It included liberals and unionist in its meaning of "un-American". The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was made in 1938 to examine charged traitorousness and subversive exercises with respect to private natives, open workers, and those associations associated with having Communist ties.
Civil wars. Probably the most important single cause of Byzantium's collapse was its recurrent debilitating civil wars. Three of the worst periods of civil war and internal infighting took place during Byzantium's decline.
I assume the answer is true. There would have to be more trade, it comes with industrialization. Sorry I couldn't help more!