽动者出现

to attack unpopular minorities in the name of patriotism,

并以爱国主义的名义去 攻击非主流少数群体，

could it all happen again?

像麦卡锡主义这样的事情 还会再次发生吗？