Heading into the November presidential election, one of the biggest issues on voters' minds is the economy. According to a new poll, 73% of Americans say strengthening it is their top concern.
An 84-year-old incumbent party-line centrist was running against Hitler, and the left party at the time spent all its time attacking the centrists (they called the establishment left party “the main enemy”), and ran their own third-party candidate in the election, siphoning votes away from the center.
A few years later, Hitler had managed to seize power and most of the leftists were in the camps or dead. They were the first of his targets, even before he started working for real against the Jews.
I’m being a little bit selective about it to emphasize the similarity with today, and glossing over some important differences in the situations. But also, the situations are eerily similar, at the core.
Well, the ramp up to the “Machtergreifung” was, but the actual ascend to power was 1933. Again, just like in the US: Vote in November 2024, inauguration Januar 2025.
But also, the situations are eerily similar, at the core.
Which makes me shiver. I know that most Americans learn only a very limited subset of history in school, and they get even that wrong (How many people in the US still call the civil war the “War of Northern Aggression”?). If I were a history teacher in the US, I would see to add a thorough lecture about first half of 20th century Germany at the next avalable chance. And tell them why American soldiers gave their lives to fight it.
And maybe they should add “The Wave” by Morton Rhue to the literature curriculum, if they have not done that already.
It was 1 year earlier; 1932
An 84-year-old incumbent party-line centrist was running against Hitler, and the left party at the time spent all its time attacking the centrists (they called the establishment left party “the main enemy”), and ran their own third-party candidate in the election, siphoning votes away from the center.
A few years later, Hitler had managed to seize power and most of the leftists were in the camps or dead. They were the first of his targets, even before he started working for real against the Jews.
I’m being a little bit selective about it to emphasize the similarity with today, and glossing over some important differences in the situations. But also, the situations are eerily similar, at the core.
Well, the ramp up to the “Machtergreifung” was, but the actual ascend to power was 1933. Again, just like in the US: Vote in November 2024, inauguration Januar 2025.
Which makes me shiver. I know that most Americans learn only a very limited subset of history in school, and they get even that wrong (How many people in the US still call the civil war the “War of Northern Aggression”?). If I were a history teacher in the US, I would see to add a thorough lecture about first half of 20th century Germany at the next avalable chance. And tell them why American soldiers gave their lives to fight it.
And maybe they should add “The Wave” by Morton Rhue to the literature curriculum, if they have not done that already.