America on a path to repeat the dangers of the past

By Seth Hawkins

October 20, 2008 | Nazi Germany, communist Russia and fascist Italy. Three different political systems. Three different dictators. Three different powers. Yet, for all their differences, these three share one commonality: causing untold suffering for millions of people and the eventual collapse of each system.

As a nation, we sat back and watched the progression and decline of each of these dictatorships. During the Cold War, a fear of communism spread throughout the world, particularly in America. The American people were proud of their democracy and freedoms and felt communism was a great threat to their way of life.

Today, America is in a much different place than it was 60 years ago or even 20 years ago. What Americans once thought was a series of horrible governmental systems is now a looming possibility for this great nation. For too long, America has watched and thought, "Surely that can't happen to us. We're too strong, too structured to let that happen."

As clichéd as it sounds, it's funny how history has a way of repeating itself and always to those who study it least. If there was anything we could have and should have learned from Nazi Germany, communist Russia and fascist Italy, it was the fact that it could very well happen to America should we fail to learn from their mistakes.

With the economic collapse, a highly-contested presidential election ahead of us and the wide and continued expansion of the government in the last 70 years, America is heading down a dangerous road that, if left unchecked, will have the same result as Russia, Italy and Germany.

Don't believe that? Strap yourself in for a crash course in history.

Each of the aforementioned political systems rose out of a myriad of complex and complicated issues that were unique to each country, but a few elements were common.

Each nation was, to some degree or another, influenced politically and economically by a highly unpopular war. Each country faced massive economic hardships. Each toyed with and later embraced political systems that smacked in the face of established constitutions and governments, and each nation selected a charismatic and engaging leader to carry out a new era for their nation. In short, they were looking for change.

While change is the catalyst for progression, not all change is equal and not all change is good. But it's easy to be deceived by it, and at first the change can seem beneficial economically and nationally. But given time to play out, these systems all had a common root that led to their demise: the supplanting of a government body that overrode every other interest.

Take Italy for example. Italy had long been ruled by a king with a parliamentary-type government that really made the country's decisions. Italy was largely agrarian, with little industry, and had suffered greatly after World War I. Benito Mussolini teamed up with shady accomplices to take over the government and establish a new type of government: fascism. Opposed to socialism and communism, fascism sought to aggrandize the wealthy by creating a new system of government: corporatism. While elements of corporatism date back to feudal times, as do the principles of fascism, Mussolini used this system to allow the government to essentially control all industry and agriculture.

Mussolini accomplished his goals in small degrees but with much force whenever he did so. He faced opposition but he knew all he had to do was get the fence-sitters to do nothing and he had complete control. Succeeding in that, Mussolini dissolved the existing constitution into nothing and established complete government control.

Mussolini soon developed a relationship with German dictator Adolf Hitler, though contrary to popular belief, he did not espouse the same beliefs as Hitler. Mussolini's pacts with Hitler led to his undoing and he was captured by rebels and shot multiple times, a fitting end to a horrible leader.

If you didn't catch the parallels there, let's expound.

Like Italy, America is reeling from the effects of an unpopular war, a struggling economy and a people all too willing to tamper with the existing Constitution. Corporatism, to some degree, has been introduced with the recent bailout of the financial sector, placing large corporations under the control of the government ­ Mussolini also did his fair share of bailing out banks in the mid-1920s.

Political candidates express a desire to change the way the country is being run, including the addition of policies that are not constitutional and endorse a large expansion of government and corporatism. Health-care policies in particular are following this dark and dangerous path, with many proponents frothing at the mouth for a nationalized health-care system.

Propaganda also existd in today's America, though it isn't controlled by the government. Perhaps more frightening, the mass media have created their own propaganda, by all but hand-selecting their candidate and preferred system of government, depending on which station one watches.

President Bush's PATRIOT Act is a threat to the Constitution, and too many politicians and Supreme Court justices seek to reduce other powers contained in that document.

Yes, like Italy, America has started down a dangerous road, one that most Americans aren't even aware they're on.

Another example might add some additional insight. Hitler was able to take over Germany with only a few things working for him: he was charismatic, he spoke of a new government for a progressive people and he promised a way out of Germany's horrible economic problems. Never mind the fact that he was a genocidal maniac and openly spoke of such things. The people were swayed by his charm and promises.

What really endeared the people to Hitler was the fact that he came through with his promises. He did revive the German economy. He did create a new government for a progressive people ­ the Third Reich. But at what cost? As Hitler took more power to himself and took increasingly stupid and dangerous risks, the German economy started to fail, the people lost faith in him, and with his death, so died Germany for many years.

A third dying country, Russia, has yet to fully recover from the effects of the changes they made to their government in 1922. After nearly 100 years of political and civil unrest, Russia adopted a political theory that promised to create a new utopia: communism. Under this system, the government controlled the means of production and distributed the earnings accordingly. What sounds nice in principle was anything but nice in practice.

The communist government took over everything, persecuting the businessman and setting up a system that caused him to fail. The people worked hard, believing they could succeed, only to be rewarded with long lines for scarce food.

The Soviet Union did have successes. They were masters at industry and technology, that created a vast network of hydroelectric power plants. But they failed to meet the needs of the average person - the people they promised to help - resulting in great poverty and misery.

In the end, global economics forced the USSR to change its policies, just as these same principles are causing a change in communist China today. Yet, in some ways, America is plunging down the path that China and Russia are exiting.

Many politicians support laws that persecute the small businessman from succeeding, enacting stiff taxes that harm the economy rather than encouraging growth. They want equality and redistribution of wealth, ignoring the fact that many have worked hard to rightfully earn that wealth. After all, they say, it's the people that matter, not justice, equity and fairness.

While America will not likely fall into communism, Nazism or fascism, all three of those systems share common elements of the people giving the government far too much power. As an American people, we have already given up too much of our power to the government.

We have candidates who are charming and promise a new tomorrow for America and free education for all. We should beware of these promises. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

America, it's time to wake up and snap out of your apathy. We can fall like Italy, Russia and Germany. It is possible. The Constitution of the United States was written to prevent such an event from happening. Like Mussolini, Stalin and Hitler, there are American leaders who slowly tear apart the Constitution and seek for greater government control over all aspects of our lives. We cannot allow that to happen.

In this election year, we must look past the charm and charades of the candidates and carefully look at their stand on issues. Only by selecting a candidate that will do what all presidents swear to do ­ protect and uphold the Constitution of the United States of America ­ can we avoid following the same dangerous path.

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