Tolerance and the Cold War

November 30, 2003

Tolerating dissent or a variety of ideas was not a part of Stalinist Russia, the fascist states and other dictatorships. Within Stalin's Soviet Union, hostility toward the Bolshevik Revolution or toward Stalin could result in permanent exile to a labor camp. In the United States during the Cold War there was more toleration but also some unnecessary intolerance. Expressing support for Communism might cost one his teaching position or loss of other kinds of employment. And in the United States a few Communists in leadership positions within the U.S. Communist Party and one within the Socialist Workers (Trotskyist) Party were jailed.

The rationale behind Stalin's intolerance of ideas was the improvement of society -- building socialism. The rationale in the United States was to protect the "American way of life." There were many, for example, who supported the Smith Act of 1940, which outlawed "advocacy of violent overthrow of the government." Laws against acts of violence against persons and property already existed and were sufficient to cover anyone contributing to an act of violence, whatever the motive. In 1957 the Smith Act was declared unconstitutional, to the chagrin of some.

Unconstitutional or not, jailing a few Communist leaders did nothing to win the Cold War. The Communist parties in France and Italy were much larger, and these two nations allowed the leaders of these parties to function freely and allowed Party members to function without persecutions such as loss of employment.

Tolerance regarding ideas that one despises is not always easy. It exists in politically mature democracies -- and the United States is one of the world's politically mature democracies. But some anti-Communists in the United States were ruled by their passion.

The most passionate and intolerant sent death threats -- the most primitive of responses -- and not what is supposed to be the American way.

What won the Cold War was an urge to freedom, not suppression.