Aaron Petty Section #7
As a holocaust survivor, Hannah Arendt witnessed the rise and fall of the Nazi regime firsthand. Being born Jewish in Germany before World War 1 placed her at the epicenter of what would become one of the most oppressive societies in the years to follow. Ever since the formation of the German Empire in the 1870s, they always wanted to expand their control. After waiting 40 years, the political climate in central and eastern Europe finally gave them the opportunity they had been cultivating. The Austrian-Hungarian Empire believed Serbia to be politically devious, with the primary goal of taking over Austrian land. In June 1914, a Serbian national assassinated Archduke Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne.
At the time, Germany was an ally of Austria, and was asked for their support of an invasion of Serbia. The Germans saw this as an excuse to conquer the rest of Europe and so they gave Austria the military aid needed to start a war. Both empires knew Russia would come to the protection of Serbia, but this wasn't enough for Germany. They needed more countries involved, so they provoked France in addition to invading Belgium. The Germans knew to conquer Europe, they couldn't risk involving the British. However, invading Belgium broke a treaty between Britian and Germany that would eventually lead to their demise. By provoking England, the Germans unknowingly involved the US, who changed the course of World War 1 upon their military entry in 1917.
After their defeat in 1918, Germany was heavily sanctioned for their role in the war. The Central Powers were required to pay reparations to the Allies to cover civilian damages during World War 1. For Germany, this added up to over 30 billion dollars, forcing them to go into debt to cover the cost. Many German citizens saw these reparations as a national humiliation, which helped spark hatred towards the major European countries. This hate turned into strong nationalism, slowly poisoning the minds of everyday citizens who began to believe that Germany was being unfairly punished. As the public's mindset evolved, so did their government. Political officers began to use the same nationalistic rhetoric as the people, creating a culture where hatred became widely accepted.
Throughout the 1920s, German nationalism continued to grow stronger eventually leading to the inclusion of antisemitism speech being widely accepted by the public. The political climate at the time signaled those interested in extreme nationalism that now was the moment to unite the country through the hatred of Jewish Germans. The rise of the Nazi Party was not a swift one. The timing had to be right for the public to accept their ideology. It took years for the party to gain enough support from the public to hold office in parliament. But once they became a major force in German politics, democracy in the country didn't stand a chance. Adolf Hitler became chancellor in 1933, starting a horrific era of antisemitic oppression that culminated in the eventual murder of 6 million Jews.
Totalitarianism is a system that thrives through conformity of the public and apathy towards freedom. In a democracy, the people have the power to change how the government operates. The court of public opinion matters to politicians in this system. But when the people willingly give the government absolute power, their voices no longer have influence. This is when totalitarianism grows. Many argue the people don't allow oppressive regimes to form, but when the public doesn't condemn undemocratic actions within a government, they allow totalitarianism to take root.
Consider American politics today; both sides of the aisle use emotional rhetoric when addressing the other party. The purpose is to make voters emotionally invested in one side winning, which breeds contempt and eventually hatred towards the opposition. The worrying part of this is that the public accepts politicians using this type of language. The people hold the most influence in American democracy, so when they stop caring about the use of dangerous rhetoric in politics, it prompts the government to wonder what else they can get by with. Apathy of democratic responsibilities like keeping the government in check, is exactly what Hannah Arendt warned people about after the Holocaust.
The belief that the Nazis were an isolated event is a dangerous position to take. Every government, society, and culture can commit the atrocities witnessed during World War 2. It’s up to the people to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Arendt predicted the West was headed towards a dark era, one that would breed the most extreme of totalitarianism. There are many warning signs she pointed out that are starting to appear in American society. Remember, the Nazis were not an overnight phenomenon. It took years of cultural change for Germany to become a place that encouraged antisemitism.
The overt arrogance Americans have towards our democracy creates the perfect storm for someone to take full control. People in the US generally don’t consider the erosion of democracy to be an issue at all. The climate has started to change recently as more of the public realizes there are people out there who would gladly grab absolute power if given the opportunity. The capital riots in 2021 shocked the world, helping show that extreme dissent in democratic norms, especially when cultivated by a president, can result in a dangerous attack on one of the oldest and most stable democratic systems in the world. If people don’t take action to ward off undemocratic behavior, then the erosion of the American system may very well happen. Vigilance is the most important responsibility a citizen has.
Totalitarianism is not an abstract concept created for fiction. Currently, the nations of Russia, China, North Korea, Afghanistan, and Venezuela all exhibit the dangerous warning signs Arendt spoke about. Each have the highest probability of surpassing the Nazis in the amount of control, oppression, and mistreatment of their citizens. None are considered a democracy, but some once were. The fact that other countries can go down this path must be noticed by every American. The question is, will the people allow the United States to fulfil the dark predictions Hannah Arendt originally proposed after World War 2?
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