What’s most telling about this election is that there were so many similarities to the Hitler’s election. The media focused on what was historic about this election and similarities to our previous elections instead of the nationalist tone and intimidation tactics that were far more similar to Hitler Germany in 1930s than to any US previous election.
- Takeover proceeded based on nationalism and racist superiority, of the idea of an America for white people.
- Used intimidation of the press but also used the media to spread his message.
- Popular rallies where he used simple, repetitive language where public made their own meaning.
- Used simple statements like “Build the Wall”, “Make America Great Again, “Killary” as did Hitler- “Deuchland Uber Alles.”
- Managed to be anti-establishment but at the same time courted very wealthy patrons including Jewish magnates such as Adelson. Hitler also had some Jewish support in spite of his clear anti-semitism.
- Used marginalized powerful outsiders to help elect him. Some of whom were openly racist like Stephen Bannon his campaign manager, the CEO of alt-Right publication Breitbart.
- Intimidated voters by calling elections rigged and getting his supporters to intimidate voters.
- Purged voters from voting, especially black minority voters.
- Intimidated hispanic voters by calling into question their citizenship and by stating that voting would be monitored.
- Used the poor white middle class by taping into their rage over a changing technological world where they felt that they were left out of the new economy by promising to give them a bigger piece of the pie based on their birthright instead of participation in that economy.
Other ways he modeled the take over on Hitler.
11) Hitler had brownshirt intimidator squads, Trump had Red Shirts.
12) Hitler and Trump told big lies with impunity in spite of the fact that anyone could check them, knowing full well that their supporters wouldn’t.
13) Trump went after the president with the birther claim and tried to discredit him. Similarly, Hitler tried to overthrow the Kaizer of Germany. Trump didn’t do it violently but he did for years undermined the birth and presidency of President Obama.
Other general similarities of US to 1930’s Germany:
- US participation in a war that it pretty much lost based on false premise.
- War and poor economic practices caused a collapse of the economy creating large debt that lead to massive unemployment, loss of wealth and to a widening rich and poor.
- Increasing Nationalistic and anti-Immigrant sentiment around the world.
- Changing demographics, general insecurity.
Our news organizations failed us only partially. All Republican supporters of Trump who should have been more responsible failed us far more. But then again, they sent us to Iraq War, too. Perhaps the myopic view of focusing on our past elections instead of the 1932 election in Germany is what allowed this to happen. Or maybe there was nothing that could be done. Who knows, we can’t change the past, we can only go forward from now on with a much more watchful eye on the past.