LibGuides: Cold War: Communism

What is Communism?

Communism is "a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed" or "a totalitarian system in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production." -Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Use the resources below to learn more about Communism and how the United States worked to stop its spread during the Cold War. You will have to enter your MultiPass credentials to access Gumberg resources off-campus.

CQ Researcher: Communism and Socialism
Get in-depth research articles from CQ Researcher on Communism during (and after!) the Cold War.
Communism
The first section of this encyclopedia article from the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences covers Soviet Communism.
Communism
From Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction

Print Books: (Follow the links to find out more about the books!)

Need more books? Use the search terms below in our QuickSearch catalog.

The Cold War at Home: the Red Scare in Pennsylvania, 1945-1960 by Philip Jenkins
Call Number: F154 .J46 1999 (Gumberg 3rd floor)
Philip Jenkins examines the political and social impact of the Cold War across Pennsylvania, tracing the Red Scare's reverberations in party politics, the labor movement, ethnic organizations, schools and universities, and religious organizations.
The Historiography of Communism by Michael E. Brown; Michael Brown
Call Number: HX36 .B75 2009 (Gumberg 3rd floor)
Michael E. Brown examines the methods, controversies and difficulties involved in writing the history of communism. Arguing that one important way of understanding communism, other than as a concrete political or ideological force, is as an expression of an essentially reflexive aspect of society that typically manifests itself in social movements.
Communism and Anti-Communism in the United States by John E. Haynes
Call Number: Z7164 .S67 H4 1987 (Gumberg 2nd floor)
ISBN: 0824085205
Use this annotated bibliography to find works on communism and anti-communism in America, based on sub-topics.

eBooks: (Note: You will have to enter your MultiPass credentials to access these off-campus.)

Communism: A Very Short Introduction by Leslie Holmes
The collapse of communism was one of the most defining moments of the twentieth century. At its peak, more than a third of the world's population had lived under communist power. What is communism? Where did the idea come from and what attracted people to it? What is the future for communism?

Use these subjects in any of our databases or QuickSearch to find books, articles, and more!

Communism AND "Cold War"
Communism AND "United States"
Communism AND "Soviet Union"
Communism AND [Country], e.g., Communism AND Italy
"Red Scare"
Communism AND Capitalism AND "Cold War"
Communism AND ("third world countries" OR "developing countries")
Communism AND "Eastern Europe"

From the Gumberg Archives

At Gumberg, we have personal papers, government documents, and more available in our Archives on the first floor. Use the finding aids below to browse our collections before your visit!

Illegalization of the Communist Party: A Sub-group of the Honorable Michael A. Musmanno Collection
This collection deals primarily with Musmanno’s work to illegalize the Communist Party in the 1950s. Musmanno was adamant that the Communist ideology went against everything the United States stood for, and its spread in the country needed to be stopped. He worked diligently with the Pennsylvania State government to make it illegal.
The Sedition Trial of Western Pennsylvania: A sub-group of the Honorable Michael A. Musmanno Collection
This collection deals primarily with the Sedition Trials of Western Pennsylvania, from the early 1950s. Musmanno was instrumental in the work against Communism, especially in Pittsburgh. After World War II Musmanno resumed his position within the court system, only to discover that the Communist Headquarters in Pittsburgh were directly across the street from the Court House. He raided the headquarters as a private citizen, which produced documentation that was used against the Communists in the trial.
James F. Clarke Collection
James F, Clarke was a twentieth-century academic, government analyst during World War II and the Cold War. Although he claimed that he acquired a dislike for the communist witch hunts of the McCarthy era in the 1950s, his anti-communism stoked controversy at the University of Pittsburgh, notably in the “Colodny Case.”

Justice William F. Cercone Papers (no finding aid available at this time)

Judge Cercone of Pennsylvania "rose to prominence during the Red Scare of the 1950s by prosecuting Communist Steve Nelson." -Wikipedia

Picture of James Clarke

James F. Clarke in his Pennsylvania home. Use the finding aids in the "From the Gumberg Archives" box to discover more about Clarke and his anti-communism local history.

Source: D.P. Hupchick, The Pen and the Sword (Gumberg 3rd floor).