Was the Rosenberg trial a fair trial? This has been a highly controversial and debated issue throughout the 20th century. Many people believe the Rosenbergs were innocent but had an unfair trial. Others believe the Rosenbergs were given a fair trial and are guilty due to their involvement with espionage and the Soviet Union. Overall the trial is still very controversial due to their involvement with communism, their espionage beliefs, and their demonstration of treason against the United States by the Soviets. Before the Rosenbergs were convicted of espionage, events occurred that made America anti-communist. According to Douglas Linder, the Russian Revolution began in March 1917, marking the beginning of communism. Another event occurred in 1939, when Great Britain and Germany went to war (James Sweeney). America despised communism after clashes with Germany and the Soviet Union. In 1917, an espionage law was promulgated (Douglas Linder). According to Douglas Linder, in 1923, a Communist Party was formed in the United States. Megan Barnett thought the Rosenbergs joined the Communist Party because of Hitler's carnage. The Soviet Union and America were allies in World War II in 1943. According to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, the United States did not share information with the Soviet Union because it was concerned about the Soviets' intentions. In 1949 the Soviet Union began producing atomic weapons. According to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, some Americans working on the Manhattan Project provided information to the Soviets because they pitied them. Thomas Reeves states on page 421 that the Rosenbergs were the first American civilians to be executed for espionage during the war. The Rosenbergs were an American family... middle of paper... age 481). According to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, both Rosenbergs were killed in the electric chair. Ethel faced three charges in the electric chair before being executed. According to Douglas Linder, the Rosenbergs' funeral was held on June 21, 1953. The Rosenbergs were buried in Wellwood Cemetery in New York. Overall the Rosenberg trial was very controversial. Many people believed the Rosenbergs were innocent, but others believed they were guilty. Mock trials have since been held to see if the evidence was sufficient to prove the Rosenbergs' guilt. The answer turned out to be negative. Many people, despite the evidence, still believe the Rosenbergs are guilty. The Rosenbergs' participation in the Communist Party, their espionage beliefs, and work for the Soviet Union were all events that led to their demise. So the Rosenbergs were indeed innocent