Is the practice of McCarthyism the reason for chaotic actions presented in Act One of the Crucible?

Witchcraft. Is it real? How is it used? Who uses it? These questions are hard to answer correctly in the early 1900's. People at this time tend to turn on people for being a so called "witch." Sometimes claiming a person to be a witch could solve many problems in society at the time.

The topic of witchcraft is correlated to McCarthyism. McCarthyism is the practice in the United States of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence. In Act One of The Crucible, witchcraft and the practice of McCarthyism was evidently shown through the actions of most of the characters. Even though it was clear that both witchcraft and McCarthyism was used in Act One, was McCarthyism really the reason for the paranoia that was spread throughout the community? 
In both the play and the film showed in class, the practice of McCarthyism was the main reason for the people of the community in Salem to act paranoid over witchcraft throughout Act One. People of this community justify the process to find witchcraft and destroy it can be shown through the quote, "The witch-hunt was a perverse manifestation of the panic which set in among all classes when the balance began to turn toward greater individual freedom" (I.5). Considering that people of the Salem community justify the horrific actions of exterminating people who are claimed to have a relation with the devil, these people are very scared of witchcraft without there being any proof that it even exists. Since, McCarthyism revolves around the idea of making assumptions about people that have not been proven to be true, this is very similar to the disgusting accusations made in Salem that has harmed many in their community.