In our second chapter summary of our reading group of "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", we see Hitler emerge as a power-hungry political genius in Munich.
Contrasting the political instability of the Weimar Republic in the early 1920s with the situation in the U.S. today, you write:
"Although we often speak of the instability created by hyperpartisanship, the loss of trust in our institutions, and even the erosion of some longstanding norms, we still have a very stable political system. Except for a few fringe groups, everyone basically accepts our current constitutional system. "
Almost all political opponents of Hitler and the National Socialists in 1920s Germany held tight to this same mistaken view until it was too late. Today, it's considered hyperbolic or worse (i.e., Trump derangement syndrome) to see parallels between Hitler/National Socialists and Trump/MAGA, but after the Jan. 6 insurrection, the recent blanket pardon of J6 rioters, the installation of a Christian Nationalist culture warrior as Pentagon chief (hope someone is keeping a close eye on the flows of surplus military materiel), the moves by Trump and his team to install loyalists at Homeland Security, DoJ, and the FBI, to strengthen the powers of the unitary executive, and to legislate by executive order, persistent challenges by the current administration to the constitutionality of the Impoundement Act, etc., we should all be careful not to make the same mistake. IOW, we should not take for granted the stability our current constitutional system given the determined efforts of Trump and the people around him to upend it.
I appreciate this push back. And I will say that just in the past week I am questioning my own view more and more. The pardons for Jan 6 rioters (especially the violent ones), the purges, and DOGE maneuverings in the federal bureaucracy all strongly support your point here. To say nothing of GOP congressional passivity and toothless Dem opposition.
Maybe our system isn’t as stable as it seems?
I think there are increasingly parallels between Hitler and Trump—certainly more than the first term. Maybe I will write about this later on.
But there are important differences. Whatever Iraq and Afghanistan did to us, it is nothing compared with WWI. The Proud Boys and all the other far right militia groups combined are a small fraction of our Army, while the S.A. dwarfed the German Army during the Weimar era. And our current political and economic instability is a hiccup compared with the rollercoaster of hyperinflation and revolving door of Weimar cabinets and political assassinations. Also our Constitutional system has been around for almost a quarter millennium now, not 14 years.
I like the way you conclude your comment. You don’t overstate the case. We should be hyper vigilant.
But get back to me in four years. I am open to the possibility that I am wrong. I am certainly worried right now. But when looking at the similarities, I feel strongly we should also bear in mind the differences.
I'm late getting back to this, but I just wanted to say I agree there are important differences between 1920s Germany and 2020s America, among them: Germany, unlike the U.S., had no experience of democracy, and authoritarianism was a given in German politics in a way it never has been in the U.S.; militarism (and all the baggage that comes with it) was a cornerstone of Prussian/German society in a way it never has been in most of the U.S.; the traumatic impacts of the Great War on Germany have no parallel in contemporary America; pitched street battles between Spartacists, freikorps, and other political factions and German hyperinflation have no parallel in contemporary America; and Adolf Hitler himself, a uniquely malign and demonic force with no analog. That said, history does rhyme even if it doesn't repeat, so I will stay vigilant.
Contrasting the political instability of the Weimar Republic in the early 1920s with the situation in the U.S. today, you write:
"Although we often speak of the instability created by hyperpartisanship, the loss of trust in our institutions, and even the erosion of some longstanding norms, we still have a very stable political system. Except for a few fringe groups, everyone basically accepts our current constitutional system. "
Almost all political opponents of Hitler and the National Socialists in 1920s Germany held tight to this same mistaken view until it was too late. Today, it's considered hyperbolic or worse (i.e., Trump derangement syndrome) to see parallels between Hitler/National Socialists and Trump/MAGA, but after the Jan. 6 insurrection, the recent blanket pardon of J6 rioters, the installation of a Christian Nationalist culture warrior as Pentagon chief (hope someone is keeping a close eye on the flows of surplus military materiel), the moves by Trump and his team to install loyalists at Homeland Security, DoJ, and the FBI, to strengthen the powers of the unitary executive, and to legislate by executive order, persistent challenges by the current administration to the constitutionality of the Impoundement Act, etc., we should all be careful not to make the same mistake. IOW, we should not take for granted the stability our current constitutional system given the determined efforts of Trump and the people around him to upend it.
I appreciate this push back. And I will say that just in the past week I am questioning my own view more and more. The pardons for Jan 6 rioters (especially the violent ones), the purges, and DOGE maneuverings in the federal bureaucracy all strongly support your point here. To say nothing of GOP congressional passivity and toothless Dem opposition.
Maybe our system isn’t as stable as it seems?
I think there are increasingly parallels between Hitler and Trump—certainly more than the first term. Maybe I will write about this later on.
But there are important differences. Whatever Iraq and Afghanistan did to us, it is nothing compared with WWI. The Proud Boys and all the other far right militia groups combined are a small fraction of our Army, while the S.A. dwarfed the German Army during the Weimar era. And our current political and economic instability is a hiccup compared with the rollercoaster of hyperinflation and revolving door of Weimar cabinets and political assassinations. Also our Constitutional system has been around for almost a quarter millennium now, not 14 years.
I like the way you conclude your comment. You don’t overstate the case. We should be hyper vigilant.
But get back to me in four years. I am open to the possibility that I am wrong. I am certainly worried right now. But when looking at the similarities, I feel strongly we should also bear in mind the differences.
I'm late getting back to this, but I just wanted to say I agree there are important differences between 1920s Germany and 2020s America, among them: Germany, unlike the U.S., had no experience of democracy, and authoritarianism was a given in German politics in a way it never has been in the U.S.; militarism (and all the baggage that comes with it) was a cornerstone of Prussian/German society in a way it never has been in most of the U.S.; the traumatic impacts of the Great War on Germany have no parallel in contemporary America; pitched street battles between Spartacists, freikorps, and other political factions and German hyperinflation have no parallel in contemporary America; and Adolf Hitler himself, a uniquely malign and demonic force with no analog. That said, history does rhyme even if it doesn't repeat, so I will stay vigilant.