I find it so ironic and refreshing at the same time that an historian has to remind us that the reasons for a rise in a fascist cause today lie not in the past but in the present.
I say to everyone…let’s keep our focus. As the slogan of the Dems “we will not go back” takes hold, remember, the true meaning of that is that We the People will move forward. Where we can find that change, the only permanent thing in our Universe, is enacted to keep us an energetic, diversified, compassionate populace.
Thank you, for this re-post , Tom. Actually I see more similarity in the MAGAt crowd to Hitler's tactics - especially in voter suppression and intimidation. But that doesn't make them Nazis. I do still think Project 2025 reads like a fascist manifesto - their favor toward he already obscenely wealthy, their outright misogyny. But similarity does not mean identical.
While I appreciate this writer’s position on what constitutes a fascist or Nazi, she needs to provide a definitive checklist of policies that would rank groups on her ‘Nazi’ scale!
While she focuses on German ‘states’, the terms Nazi and fascist have been used to describe those on the extreme far right in this country! Specifically I refer to the practice of undermining the democratic institution of free and fair elections. Funded by extremist billionaires, groups have sprung up all over the country to challenge how Voter lists are maintained, without cause! Extremists in the so-called Republican controlled states have written laws to deny women the right to reproductive healthcare, effectively consigning women to be second class citizens! Books are not yet being burned but they are being banned in some libraries in red controlled states. Domestic terrorist groups abound throughout the country ready to ‘stand by’ in wait for their cult leader to give the signal AGAIN!
Additionally, we have a group here who call themselves neo-nazis. labeling themselves and their beliefs for us. And while the writer admonishes us/them to understand and address the underlying causes of discontent, I hasten to point out that Dems here have been doing that to their detriment because it's a response that appears a weak, something US males' notions of manhood cannot abide, and much of the discontent arises among the males, especially the young. The lessons of history must not be ignored because they provide primers and "Project" books for the control freaks of the present and future.
Good summary. Many thanks. Any serious tackling of the rising social discontent of the present would mean picking apart 70 years of political globalism and 40 years of international neo liberal financial ideology that has informed so much of postwar government policy. Parties such as AfD are a predictable symptom of a disease created by the failure of postwar leadership to understand the central importance of unique human emotions and imaginations and their ties to lived in Place ie cultures. Instead of an open weave polyculturalism we have moved to a one size fits all multiculturalism motivated and structured by crass profiteering. Perhaps originally a well intentioned desire to control violent tribalisms postwar, but no human being lives and thrives by white bread alone. Reducing societies to bare economic transactions hollows them out. We now have a situation where year by year everywhere, although they may be different geographic countries, the financial and political centres of power look very much the same. Such places are designed by and create a separate technocrat class which can only continue to thrive by narrowing their vision so that they see everything and everyone as statistically informed one dimensional Things to be moved about at their political beck and call. These new class members depend upon a self referencing bureaucracy. An Inter Nationalist political bubble supported by corporate media partnerships. The bubble is now bursting. Metaphorically, postwar globalism is pure decultured homogenised milk and the rise of populist local political groups is that milk beginning to curdle.
Someone has written or said "History never repeats exactly, but it rhymes." Or something to that effect. Thousands upon thousands of Germans have been demonstrating against the AfD and other extremist political movements for months and months, but still the AfD, and the new party BSW together hold a large enough group of seats in Thuringia to block many policy actions a new government might want to enact. In many ways they behave like the maga gop which cannot do anything constructive but keeps creating roadblocks that creates more and more frustration. Hoecke did not win his own mandate for the Thuringia parliament. That's a plus but he's out there organizing and pushing and causing issues for the AfD. The AfD, BSW are close to putin. Sarah Wagenknecht head of BSW (SW are her initials, so maybe another cult of personality) was connected to the E. German SED. So there is plenty of back story here. I think you'd have to ask this historian and others more about the reunification of Germany when The Wall crumbled in 1989. Plenty of East Germans lost a lot...livelihoods for one with the rapacious takeover of their businesses and industries by West German international business. In many aspects it was another act of colonialism on top of the russian colonialism/depravity following WW2. There is plenty of discontent and the current coalition government, in which so many placed their hopes after so many years of CDU/CSU led governments, has been a HUGE disappointment. But when the AfD talks about "re-immigration" they are talking about deporting (or making life more diffucult) for those with immigrant backgrounds, no matter how integrated into German life, language, culture, and polity they may have become over generations since 1945. Sounds like maga and fascism to me.
I see why you think Hoyer is Germany's HCR.
I find it so ironic and refreshing at the same time that an historian has to remind us that the reasons for a rise in a fascist cause today lie not in the past but in the present.
I say to everyone…let’s keep our focus. As the slogan of the Dems “we will not go back” takes hold, remember, the true meaning of that is that We the People will move forward. Where we can find that change, the only permanent thing in our Universe, is enacted to keep us an energetic, diversified, compassionate populace.
Salud!
🗽💜
Thank you, for this re-post , Tom. Actually I see more similarity in the MAGAt crowd to Hitler's tactics - especially in voter suppression and intimidation. But that doesn't make them Nazis. I do still think Project 2025 reads like a fascist manifesto - their favor toward he already obscenely wealthy, their outright misogyny. But similarity does not mean identical.
While I appreciate this writer’s position on what constitutes a fascist or Nazi, she needs to provide a definitive checklist of policies that would rank groups on her ‘Nazi’ scale!
While she focuses on German ‘states’, the terms Nazi and fascist have been used to describe those on the extreme far right in this country! Specifically I refer to the practice of undermining the democratic institution of free and fair elections. Funded by extremist billionaires, groups have sprung up all over the country to challenge how Voter lists are maintained, without cause! Extremists in the so-called Republican controlled states have written laws to deny women the right to reproductive healthcare, effectively consigning women to be second class citizens! Books are not yet being burned but they are being banned in some libraries in red controlled states. Domestic terrorist groups abound throughout the country ready to ‘stand by’ in wait for their cult leader to give the signal AGAIN!
Additionally, we have a group here who call themselves neo-nazis. labeling themselves and their beliefs for us. And while the writer admonishes us/them to understand and address the underlying causes of discontent, I hasten to point out that Dems here have been doing that to their detriment because it's a response that appears a weak, something US males' notions of manhood cannot abide, and much of the discontent arises among the males, especially the young. The lessons of history must not be ignored because they provide primers and "Project" books for the control freaks of the present and future.
Good summary. Many thanks. Any serious tackling of the rising social discontent of the present would mean picking apart 70 years of political globalism and 40 years of international neo liberal financial ideology that has informed so much of postwar government policy. Parties such as AfD are a predictable symptom of a disease created by the failure of postwar leadership to understand the central importance of unique human emotions and imaginations and their ties to lived in Place ie cultures. Instead of an open weave polyculturalism we have moved to a one size fits all multiculturalism motivated and structured by crass profiteering. Perhaps originally a well intentioned desire to control violent tribalisms postwar, but no human being lives and thrives by white bread alone. Reducing societies to bare economic transactions hollows them out. We now have a situation where year by year everywhere, although they may be different geographic countries, the financial and political centres of power look very much the same. Such places are designed by and create a separate technocrat class which can only continue to thrive by narrowing their vision so that they see everything and everyone as statistically informed one dimensional Things to be moved about at their political beck and call. These new class members depend upon a self referencing bureaucracy. An Inter Nationalist political bubble supported by corporate media partnerships. The bubble is now bursting. Metaphorically, postwar globalism is pure decultured homogenised milk and the rise of populist local political groups is that milk beginning to curdle.
Interesting perspective, thanks TC.
Someone has written or said "History never repeats exactly, but it rhymes." Or something to that effect. Thousands upon thousands of Germans have been demonstrating against the AfD and other extremist political movements for months and months, but still the AfD, and the new party BSW together hold a large enough group of seats in Thuringia to block many policy actions a new government might want to enact. In many ways they behave like the maga gop which cannot do anything constructive but keeps creating roadblocks that creates more and more frustration. Hoecke did not win his own mandate for the Thuringia parliament. That's a plus but he's out there organizing and pushing and causing issues for the AfD. The AfD, BSW are close to putin. Sarah Wagenknecht head of BSW (SW are her initials, so maybe another cult of personality) was connected to the E. German SED. So there is plenty of back story here. I think you'd have to ask this historian and others more about the reunification of Germany when The Wall crumbled in 1989. Plenty of East Germans lost a lot...livelihoods for one with the rapacious takeover of their businesses and industries by West German international business. In many aspects it was another act of colonialism on top of the russian colonialism/depravity following WW2. There is plenty of discontent and the current coalition government, in which so many placed their hopes after so many years of CDU/CSU led governments, has been a HUGE disappointment. But when the AfD talks about "re-immigration" they are talking about deporting (or making life more diffucult) for those with immigrant backgrounds, no matter how integrated into German life, language, culture, and polity they may have become over generations since 1945. Sounds like maga and fascism to me.
Impressive! And why I think the Harris/Walz strategy of looking forward is so good.
Brilliant! xx's
Interesting article Tom. Thank
you for sharing.