Comparative Analysis of Mccarrgysm and the Image of USSR in the US and Modern Russia in Western Media

The research aims to analyze the existing phenomenon of McCarthyism and use this analysis to compare the previous image of the Soviet Union in the United States and the modern image of Russia in Western media. Among those studying contemporary American political history, describing McCarthyism is often a cranky goal. For the older generation, this phenomenon is closely connected with the period of a communist threat (First and Second Red Scare) and scorching of relationships between the Soviet Union and the United States. For the younger generation that has no experience with living during those times, McCarthyism may be seen as an act of mythology. The main goal of this research is answering the question whether there is something that we can name as “Modern McCarthyism” or “Neo-McCarthyism” present now. This would be done by explaining and comparing McCarthyism, its’ nature and its’ anticommunist information campaign in the 20th century with some current anti-Russian and anti-American information campaigns. In this research I will provide information about what McCarthyism is, what was happening with depicting the Soviet Union in the United States, and also provide an overview of the current Russian image in western media and behavior towards our foreign policy. More often than not American media propose an idea that Russia is still a threat for the Americans, whether it is about possible Russian intervention into domestic policy of the United States (elections meddling, Russian hackers and etc.), or it is about the US-Russia competition in the Middle East and etc. But is it possible to refer to it as “Modern McCarthyism” and is there a figure that can be seen as a replacement to senator Joseph McCarthy? This is what my research will aim towards.