Why do you think Americans behaved as they did in response to communism during the McCarthyism period, could something like this happen again?

America was during the Cold War.

Explanation:

The actions taken by Senator McCarthy are the product of fear of an “outpouring” of communism in the state. And if many agree that his actions were exaggerated one should not forget that it was a period of the Cold War. It was a period of conflict between two political ideologies, the conflict of East and West. It is almost impossible to predict a similar scenario in the future. Democracy has so far turned out to be the most progressive political system in the history of humanity, and communism has long since turned out to be a “failed” political doctrine.