Enough with comparing the two. Where does it get us? And c'mon, there's a fairness issue that rears up and overwhelms the discussion. After all, one man:
> inspired a rebellion against the government out in the streets that led to several deaths (not, of course, his own, though his followers never called him a coward)
> was considered a harmless loon by the ruling class until he gained power, after which his movement of racial supremacy was shown in its true colors
> through unprecedented use of mass media, inflamed his countrymen's hatred against a marginalized, defenseless group
> preached a doctrine of pure, national blood
> caused countless deaths through his madness
The other was Reich Chancellor of Nazi Germany for a dozen years.
Cute.
IAE, I’ve continued my reading of the establishment of the Nazi regime. It’s truly frightening how quickly he was able to establish his position and to turn to suppression. Certainly, I don’t expect history to simplistically repeat itself, but I do believe that given the chance he would love to establish a similar regime. He would love to suppress all dissent and have everyone be required to effectively worship him as Hitler required adulation.
An interesting point about Nazi suppression of dissent is that the Gestapo were overwhelmed with numerous allegations of “malicious gossip,” everything from jokes about the regime to claims that the Nazis were suppressing the people’s freedom. But the reports were insane. People complained to the gestapo about their boss who didn’t promote them, businessmen complained about competitors, students about teachers who didn’t give them a high enough grade. The Gestapo investigated all of these. Most were quickly dismissed but many did result in imprisonment, especially for lower classes.
It was the unpredictability of denunciations that impacted social life. You could never trust anyone. The Gestapo could be anywhere but in reality in the 30’s was not that large. The regime actively destroyed social life in Germany in just a few years. Everyone had to be on guard about what you said or whom you offended. Quoted one in his diary, “Everyone fears the next person maybe an informer.”
Hitler also held elections and plebiscites. They were shams of course. You could only vote yes or no and the ballot was not secret. 99% of Austrians supported the Anschluss. To not vote or vote no was a sure fire way to get a visit from the Gestapo. Block wardens ensured that people displayed the proper enthusiasm for the regime.
The question is whether the American people will allow this to happen to them. People give lip service to freedom, what they want is order. Trump promises order, but calls it freedom. I strongly believe that we must openly dissent as much as possible. What I fear is some real or contrived emergency that Trump uses to establish his version of autocracy. I mean how dare you criticize Trump in this time of crisis? We must unite. Bullshit of course. Only through continued dissent, protest and resistance can we ensure he cannot establish an effectively autocratic government. He cannot put 50 million people in jail. But Hitler didn’t have to either. He just had to make examples of people to shut the rest up. Regardless of the consequences, we must dissent.
Not sure how I will exactly do so, but I will find a way, especially as an attorney in a deep red state.
