How long did mccarthyism last? also, how long did the salem witch trials last?

How were Salem witch Trials not similar to McCarthyism?

• Answer:

  The people in Salem were afraid of something that doesn't exist, yet McCarthyist were afraid of something that did exist... and had nuclear weapons. +++ That "something" was Communism as espoused by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which made no secret of wanting the rest of the world to become Communist too, preferably by subversion rather than invasion. It did indeed have nuclear weapons, but so did (and do) the NATO countries in what became known as The Arms Race. The USSR had strong but behind-the-scenes links with Left-Wing, USSR-sympathising trades-union leaders in Britain and other countries, and more obviously with national Communist Parties including that of Great Britain. So while the first answer is correct, there is a similarity between Salem and the McCarthy era: mass hysteria.