From Hans Bernet

Monroe

To the Editor:

My mother, Martha Bernet, was born in Switzerland in 1927. In the last few years of her life listening to the news, she told us that she felt as if she were reliving her youth in Switzerland listening to Hitler’s speeches over the radio.

I studied German history trying to comprehend why a highly civilized and cultured society could descend to such awful depths. Early on, most Germans didn’t take Hitler seriously. However, he successfully attacked the media so that many Germans stopped believing the mainstream press. He convinced many that Germany’s problems were the fault of “others,” including Jews, homosexuals, Socialists, and foreigners. He repeated these lies frequently which the mistrusted press became less able to counter.

Early supporters thought Hitler’s language was just election exaggeration and besides, all politicians lied. Industrialists and generals thought that even if he was elected they would be able to control him. By the time they realized what was really happening, it was too late.

Many Germans believed that only a tough leader could solve their problems. A recent PRRI poll found that 38% of Americans agreed that the U.S. needs a leader who, “is willing to break some rules if that is what it takes to set things right.” In Trump’s acceptance speech for the Republican nomination in 2016 he stated, “I, alone, can fix it.” That has been the motto of authoritarians from Caesar to Putin.

Trump also recently said, “We pledge that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country.” Language like this is used by authoritarian leaders because it dehumanizes political opponents. Dehumanizing opponents paves the road to political violence. Witness what already happened on January 6. The same poll found that 23% of voters agreed that, “True American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.”

Recently Trump said about immigration, “It is a very sad thing for our country. It’s poisoning the blood of our country.” That is exactly the sort of language my mother heard over the radio from Germany in the 1930s.

I hope my mother’s fears were misplaced. But, it’s going to require us all to avoid making the mistakes of the 1930s. We mustn’t ignore what is happening here and elsewhere today as so many did back then.