Doomed to Repeat

In recent weeks, President Trump has implemented bizarre executive orders and has said bizarre things, and many people have simply labeled these actions as bizarre and nothing more. The travel ban, promising to �destroy� the Johnson Amendment, and feuding with our allies like Australia and Mexico are just a handful of the things that Trump has done. While these actions are bizarre, they have many commonalities with the actions of Hitler�s regime in Germany in the 1930s.

            While I am not the first nor will I be the last to make this comparison, this is something that has increasingly worried me as a result of the Trump Administration continuing to push the boundary of what is acceptable in foreign and domestic affairs. I am not calling for a coup d��tat with this article, but I am calling for increased awareness and caution when dealing with President Trump.

            Hitler took power in 1933 through nationalistic propaganda which blamed the Jews for their loss in World War I and the chaos that followed. In this way centuries old anti-Semitism was reignited and became worse than ever. He also appealed to his supporters by blaming the League of Nations and other European nations for their problems and created a hatred for the rest of Europe. Sound familiar?

            Trump rose to power through the same kind of rhetoric by blaming Muslims and Mexicans for crime and terrorist attacks, and blamed international organizations like NAFTA for taking American jobs elsewhere. This hatred spawned votes and got him the Presidency. He appealed to the angry white voter just like Hitler appealed to the angry German.

            After securing his power, Hitler soon began to subtly deteriorate the quality of life for Jews through orders and laws that destroyed their place in society. Banning Jews from running businesses, restricting Jewish enrollment in German schools, etcetera. These were laws that generated protest, but were not outwardly outrageous enough to dethrone the Nazis. Massive marches and protests were held all around Europe and America in response to these events, but nothing stopped Hitler from completing his agenda.

            Sound familiar? The travel ban, the promise to repeal the Johnson amendment, and the executive order to build the wall all generated protest and massive resistance. But they did not stop Trump from implementing these laws. These actions make life harder for minorities and cater to the angry white voter who gave Trump his power.

            While Hitler was consolidating power in Germany, he also sought to isolate Germany from the rest of Europe by pulling out of the League of Nations and violating the Treaty of Versailles. These actions created unnecessary and avoidable tension that would inevitably create World War II.

            Sound familiar? Trump�s withdrawal from the TPP and his eagerness to leave NATO correspond to what Hitler did when he gained power. The feuds with Mexico and shouting matches with the Australian Prime Minister over the phone also create unnecessary tension that has the possibility to escalate into war. And if the United States were to enter war, more power would be handed over to the President which would make his agenda even easier to implement.

            In January of 1933, the Jewish German Organization declared that they were approaching the new Nazi government with, �the largest mistrust,� but also assured that, �nobody would dare to touch [our] constitutional rights.� Based on the events following that statement, we cannot take our current situation lightly and we cannot allow the rights of any Americans to be infringed under the Trump Administration. If that happens, we may find ourselves living in the 4^th Reich. Philosopher George Santayana said, "those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it." We need to keep that in mind in the coming days.