Origin: Greek suffix -ism
Mccarthyism has 3 different meanings across 2 categories:
unscrupulously accusing people of disloyalty (as by saying they were Communists)
The mass pressure, harassment, and/or blacklisting used to pressure people to follow popular political beliefs, especially as opposed to communism.
The intense opposition to, and fear and suspicion of, Communism, particularly in the United States during the 1950s.