Question

what factors characterized the red scare ?

Answer 1

The red scare was a panic that spread through the US after communist and socialist beliefs came through into other countries, such as Russia. This triggered the belief in rugged individualism in the United States.
Hysteria and Violence

Answer 2

A Red Scare is the promotion of fear of a potential rise of communism or radical leftism, used by anti-leftist proponents. In the United States, the First Red Scare was about worker (socialist) revolution and political radicalism.