Thread by @PaulDoroshenko

As a history undergrad with a particular interest in German history, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the societal failings that facilitated the Nazis gaining total power. It was a live issue. How did this very sophisticated society allow this to happen?

In a 12-student seminar, @matthiaszimmer assigned readings from the Weimar Republic Sourcebook. I can’t remember what the intention was, but I ended up going much further into it to investigate this issue for my own satisfaction and so I would know the clues if it happened again.

The Sourcebook is interesting. It’s a collection of translated articles from various publications dealing with different social and political aspects of life in Germany in the interwar years.
You get a real sense of the issues then discussed in magazines and newspapers.

What struck me was how prescient so many political commentators had been. They laid it all out and predicted the general direction of things. Despite having rung the warning bell, Germany still went down the path it did.

Having viewed the general path of the USA and noted the very loud and public warning bells, I’m no longer at a loss about how this happened in Germany. It’s all quite clear.

I have no optimism now. I only see dark days ahead for the United States.

As a law student I was very lucky to be in a class with Frederick DeCoste and assisted him in organizing a conference in the law and the Holocaust. He wrangled some fantastic speakers including Raul Hilberg. I was well placed to assist because of my German history background.

Hilberg is one of my heroes.
Watching it all happen again, I wonder why we bother. Hilberg made an off the cuff comment to me saying it’s around the corner in America. He was telling me he was seeing the same future for the USA. He was telling me it’s inevitable.

In the last 3 years I have witnessed open antisemitism, overt racism, the demonization of the other, the condoning of violence and the labeling of opposition as traitors. Bullies are gaining ground, not just in the USA.
Peaceful, accepting attitudes are no longer the norm.

Right-wing parties are taking up the racist call. Harper used dog-whistle methods/politics. Now the 2 right wing groups are incorporating overt intolerance both federally and provincially.
The right is no protector of liberty and probably never was.
Now they threaten the peace.

I’m very thankful to professors who indulged me (and lucky):
Professor Ulrich Trumpener who lived through the Nazis. @matthiaszimmer who focused us, forced us to think it all out.
Frederick DeCoste was a defender of a world ruled by compassionate application of law.

I remember riding my bike to class after doing my readings and I couldn’t get Talking Heads Warning Sign out of my head.
@DBtodomundo provides insight most unexpectedly.