--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just as Chairman Mao and Joseph Stalin…" description: "\"Just as Chairman Mao and Joseph Stalin started by going after the intellectuals, against those whose words who might form an opposition to them, so Tru..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e33/andrew-solomon-1140_free_just-as-chairman-mao-and-joseph-stalin-s_468153.jpg" --- # Just as Chairman Mao and Joseph Stalin started by going… ![“Just as Chairman Mao and Joseph Stalin started by going after the intellectuals, against those whose words who might form an opposition to them, so Trump has gone across us. Free speech is first among equals when we look at what is being violated by this new regime.” quote by Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e33/andrew-solomon-1140_free_just-as-chairman-mao-and-joseph-stalin-s_468153.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e33/andrew-solomon-1140_free_just-as-chairman-mao-and-joseph-stalin-s_468153.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e33/andrew-solomon-1140_free_just-as-chairman-mao-and-joseph-stalin-s_468153.jpg) > “Just as Chairman Mao and Joseph Stalin started by going after the intellectuals, against those whose words who might form an opposition to them, so Trump has gone across us. Free speech is first among equals when we look at what is being violated by this new regime.” [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote draws a parallel between historical authoritarian suppression of intellectuals and modern attacks on free speech, warning of a new regime that undermines equality of expression. **In simple terms:** It warns that modern leaders are silencing dissent like past dictators. Key Takeaway Guard free speech and challenge censorship. Themes politics authoritarianism free speech history media Mood concerned critical Type political analytical When to use this quote - journalism - academic debate - online platforms - activism Key Concepts censorship power dynamics propaganda Questions to Reflect On - How does free speech differ under democracy vs authoritarianism? - What safeguards protect dissent today? A Different Perspective Historical analogies may oversimplify complex modern contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Free speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-speech/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [ The more success \[Donald\] Trump has, the greater the energy poured into opposing him is gonna be. If you are thinking that at some… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-more-success-donald-trump-has-the-greater-the-energy-poured-into/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“All this had already given us an inkling of what the new regime was about. There was still some hope, however. 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