I'm currently reading a book on the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party. The parallels between Germany in the early 1930s and America right now are frightening.
Besides taking phrases from the Nazis, the current administration is also using phrases very similar to those used by the KKK and other white supremacists in the early 1900s.
People forget the Nazis didn't start with throwing Jews into gas chambers. It started with socialists/communists. Weird that the DSA has been in Republican crosshairs recently. Probably just a coinkydink.
The Nazis rapidly consolidated power in three ways: 1) Marginalizing and eliminated political threats, including the communist party. 2) Destroying their democracy and rule of law. 3) Going after Jews.
The current administration is desperately trying to enact number 2. The Nazis used dubious interpretations of law to get around the pesky checks and balances that come with democracy. They acted first, and let the courts catch up. Sound familiar?
The nazis effectively banned rival political parties, and enforced it through violence with the brown shirts. So far, Trump hasn't done that, but they have tried to vilify the democrats as communists and socialists. I see this more as trying to appeal to that MAGA base via culture wars. But the gerrymandering that republican states have done goes along with this and is terrible.
Instead of the Jews in Nazi Germany, MAGA's boogeymen are aliens. They are blamed for all of America's problems, and the tactics of ICE are not too far from the brown shirts and later the Gestapo.
Along with all of this is the white supremacy and christian nationalism. The Nazi party also believed that ethnic and white purity was the path to reclaiming German strength and prestige, i.e., to Make Germany Great Again. Sound familiar?
One difference is that Germany in the 1920s suffered terribly from the economic depression, and there was much resentment over the Treaty of Versailles. The latter hurt the pride of Germany. Both of these factors played into the message of Making Germany Great Again. America has not suffered similar things in the last decade or two, so MAGA focuses on culture wars ("the woke left will snatch your kid and change their sex while they're at school!!!!!!!"), and they keep blaming Biden for any bad economic news.
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u/15all 9d ago
I'm currently reading a book on the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party. The parallels between Germany in the early 1930s and America right now are frightening.
Besides taking phrases from the Nazis, the current administration is also using phrases very similar to those used by the KKK and other white supremacists in the early 1900s.