General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Americans no longer have to guess how the Germans "allowed" H and Nazis [View all]DFW
(54,378 posts)It was still reeling from the defeat in World War I, a devastated economy plus the economic burden of war reparations it could never repay, a completely fractured political system with about 20 parties making sure no majority or coalition would ever get anything done, and guns everywhere. It was ripe for a demagogue looking to blame someone, as the population was looking to blame someone for their misery, too.
The USA today basically has two parties with a clear difference between them. We are economic powerhouse, and we don't really need a big Bogey Man scapegoat--only frustrated, angry people need that. Look at most of our Neo-Nazis--emotional basket cases, many with inferiority complexes as big as Trump's or even bigger. Nothing is EVER their fault, so it must be everyone else's fault. It worked for Hitler, after all, didn't it? And guns everywhere? Just ask what flavor.
We never had a Hitler before. Germany has. Here in Germany, if you want a firearm, you apply, take a written exam, show technical proficiency, get a psychological evaluation, and are required to keep it locked up, unloaded, in a safe cabinet with a lock. They do spot checks, and if you carelessly leave your firearm in the open or unsecurely stowed away, you lose it and your license. Sure, you can get firearms illegally if you are really determined to, but even a rumor of an illegal one will get you more trouble than it's worth. German cops almost never pull out their guns. The only thing that will make a German cop do that is someone else with a gun.
The biggest danger of a fascist takeover in America today is precisely that no one else thinks it could ever happen. There won't be a "communist" takeover or an Islamist takeover because we are always on the lookout for one. But a takeover by ignorant "Christian (no, they aren't, but they call themselves that) patriots (no, they aren't that, either, but they call themselves that)" is not something against which we have safeguards in place. We don't expect it. We don't see one coming. For precisely that reason we need to be extra-vigilant against one.