-Caveat Lector-
Begin forwarded message:
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: March 18, 2007 6:48:29 PM PDT
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: It's Not Just Hyperpole Anymore -- Bush = Hitler and
America = Nazi Germany
A Few Thin Threads:
Crossing the Godwin Divide
by occams hatchet
Sun Jun 04, 2006 at 10:56:02 AM PDT
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/4/13562/78364
Yesterday, I posited that the Supreme Court's recent 5-4 decision
to strip public employees of their First Amendment rights was an
event which carried us over what I termed the Godwin Divide, or
that point at which an analogy drawn to Hitler or the Nazis is no
longer simply gratuitous or fatuous, but instead reasoned and
appropriate.
That Supreme Court decision has left constitutional democracy in
this country hanging by a few very thin threads, and it is up to us
to gather and preserve those threads so that we can weave back
together the fabric of our democracy.
In order to convey the peril facing the rule of law in this
country, I believe it is instructive to examine the series of
events that took Germany from a democracy to a dictatorship in a
few short months in the 1930s, and led to horrific consequences for
not only German citizens, but for the entire world.
Our current president likes to tell us that democracy is
incremental, that it can't be expected to develop all at once.
History tells us that dictatorship often is incremental as well -
and the best-known dictatorship in history is a case study in
incrementalism. It is just this incrementalism that allows well-
intentioned and otherwise rational people to think, "It can't
happen here."
Well, it couldn't happen in Germany in the 1930s, either. At least
that's what most Germans believed. In a comment in yesterday's
diary thread, MissInformation provided a link to Thom Hartmann
reading an excerpt from Milton Mayer's book, They Thought They Were
Free : The Germans, 1933-45. Mayer, who witnessed firsthand the
rise and fall of the Third Reich from the point of view of an
average German, explains how - like the frog in the pot of slowly
heating water - the German people allowed themselves to believe
that, once things became truly intolerable, their countrymen would
join them in rising up as one, and put a stop to the destruction of
their democracy:
Each step was so small, so inconsequential, so well explained or on
occasion regretted, that unless one were detached from the whole
process from the beginning, unless one understood what the whole
thing was in principle, what all these little measures - that no
patriotic German could resent - must someday lead to, one no more
saw it developing from day to day than a farmer in his field sees
the corn growing - yet one day it is over his head . . . Each act,
each occasion is worse than the last, but only a little worse. You
wait for the next, and the next. You wait for the one, great,
shocking occasion, thinking that others, when such a shock comes,
will join you in resisting somehow.
.
.
In Part I of this diary, we looked at Hitler's ascent to power
through his shrewd and cyncial use of the political process in the
young German democracy. Today, we'll examine one of the major
underpinnings of the German mindset at the time - literally, of the
Zeitgeist - and how it led to, not only the rise of the Nazis and
Adolf Hitler, but as well to an initially seemingly brilliant but
ultimately disastrous military campaign that would cost millions of
lives and leave much of Europe in ruins. Let's pick up where we
left off yesterday. (And remember, wherever you see the word,
"Hitler," replace it with "Bush"; wherever the word "Nazi" appears,
replace it with "Republican"; and so on - you get the idea.)
The history of the 20th Century would have been very different if,
once having attained the position of Chancellor of Germany, Adolf
Hitler had been content to focus within his own borders to solve
his country's crushing economic woes. But a larger vision drew him,
one that had its roots deep in the past, not only of Germany, but
of many other nations. In violation of the Treaty of Versailles
that ended World War I, Hitler began to modernize and expand his
military, with his eye on conquest of new territories.
Lebensraum (literally, "living space") was the doctrine that held
that the Germanic/Aryan peoples needed land to accommodate their
growing population. The concept predated the Nazis, but the Nazis
adopted it with a vengeance, and built much of their war strategy
upon it. In fact, before they ever even invaded Poland, the Germans
had drawn up maps, dividing all of Eastern Europe into four
Reichskommisariats, or jurisdictions under what was called
Generalplan Ost (East). Never mind that all four of the
Kommisariats already were inhabited - the Nazis planned to
"depopulate" them using rail cars and concentration camps.
Hitler was hell-bent on obtaining Lebensraum for his Aryan nation.
He succeeded in annexing Austria and the Czech Sudetenland in 1938
and 1939 without firing a shot, but further expansion would almost
certainly require military action - and he had been preparing his
military for just that. But it wasn't just weapons and soldiers
that Hitler was creating for his expansionist schemes - he was
retooling the general staff, to eliminate dissent.
(Once again, we draw on the accounts of Hitler's rise and reign
taken from The History Place; unless otherwise noted, all passages
in blockquote boxes are taken from The History Place; all emphases
added.)
.
Both during and after the Hossbach conference, in which Hitler
first revealed his war plans, [Hitler's generals] expressed great
fear that the quest for Lebensraum would plunge Germany into a new
European war with catastrophic consequences.
But Hitler didn't care about consequences. He was only interested
in results. And any attempts to get him to change his mind were a
complete waste of time. The generals didn't realize they were
dealing with a man who never changed his mind once he made a firm
decision and would do anything to achieve a desired goal.
For Hitler, the moment had arrived to clean house, to replace the
crusty old generals with younger men eager to serve their Führer
and follow orders, regardless of the consequences . . .
On February 4, 1938, he convened a meeting of his Cabinet and had
them promulgate a decree stating: "From now on I take over
personally the command of the whole armed forces."
General Wilhelm Keitel, Chief of OKWHe, abolished the entire War
Ministry, replacing it with the new High Command of the Armed
Forces (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht or OKW) headed by himself with
complete control of the Army, Navy and Air Force. The nominal post
of OKW chief of staff was assigned to General Keitel [snip]
To the German people, Hitler announced that [Werner von] Blomberg
[Commander in Chief of the German Armed Forces] and [General Werner
von] Fritsch [Commander in Chief of the Army] had both resigned
"for reasons of health." Along with their dismissals, Hitler sacked
sixteen senior generals. . . Forty-four others were reassigned
[snip]
The German armed forces were now in the hands of an amateur, a self-
taught strategist whose actual battlefield experience involved
serving as a dispatch runner during World War I. Although he had
received the Iron Cross 1st Class for bravery, Hitler failed to
received a promotion because he appeared to lack leadership
potential. Military officers, with their innate understanding of
men's character, didn't trust the Austrian corporal enough to make
him a sergeant. Now, so many years later, they still didn't trust
him, but they didn't have the nerve to oppose him.
Hitler likewise never trusted his generals, preferring to rely on
his own gut instincts while surrounding himself with weak-willed
yes-men such as Keitel. . . [O]nce he made up his mind, the
decision became the unshakable will of the Führer, no matter how
disastrous it proved to be, a fatal stubbornness that would send
hundreds of thousands of German soldiers to their early graves.
It wasn't just the then-current generals who believed "the Austrian
corporal" was unsuited to lead Germany. Others who once had been
close to Hitler saw through him, and perceived the Nazis' ultimate
fate.
[When he was introduced to Hitler in 1931, German President Paul
von] Hindenburg was not impressed and later said Hitler might be
suited for Postmaster, but never for a high position such as the
Chancellorship of Germany.
An old comrade of Hitler's sent a telegram [in March 1932] to
President Hindenburg regarding his new chancellor. Former General
Erich Ludendorff had once supported Hitler and had even
participated in the failed Beer Hall Putsch in 1923.
"By appointing Hitler Chancellor of the Reich you have handed over
our sacred German Fatherland to one of the greatest demagogues of
all time. I prophesy to you this evil man will plunge our Reich
into the abyss and will inflict immeasurable woe on our nation.
Future generations will curse you in your grave for this action." -
the telegram to Hindenburg from Ludendorff stated.
Gregor Strasser was one of the founders of the Nazi party, who
resigned from the party in December 1932, just before Hitler became
Chancellor. He wrote to a longtime friend,
Dr. Martin, I am a man marked by death. We shall not be able to go
on seeing each other for long and in your own interests I suggest
you do not come here any more. Whatever happens, mark what I say:
From now on Germany is in the hands of an Austrian who is a
congenital liar [Hitler], a former officer who is a pervert [Ernst
Röhm, head of the SA, or Brownshirts], and a clubfoot [Joseph
Goebbels]. And I tell you the last is the worst of them all. This
is Satan in human form.
Regarding Strasser, Goebbels wrote in his diary: "Strasser is a
dead man." Strasser was assassinated in 1934 on Hitler's orders,
during The Night of the Long Knives. The assassination was of the
physical variety, carried out by a bullet in the back, not the
modern Rovian version carried out with lies spread by the media.
So let's step back for a moment, shall we, and return to the
present day. Sure, all of this talk about the Nazis and Hitler is
wonderful grist for the blog mill, but nothing like this could ever
happen here in 21st Century America, could it? I mean, come ON!
This is America, f'cryin' out loud! Lebensraum??? Gimme a break! No
one believes in that kind of crap anymore -
do they?
The belief in the rightness of Lebensraum was an exact parallel to
the American belief in Manifest Destiny, which had fallen out of
favor among polite society by the early 1900s, but which by that
time had led to the massacre of most of the Indian population in
the United States, the displacement of the survivors, and the
legalized theft of their property - exactly what happened to the
Jews, Gypsies, gays, and other persecuted minorities in Germany in
the 20th Century.
Many high-ranking members of the Bush administration ascribe to the
philosophies propounded by the Project for a New American Century.
Its seminal work, "Rebuilding America's Defenses," published in
2000, put forth its own 21st-Century American take on Lebensraum;
i.e., exporting "democracy" to those poor, unenlightened parts of
the world which haven't had the opportunity to partake of all of
its benefits. It's Manifest Destiny seen through a corporate lens.
In other words, "Let's invade any place that doesn't already do
business with us, steal their resources, exploit their labor, and
create a new generation of consumers for our products." In PNAC
parlance, Lebensraum means, "new markets for Big Business
expansion." Here's a sampling of what the heartwarming, All-
American, liberty-lovin', PNAC had to say in "Rebuilding America's
Defenses" - oh, before we go on, remember our little game? That's
right, wherever in the quotes below, you see the word, "America" or
"U.S.," substitute "Germany."
[America must have] a blueprint for maintaining U.S. preeminence,
precluding the rise of a great power rival, and shaping the
international security order in line with American principles and
interests. [snip]
America should seek to preserve and extend its position of global
leadership by maintaining the preeminence of U.S. military forces
[Gary Schmitt, executive director of PNAC, said, "What we require
is] a military that is strong and ready to meet both present and
future challenges; a foreign policy that boldly and purposefully
promotes American principles abroad
One of the differences between Hitler and BushCo is that, while
Hitler appeared to be motivated by power and a desire to be the
hero of the Aryan nation in its conquest and takeover of the world
in pursuit of Lebensraum, BushCo is motivated almost purely by the
desire to make money. And, in case you think the year 2000 - when
Rebuilding American's Defenses first came out - was a long time
ago, here's what Our Dear Leader had to say at the West Point
graduation last week:
The message has spread from Damascus to Tehran that the future
belongs to freedom -- and we will not rest until the promise of
liberty reaches every people and every nation.
(Remember: "liberty" and "freedom" = "capitalism.")
Lebensraum and Manifest Destiny both held that because of their
respective adherents' singular attributes as nations - their
"exceptionalness" - each nation had a special mission to expand its
empire. Of course, this meant that they would have to drive the
existing inhabitants from their lands, but no matter - Germany and
the United States were exceptional, and their exceptional-ness had
to be spread across as great an area as possible.
In the May 29th issue of The Nation magazine (subscription only),
Andreas Huyssen, Professor of German and Comparative Literature at
Columbia University, writes about how the Germans' view of
themselves as exceptional in the 19th and early 20th centuries
resulted in their increased susceptibility to the "Aryan
superiority" message of the Nazis, and the denigration of the
democratic process as inferior to cultural mores - and the
parallels to current attempts among the right wing in this country
to claim a similar moral superiority, while undermining the
Constitution:
After the failure of the 1848 attempt to bring parliamentary and
constitutional rule to Germany, the embrace of Kultur often came
with the dismissal of parliamentary politics as somehow un-German,
and it underlay Germans' feelings of superiority over their Western
neighbors--an attitude that would merge seamlessly with Nazi racial
theory and imperial aggression. It was precisely because Kultur
shunned the realm of politics that the cultured elites collapsed so
easily and often eagerly when the Nazis staged their rule as a
cultural revolution.
But the dangers are much more real in the United States. The
intense focus on cultural issues like sex in the movies, evolution
and creationism, even academic curriculums, distracts from the
hollowing out of constitutional checks and balances, the
dismantling of international law and domestic threats to civil
rights. Even more ominous, the "war on terror" and the "march of
democracy" have increasingly taken on shadings of a war of
cultures. As German historian Heinrich von Treitschke argued more
than a century ago, once war becomes war of cultures, there is no
end to it.
So - here we are. What can we learn from the rise of Hitler and
the Nazis? And why the Nazis, anyway? Why not Franco, or Pol Pot,
or Mussolini, or Genghis Khan, or Napoleon?
Why the Nazis? Because of the very fact that the average person in
this country "gets it" about the Nazis. For the very reason that
Godwin propounded his law during the infancy of the Internet -
because the Nazis provide an unmistakable touchstone, a benchmark
for how horribly things can go wrong in a country that considers
itself cultured, compassionate, Christian, aware and discerning, a
touchstone that many have referred to out of laziness or hyperbole,
but which, notwithstanding the hyperbole, provides a cautionary tale.
In this diary, I have not called anyone a Nazi (except, of course,
for the actual Nazis of Hitler's era). And, yes, of course, I
realize that there are differences in circumstance and context
between Germany in the 1930s and the United States at the turn of
the 21st Century. Perfectly identical circumstances do not exist
between anything in the past, and current events - ever. So please,
give it a rest.
But we study history for a reason. We do so to try to take away
lessons that can help guide us in our actions in the present day.
Whether one chooses to see parallels in history, or dismiss things
in the past as singular events having no relation to the present,
is up to each individual. The current cabal in power would love
nothing better than for the American people to forget history,
history of all sorts, from the very recent history of what was said
by those in power to a trusting American public and Congress about
the threat posed by Iraq (vis-à-vis the ostensible threat posed by
Iran), to the more distant history of the government's excesses and
coverups that led to the reforms of the 1970s, including FISA, to
the history we have looked at in this diary.
I, however, choose not to ignore the obvious parallels that history
provides us.
George Bush and the Republicans have used 9/11 to foist all kinds
of constitutional - and sometimes physical - horrors upon the
American people and the world, all in the name of "the war on
terror," brilliantly maintaining - matter-of-factly - all the while
that the American way of life is threatened by any number of brown-
skinned people from faraway lands who hate our freedoms. The
President (and some Congresspeople) already have stated that their
most important duty is to preserve the "safety" of the American
people - not the Constitution, mind you, which is what their oath
of offfice states, but the physical lives of Americans. When
"national security" trumps everything - watch out. Yet the reality
is that while some American lives and a few American buildings may
in fact be threatened by terrorists based abroad, the American way
of life is far more threatened by oligarchs within our borders who
truly hate that under the Constitution, every American's
fundamental rights are recognized and guaranteed.
One of Mr. Bush's new favorite words is "incremental," as in, "our
progress [in Iraq] is incremental." Well, totalitarianism often
works the same way: it sneaks up on you, little by little, until,
like the frog in the pan of water, before you're even aware of it,
you're cooked. If you do it matter-of-factly, the mass of people
can't believe that it's happening, because everything seems to be
calm and rational. Right up until the moment the shower doors
closed at Auschwitz, many Jews - indeed, many Germans - did not
believe that murder on such a grand scale could possibly be
committed by people so seemingly rational, calm and educated. So
matter-of-fact.
The fact of the matter is that every door of government
accountability has been nailed shut by this administration and
Congress. The only recourse for holding the United States
government accountable now is through elections that are free, fair
and open. Clearly, given what has been shown to have happened in
2000 and 2004, taking the availability of such elections for
granted no longer is a rational option. Given the Supreme Court's
decision the other day on government whistleblowers, even if a
government employee knew of election malfeasance, they would not be
guaranteed First Amendment protection if they decided to go the
press with such a revelation - they "might be," the decision said.
And the Bush administration has already explicitly stated that it
will go after leakers and the reporters who write about those leaks.
Some will argue that we needn't worry about a descent into
dictatorship, that circumstances are far different than existed in
Germany. For example, in yesterday's comments, the point was made
that once military defeats start piling up, downfall of a
dictatorship is inevitable. It's true that one thing working in our
favor is the abject demonstrable failure of the PNAC's grand
scheme, manifest in the debacle in Iraq. Given a perfect
opportunity to export democracy, to demonstrate the clear
ideological superiority of the American Way (as viewed by the
warped minds at PNAC), PNAC's vision was shown to be an
hallucination brought on by delusions of grandeur and a completely
wrong-headed concept of what constitutes American exceptionalism.
(For eerie parallels, look at how, shortly after George Bush took
office, Dick Cheney and the oil industry had drawn up a map of
Iraq, showing the future division of oil resources - in exactly the
same way that the Nazis parceled out Eastern Europe, mentioned above.)
Under Hitler, the deluded belief in German exceptionalism was able
to survive as long as the majority of Germans saw only (from their
sheltered points of view) success at home and on the battlefield
from 1933 until about 1942, when the German army's crushing defeat
at Stalingrad marked the turning point of the war in Europe. As
long as the Nazis were conquering new territory and winning the
war, it was easier for them to maintain popular support at home.
The growing crescendo of bad news from Iraq is having the same
effect in present-day America.
But my fear is that none of that may matter. Despite the care taken
by our Founding Fathers to design a framework that was flexible
enough to adapt to a changing world, the Constitution is still a
flawed document. The Founding Fathers depended upon at least one
of the three branches remaining independent and accountable - or,
at the very least, the maintenance of a free and independent press.
They also relied on the good faith of the members of government -
faith which this administration has violated openly and repeatedly
and defiantly. Who's to say that, even if we have free, fair and
open elections in November, and a Democratic majority takes both
houses of Congress, and an impeachment process takes place, and the
President is somehow found guilty by the Supreme Court (hah!), that
he will not at that point assign the same validity to that decision
as he has to many, many others emanating from the legislative and
judicial branches: in other words, that he will tell the Congress
and the Supreme Court to stick it?
Our democracy is hanging by a few very thin threads. Now is not the
time to back away from hard truths - otherwise, we, like the frog
in the pot, are cooked.
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