Image by Henrik Ström via Flickr
with Chris Hedges
RT America on Feb 22, 2020
On the show this week Chris Hedges talks to Professor Benjamin Hett about the collapse of democracy in Germany’s Weimar Republic which lead to fascism, and what features of the collapse are applicable to the democratic experiment in America.
Benjamin Carter Hett is Professor of History at Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York; his new book is The Death of Democracy: Hitler’s Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic.
From the archives:
Landslide… To Totalitarianism by Gaither Stewart
Notes on Inauthenticity in a Creeping Fascist Nuthouse by Paul Street
Chris Hedges: How The Capitalist State Uses Fear To Maintain Control
Fascism: A False Revolution by Michael Parenti
The Rise of America’s Fascist Paramilitaries by Rainer Shea
Dandelion Salad 
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The comparisons are to be made, but there are some very real differences as well. Primarily, Germany had only 16 years of a Republic before Hitler came to power and wiped away any semblance of representative government, whereas the U.S. was founded as a Republic, however flawed it might have been. Secondly, Trump is not Hitler. Hitler had an ideology and a real drive to achieve his vision of Germany. Trump is a self-serving buffoon who only seeks to look good in the eyes of others, albeit with a bit of an authoritarian streak. There is definitely a fascistic element in the Republican Party and among Trump supporters, but I cannot help but feel that the greater danger lies in the intelligence communities that oppose those issues of Trump with which they disagree. Trump is likely fated to succumb to a cheeseburger-induced heart attack sooner rather than later, whereas the unelected deep state is poised to go on forever. Also, the U.S. is not suffering under the terms of an unjust armistice like Germany did. Germans had some very real grievances spurring on their darker motivations. Lastly, I really don’t believe Trump can sustain the charade that the economy is booming under his policies for long. The U.S. is due for an economic downturn, while Weimar Republic Germany was coming off two of the worst financial moments the world has ever known. By simply having a stable economy, Hitler was viewed as a savior. Americans demand more.
I think our comment is quite valid. There are real differences but the end result? Totalitarian fascism is what is threatening not only the US but Europe as well, with or without the EU.
Just who is the ‘deep state?’
Every element that has power over how our government functions that is not subject to the democratic process. Think tanks, MIC, intelligence agencies. Elections mean little or nothing to them, they do their business–and I do mean business–regardless of who we elect.