Essays on the Persecution of Religious Minorities.

Abstract

The four papers in this dissertation explore the puzzle of why normally tolerant states sometimes persecute unpopular religious minorities. Under what circumstances do states, especially liberal democratic states, abandon norms of tolerance and persecute some religious minorities while continuing to protect others? I examine four notable instances in which tolerance has broken down: the militarized persecution of the Joseph Smith-led Mormons in the 1830s and 1840s, Congress’s assault on Mormon political rights in the 1880s, mob violence against American Jehovah’s Witnesses during the Second World War, and the repression of Jehovah’s Witnesses and other proselytizing Protestant groups in contemporary Europe. The occurrence of persecution depends not simply on the unpopularity of the group but on the political incentives for would-be persecutors and their abilities to persuade other actors that repressive action would strengthen rather than violate political order. Governments and civic associations can and do engage in persecution of religious minorities believing that because of the unique threats particular groups pose, persecuting them does not endanger religious freedom or civil liberties more generally.