Why were American citizens so anxious or fearful during the years of the Cold War

American citizens were fearful/anxious during the Cold War for several reasons, including:

1) Fear of communism taking over America - This ensured in what is known as the second "Red Scare." Americans worried that communism would spread to America, resulting in less individual rights and more government interference in their everyday lives.

2) Fear of nuclear warfare - The increased tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States left Americans constantly worrying about nuclear warfare. These fears almost came true in October of 1962, during what is now known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. Luckily, the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union were able to make a deal that stopped this all out nuclear warfare from happening.