Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy

In the long history of American demagogues, from Huey Long to Donald Trump, never has one man caused so much damage in such a short time as Senator Joseph McCarthy. We still use “McCarthyism” to stand for outrageous charges of guilt by association, a weapon of polarizing slander. From 1950 to 1954, McCarthy destroyed many careers and even entire lives, whipping the nation into a frenzy of paranoia, accusation, loyalty oaths, and terror. His chaotic, meteoric rise is a gripping and terrifying object lesson for us all. Yet his equally sudden fall from fame offers hope that, given the rope, most American demagogues eventually hang themselves. Only now, through best-selling author Larry Tye’s look at the senator’s records, can the full story be told.

Drawing on these never-before-seen documents, Demagogue paints the complete portrait of a political bully and his era.

• The Anatomy of a Demagogue: Go beyond the caricature to understand the insecure, charming, and sinister man who held a nation in his thrall.
• The McCarthy-Trump Playbook: Discover the chilling historical parallels between McCarthy’s tactics of fear-mongering and political division and the headlines of today.
• Exclusive, Unseen Sources: Explore the full story told through McCarthy’s personal papers and newly unsealed transcripts from his closed-door Congressional hearings.
• The Red Scare in America: Witness the frenzy of paranoia, accusations, and loyalty oaths that defined the 1950s and destroyed countless careers and lives.
• The Fall of a Bully: Learn how McCarthy’s meteoric rise was matched only by his sudden fall—a gripping object lesson on how American demagogues are ultimately given enough rope to hang themselves.