If You’re Worried About Fascism, Worry About War
There’s another controversy about whether former President Donald Trump praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in private. In a New York Times interview published Tuesday, former White House Chief of Staff John Kelley claimed that Trump said, “Hitler did some good things.” The same day, The Atlantic reported that Trump said, “I need the kind of generals that Hitler had,” citing anonymous sources. Trump’s campaign has denied both reports. These allegations, which have come up before, fit a liberal argument that Trump is a dangerous would-be dictator in the making.
Whether or not the specific reports are true, the discussion often misses an important historical fact. A large part of the Nazi political program was about revenge for losing a past war. Germany and its allies not only turned their guns on their own people, but focused heavily on military glory through conquest. Anyone concerned with the danger of fascism today has to understand the role that militarism played back then.
Hitler was not able to seize control simply because he was skilled at riling up mobs. The Nazi movement took root in soil poisoned by the economic collapse and political chaos caused by losing World War I. Most people understand that Hitler overthrew the weak and chaotic Weimar Republic, but many do not know how that chaos was directly related to the war.
World War I ended for Germany in 1918 with a revolution and counterrevolution. After it became clear that the war was hopeless, the country suffered a mutiny by sailors who didn’t want to fight anymore, which turned into a nationwide uprising, forcing the German emperor to step down. As the new German republic tried to hash out peace terms, the far left and far right armed themselves to fight over the future of the country.
For all the warnings about “Weimar America,” the violence between far left and far right that America has faced in recent years was nothing close to what Germany witnessed in those days. Communists poured into Berlin, trying to take the capital at gunpoint, only to be beaten back by right-wing Freikorps militia, which executed communist leader Rosa Luxemburg in broad daylight. The sight of Germans killing Germans while the enemy was at the gates created years of bitterness.
That experience gave rise to the Dolchstosslegende, the infamous “stab-in-the-back myth.” German military brass testified after the war that they could have won if only they had not been betrayed by the political class. That myth became a specifically antisemitic conspiracy theory. A key moment was the assassination of Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau—who was Jewish—after he signed a deal with the Soviet Union in 1922. Nationalists believed that Rathenau, who wanted Soviet support to rebuild the German army, was really trying to sell out the country again.
Hitler, a wounded veteran who became a police informant, witnessed these events while trying to infiltrate a small nationalist party that would later be called the Nazis. He realized that he actually agreed with their conspiratorial racism—and quickly became their leader.
Even the Nazis’ genocidal ideology was hard to separate from their wartime experience. Hitler was driven by a specific fixation with sec
Article from Latest
The Reason Magazine website is a go-to destination for libertarians seeking cogent analysis, investigative reporting, and thought-provoking commentary. Championing the principles of individual freedom, limited government, and free markets, the site offers a diverse range of articles, videos, and podcasts that challenge conventional wisdom and advocate for libertarian solutions. Whether you’re interested in politics, culture, or technology, Reason provides a unique lens that prioritizes liberty and rational discourse. It’s an essential resource for those who value critical thinking and nuanced debate in the pursuit of a freer society.
