Last night my wife and I watched a PBS program hosted by travel writer Rick Steves that tracked the history of Fascism in early 20th century Europe. As we watched the rise of Mussolini in Italy, Hitler in Germany and Franco in Spain, my wife and I looked at each other with alarm. The pattern we have been watching the last three years, and especially, the last few months, in our own country under our own duly elected President is strikingly similar to what we know took place in Europe in the 1930’s. And the ultimate cost in lives lost was horrific! Almost unimaginable.
Please, do not write me off as a never Trumper, or as a closet liberal. I am a conservative in many ways, and a patriot who has served my country for three decades, in and out of military uniform. I cringe when liberals take things too far, just as I cringe when those on the political right engage in hyperbole and pander to their base. My comfort zone is in the middle. My heart beats strong for those who are on the lowest rung of the social and economic ladder, but I do not believe our government should be in the business of rewarding able bodied citizens who won’t take available jobs, or young teenaged girls who have babies and shift the costs to taxpayers, or keeping multiple generations of families on public welfare, wherever they live, whatever their race, however they vote.
But let’s cast our political preferences aside for a few minutes and examine some of the remarkable parallels between the rise of Fascism in 20th century Europe and what we see today, not just in our United States, but also bubbling up in parts of Europe.
First, one sees a general and growing popular dissatisfaction with national governmental institutions, either that they are incapable of solving major problems or that they are corrupt and the “system” is itself corrupt...almost too far gone to fix through traditional and systemic means. Many people, especially those who feel left out of the economic and social “progress,” and those who look upon so-called elites with distain, want a strong leader who is not a politician or concerned with political correctness...someone who will do whatever is needed to fix long-standing injustices.
Next, the political system entrusts executive leadership to a man totally untested as a political leader and statesman, someone with high energy, charismatic personality, an almost cult like following among a growing minority of citizens, and a total irreverence for existing political institutions (except when they serve his purposes). Established politicians at first openly speak out against the very idea of such an incompetent and untested person becoming the leader of the country, but gradually they see their own political fortunes being tied to his. They complain in private but offer all required support in public.
The leader slowly gathers in groups that have fretted about prior government policies and actions across a broad spectrum of national sectors, and convinces them that he will make their political agendas a reality in exchange for their loyalty and unquestioning support. These include religious leaders, captains of industry, banking executives, the armed forces, law enforcement organizations, and all who have a common understanding that the country faces an existential crisis...with gradual erosion of the values that once made the country “great.” In Italy, it was the Roman legions who conquered large sections of the ancient world. In Germany, it was Otto von Bismarck and the Second Reich. Honestly, I’m not sure what it was in Spain, but they fought a deadly civil war before Franco was able to supplant the royalists and the “establishment.”
The strong leader repeatedly lies to his people about things both minor and major, to the point that truth becomes elusive to his growing mass of highly energized and well armed followers. Anyone questioning the leader about his obvious lies and misstatements is attacked verbally from the bully pulpit, and followers are incited against those who are unfairly attacking their leader. It gradually becomes clear that national leadership is a cult of personality. Attempts to bring the leader into disrepute by shining a light on his past history are defeated by any means necessary, including the full force of a politicized judicial system. Reporters who question the leader in unwelcome ways are insulted, marginalized and treated with disdain as unpatriotic, unfair and downright “nasty.”
The leader needs to distract many of his people by creating or facilitating various crises, and then identifying scapegoats that are falsely claimed to be the source of economic disparities. In Germany, it was not just the Jews but virtually all who did not conform to an idealized picture of a true German (including many intellectuals, Gypsies, homosexuals, ”modern” artists, and political opponents who dared to speak out against the leader.) Many of the same groups were targeted in both Italy and Spain. At first the threats of violence were subtle, but gradually they were more explicit, and very effectively loosened the forces of thugs and malcontents to begin terrorizing those in opposition. How about immigrants and asylum seekers, and undocumented aliens in our own country? They are an easy scapegoat, an easy target for the hatred of a nation of immigrants who preceded them.
The other day, President Trump used his Twitter account to urge his followers to gather in mass protests against the public health policies of several state governors. No problem with that right? But look closely at his language. He urges his followers to “liberate” those states, and do so to protect the free exercise of their Second Amendment rights. What, you may ask, does the Second Amendment have to do with protesting public health policies? The answer is nothing, nada. These words were carefully chosen, to send a not so subtle message that his followers should bring deadly weapons to their protests. Incitement to violence by a president should never be tolerated, but those in Congress and the executive branch who have chosen to tie their futures to the leader’s future have been strangely silent.
President Trump has hinted on several occasions that he would like to serve more than just the two terms allowed by the Constitution, and regularly heaps praise upon dictators like Putin. I get it. Dictatorship is a much more efficient form of government than a democratic republic. Were I the dictator, I would rapidly issue a series of decrees fixing many problems. It seems like a panacea.
And now we have a pandemic that threatens our leader’s getting even a second term. How can he fix this? Well, if it were me, I would so badly mismanage the response to the pandemic that it would not be possible to conduct elections this Fall. There would be an extreme national emergency that would see rioting in the streets, a total overwhelming of law enforcement, the declaration of martial law, and partial suspension of civil liberties.
I fully understand the many frustrations of my fellow conservatives. When our country was founded, the right to vote was limited to white males who owned land. Think about that for a second. One of the major goals of the founders was to preserve their wealth in a stable society where personal freedoms could be exercised without threats from the British King or any other foreign leader. And now, any adult citizen who is not in prison or under state disability as a prior felon can vote. There is no education requirement, no requirement that one pay taxes or work, and an irreversible demographic that says the white descendants of Western European settlers are soon to be the minority in this country. We are at or near the tipping point where those paying nothing into the tax system can elect leaders who will enact laws that transfer to their pockets the wealth of those who are working hard and enjoying financial success. Plato and others have said that marks the end of any democracy.
Clearly, changes are needed. But unfortunately, our Constitutional requirements for amendments are just too hard to meet in today’s Balkanized America. I am a follower of Jesus who truly believes God has not been taken by surprise here. He is not asleep or unconcerned. He moved in mighty ways to bring about the creation of our United States, and He will not abandon us, if we will turn to Him, repent of our ungodly ways, and ask Him to heal our land. That is my prayer. I don’t want my children and grandchildren to live in anything approximating a Fascist dictatorship. But, in my view, if we do not wake up and make changes soon, my generation will be the last to enjoy our precious freedoms.
Comentários