Another controversy has arisen over whether former President Donald Trump privately praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. at new york times interview In a statement released Tuesday, former White House chief of staff John Kelly claimed that Trump had said “Hitler did a good thing.” On the same day, Atlantic Ocean reported Citing anonymous sources, President Trump reportedly said, “I need a general like Hitler.” The Trump campaign denied both reports. These claims are wake up beforefit liberal argument Trump has the potential to become a dangerous dictator.
Regardless of whether a particular report is true or not, discussions often miss important historical facts. A large part of the Nazi political program was revenge for losses in past wars. Germany and its allies not only turned their guns on their own people, but also focused on military glory through conquest. Anyone interested in the dangers of fascism today must understand the role militarism played then.
Hitler was unable to seize control because he was so good at inciting the mob. The Nazi movement took root in soil polluted by the economic collapse and political chaos resulting from defeat in World War I. Most people know that Hitler overthrew the weak and chaotic Weimar Republic, but many do not know how that chaos was directly related to the war.
World War I in Germany ended in revolution and counter-revolution in 1918. After it became clear that the war was hopeless, the country suffered. sailors’ mutiny Not wanting to fight anymore, it turned into a nationwide uprising and forced the German emperor to abdicate. As the new German Republic attempted to negotiate peace terms, the far left and far right took up arms to fight for the country’s future.
“For all warnings aboutWeimar America”, “The violence between the extreme left and the extreme right that the United States has faced in recent years has been completely different from what Germany witnessed at the time. The communists attempted to take over the capital by pointing guns at Berlin, but were defeated by the right wing. Freikorps militia executed Communist leader Rosa Luxemburg in broad daylight. The sight of German soldiers killing German soldiers while the enemy was at the gates sparked years of grief.
That experience became an opportunity. DolkstoslegendeThe infamous “back stabbing myth”. german army brass testified After the war, they could have won if they had not been betrayed by the political class. The myth is especially anti-Semitism Conspiracy theory. The decisive moment was the assassination of the Foreign Minister. Walter Rathenau—He was Jewish—after signing a contract with the Soviet Union in 1922. Nationalists believed that Rathenau, who wanted Soviet support to rebuild the German army, was actually trying to sell the country back.
Hitler, who was wounded and became a police informant, witnessed the incident. trying to infiltrate A small nationalist party that would later be called the Nazis. He quickly became their leader after realizing that he actually agreed with their racist plot.
Even the Nazi ideology of genocide was difficult to separate from the experience of war. Hitler had a particular obsession with securing Germany’s food supply. assert Columbia University historian Adam Tooze Wages of Destruction: The Making and Destruction of the Nazi Economy. As Germany depended on imports and the Allies starved the country during World War I, the Nazi regime became obsessed with expanding German borders and eliminating Germany. Inside them are the so-called “useless eaters”.
Hitler’s partner in crime, Italian ruler Benito Mussolini, was similarly bitter about World War I. Although Italy was on the winning side of the Allies, Italian nationalists failed to accept all of their demands at the end of the war. Victoria Mutillata“a marred victory.” They felt that the sacrifices of Italian soldiers were in vain as Italy did not take all the land it wanted. Mussolini began his political career as a politician. Journalist supporting warHe came to power leading a veterans’ movement that promised to get the job done.
Fascism is not just about someone wanting to be a dictator. Conditions must be met for them to take power. Hitler and Mussolini emerged in a society that had gone to war, shocked by the results, and eager to try again. Of course, not all societies at war turn fascist. But in every society that turns fascist, the militaristic element is very strong. Above all, war is a factor that increases the risk of dictatorship.
Just like fighting “small war“Europeans were created in the colonies. overconfident Entering World War I, with the “forever wars” against militias and failed states in the Middle East, Americans were unprepared for what peer-to-peer conflict would look like and convinced that victory was just a matter of trouble. I want it so badly. As long as the public acts righteously. shocked With 13 Americans killed during the withdrawal from Afghanistan, military planners prediction In the first three weeks of a possible war with China, 3,200 Americans died.
Dr. Jeremy Freeman, who has worked on wartime medical planning for the U.S. government, recently had an interview About the dark scenario America is seeing. We are aiming to prepare 1,000. daily Casualties (both wounded and dead) occurred during the fighting, along with possible attacks on American soil. Coupled with public suffering, this will be a frightening, sudden intrusion of foreign policy into everyday American life.
Freeman hints that, among other “creative” options, private ambulances could be enlisted to help transport injured Americans to their home country. He speculates that a shortage of doctors could lead to lower-level medical staff taking on procedures “that wouldn’t otherwise be licensed.” In an effort to keep information about American casualties out of enemy hands, basic information about the number and type of patients in civilian hospitals may be kept confidential.
even tense online jokes As for being drafted into World War III, don’t even imagine what a prolonged war of attrition would look like. Everyone loves to laugh at the Gen Z sensation. Cities in China and Russia In the final battle. It’s less ludicrous to imagine American citizens fighting for them. bomb shelter spaceBeing kidnapped off the street media gangYou will lose access to: basic supplies and serviceand anxious prisoner of war In the hands of the enemy.
No one knows what impact that level of chaos and trauma will have on American politics. Again, there is no one-to-one relationship between war and dictatorship, but military conflict creates the conditions that make dictatorship possible. Those who worry about the reemergence of fascism should take war and how to prevent it seriously.
