Since 1948 marked an election year, it also marked a more pronounced Cold War existing between the West and the Soviet Union to the East. And with the Cold War and the constant threat of some confrontation sooner rather than later, the questions arose about what Democracy was and why was it so fragile?
Hangarian-born author Arthur Koestler remarked on his recent arrival in the United States in 1948 that the struggle between democracy and communism “is not a fight of white against black.” Communist totalitarianism, he said, is black. “On the other hand, American democracy is far from perfect. It is gray rather than white.” Most Americans will admit that American democracy has its faults -that it is 2 gray democracy. But too few are concerned with actively washing away at those faults to make democracy whiter. Faults in general are admitted. In general there is some enthusiasm for correcting them. It is when we get down to cases and find that correction may mean altering the behavior of specific individuals, it is then that enthusiasm wanes. Mr.Koestler went on to say: “But for us Europeans, from Prague to Rome, your democracy, however gray, means the whole hope of survival and salvation.” He might have added that our appeal would be greater and the hope of survival and salvation brighter if we were less gray.
As part of the continuing radio series Reviewing Stand from July 4, 1948 – the question is posed to the panel “Just What IS Democracy?” – concentrating on the issue of Democracy pertaining to the U.S. rather than the world. On hand to debate that question was Malcolm Dole, Professor of Chemistry – Neville J. Herskovitz, author of “The Myth Of The Negro Past” as well as chairman of the Department of Anthropology and Dean Olsen, dean of the Medill School of Journalism, all part of Northwestern University.
Another time of uncertainty in the life of America.
