Senator Joseph McCarthy became a powerful and prominent public figure during the 1950s because of which of these?

Question

anonymous · Answer

widespread fears about communism

 unpopularity of the Korean War

 opposition to the Civil Rights movement

 rejuvenation of the women's rights movement

anonymous · Answer

Definitely the first answer -- widespread fears about communism. The guy was well known for his "witch hunts" involving hearings that attempted to expose communist sympathizers and his brash methods in creating an image for himself as a crusader against the "reds".