What is the importance of Communism in the short-story collection, The UnAmericans?

Communism is an economic, cultural, and political philosophy that emphasizes the value and role of the community. For several decades, it was the governing philosophy of much of Eastern Europe, most notably the Soviet Union. For much of that time, American culture and politicians regarded communism and its practitioners as a threat to the American way of life: investigations let by Senator Joseph McCarthy, among others, dug hard and deep into the lives and beliefs of large numbers of individuals, severely damaging (if not crippling) the professional careers of many. Communism, and McCarthy, are referred to in several of the stories in the collection, both having relative degrees of significance on the plot and/or characters. In each of these cases, Communism is portrayed / experienced as a primarily destructive force - of families, of individual lives, and in some cases, of cultures and societies.