I'd say "Do what you want" because that's what I do. If your campaign includes certain elements, because you feel they are conveying the imagery of the world you want your compaign to be in, include them. Be sure to mention them to the players beforehand to make sure they won't be miserable because you want to play a very realistic game set in 1950's America and they want to shoot lasers with their eyes (and, as with the Black Samurai, there will always be one player to find an example of a guy who actually shot lasers with his eyes in 1950's America just to prove it's totally OK). But in that case "wanting to shoot lasers with their eyes" is the same as "wanting to play a hardcore communist". So, unless they are ready to attract McCarthy's attention, they must understand that every character concept isn't fitting and the background events could include, well, McCarthyism. There is nothing wrong with wanting some elements as theme in your campaign, even controversial ones, and if your vision of the 1950's American YOU want to GM doesn't include 100% of the population openly denouncing McCarthy and putting political freedom first, you should do that. If it is really a terrible idea, the worst that can happen is that you'll find no player. But it's not "worse" than fiding no player to play Fate when everyone around you prefers D&D. If some are really wanting to play in a historic setting WITHOUT a specific elements, assess if you can have it glossed over in the background. If your players have really a hard time enjoying a game where the common folk isn't allowed to own a dove house, you MIGHT be able to run a whole campaign without ever encountering a dove house. If they can't stand social inequalities enforced by discriminatory laws, removing nobles and clergy from your campaign set at Louis XIV's court will be more difficult than removing dove houses. Sure, social inequalities are problematic, yet many people accept them within the context of the game and don't try to make any campaign about removing nobles from power and turning churches' riches into national assets. As long as your players are informed about the content and theme you'll have in your game, there is no problem.
My players know that my Eberron is bleaker than another DM's from my group's Eberron. They are called sinister Eberron and rosy Eberron. They love both. Sure, there is a much bigger chance to encounter dirt-poor, Dickensish orphans in my game than in rosy Eberron where apparently, 100% of the population is adult and well-fed. I am pretty sure noone around the table actually supports continent-decimating wars, yet they all feel at ease playing with both worlds, having different focusses. Historical games are certainly more prone to include elements that will bother SOME people but they are not necessarily the one that will play in the game, and the players are the only one that actually matter.
Since you asked how I'd do it, if I wanted to run an historical-based campaign, it would include the historical elements. If the player visit Germany in 1938, there will be Nazis. Even if Nazis are problematic, replacing the German government with a wise entity concerned with human rights wouldn't be something I'd like to play in as part of a "historical campaign". So I'd keep the Nazis. If all players objected to encountering Nazis in Germany, I'd drop the campaign idea.
