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Mirroring Trump's America to 1930s Germany

The Mirroring Of Trump’s America and Germany in the 1930s #158

Many find the Nazi era of Germany to be one of the most troubling historical events on this planet. The purposeful decimation and genocidal occupation to persecute Jews, homosexuals, Soviets (civilians and prisoners of war), Polish, the disabled, Roma (Gypsies), criminals, and Serb civilians by Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich was astonishing. Jews were the largest group targeted for genocide at 6 million. The total number is estimated to be 17 million dead in the Holocaust between January 20, 1933, when Hitler became Chancellor to Germany and May 8, 1945, the ending of World War II.

Adolf Hitler at a speech
Adolf Hitler speaking to his audience

Comparing Trump to Hitler

When you bring up the comparison of Donald Trump’s presidential policies and actions to developments that led to the Holocaust, some people become irate and defensive. The knee-jerk reaction from some is understandable. Some are Trump supporters who can’t fathom someone comparing the deaths of 17 million people to who they consider being a “stable genius”…as he refers to himself. But the comparison to the Holocaust or Hitler isn’t from the aftermath, it’s a relation to what led up to the deaths of so many Jews and others which is comparable to Trump’s actions.

Donald Trump waving to a crowd
Donald Trump speaking to his audience

Considering White men (and women) were the only ones in a position of greatness compared to others suggests a White supremacist coded phrase since no other racial group can relate to a time of success for their people. In Germany, Hitler had once used a phrase in a 1934 speech which stated: “Nationalism and Socialism had to be redefined and they had to be blended into one strong new idea to carry new strength which would make Germany great again.”

At that time, before Adolf Hitler’s rise, Germany had lost World War I and the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the war, blamed Germany for the brutal conflict. To cripple the country, the treaty, drafted in France and supported by the United States, Great Britain and others left Germany financially ruined. It lost all colonies, 13 percent of it’s territory and 10 percent of it’s population. On top of that, the military was cut and Germany had to sign the treaty and accept the war as it’s guilt and pay reparations.

children in the holocaust
Caged children in Nazi Germany

How did Hitler rise so fast?

Hitler’s rise was a rebuke to the treaty 20 years later as the National Socialist German Worker’s Party aka Nazi Party began a similar approach to Trump’s Make America Great Again campaign promises. Instead of blaming Jews as owners of banks which Nazis stereotyped for unemployment and the Great Depression, Trump blamed Latino immigrants for disrupting America’s job market and bringing crime to the border. Without a source of information, Trump’s description of Latinos (particularly Mexicans) bringing crime, and calling them “drug dealers” and “rapists” as well as their coming to through the Southern border as an “invasion” has been debunked repeatedly.

Trump supporters giving the nazi salute
Trump supporting Nazi giving a Seig Heil salute

The tactics Hitler used, so did Trump

Using fear of an “other” was a tactic Hitler used which eventually led to the Third Reich to gather who they referred to as enemies and put them in concentration camps. Some of these camps were Auschwitz, Belzec, Chelmno and Dachau where most of the prisoners were captured, held, tortured, and murdered. Those who allowed this to happen without fighting back gave excuses that sound a lot like the police or military force in the United States when an atrocity occurs: “I was just following orders“. Today, the border patrol, under Trump’s order through his Zero Tolerance policy, did exactly what the Nazi parties did. They separated families, established a rule of the land to the “enemy,” and his millions of supporters back his position.

Caged Latino migrants at the US Border
Caged children and families in Trump’s America 2019

It’s gotten bad enough to where hate crimes have increased and Trump supporters of various ages, races, and religions have banded to back his decisions. Although some believe Trump did not call Neo-Nazis “good people,” one would have to wonder which of the Nazis on that particular side during the Charlottesville Alt-Right march to protect a Confederate (slave-supporting) statue are the “good people” her referred to?

Fake News = Lügenpresse

Trump’s usage of “fake news” to undermine the press who criticizes him or accurately quotes him by way of his most popular platform, Twitter, is right out of the Nazi playbook used by Hitler. The difference is he called it “Lügenpresse (lying press).” Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong also used something similar to form their own propaganda and refer to media as false when criticized. This is something others have noticed as well when it comes to parallels between the rise of Adolf Hitler and Donald Trump.

Although Trump’s base is shrinking, he still has a large stronghold on many Americans who pretend the person they consider the “best president ever” doesn’t have similarities to one of the most infamous, psychotic, and dangerous masterminds in history. They pretend the caged families aren’t in concentration camps although the definition confirms these asylum seekers are in fact locked in them. They consider them “invaders” much like Jews and Roma were in Germany.

Make America Great for Whom?

Donald Trump rally
Supporters at a Trump rally

Many who wonder why the Third Reich did what they did consider themselves different while under the similar name of Alt-Right. They scream “Fake News” at CNN and others who simply report the news. Other nations have distanced themselves from the United States as Trump does the same during times of environmental unity. The world laughs at him and at the same time demeans him as they see what’s wrong with the leadership of the United States. Yet, so many of his followers wearing red hats instead of red bands protect him. To the point where even Trump claims he could kill someone and never lose their support.

So, what do you think? How is the similarity between the rise of Adolf Hitler and Donald Trump affect you? Are caged asylum seekers separated from their families and even dying while in custody just another excuse of border patrol to say “we’re just following orders?” If Trump began shooting them as Hitler did, is he right? Would he never lose a supporter? Let’s discuss further on this podcast!

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