Fertile Ground

I saw a thread in MeFi, where some conservatives have, apparently, belatedly realised that there is a definite slide towards authoritarianism AKA fascism afoot within the USA. And that they are the main enablers. The article notes: I dont think there are yet real fascists in the administration, but there is certainly now a constituency for them.

You know, Hitler didn’t spring de novo into control of Germany in 1933 with the Gleichschaltung, or “reorganizing”. Weimer had been sliding into authoritarianism for 5 years or so, and then effectively ceased to function as a parliamentary democracy in 1930, when Hindenburg took to issuing edicts to rule by decree. Increasingly unscrupulous Chancellors used their fiat powers more and more freely until 1933, when the last vestiges of liberal democracy were swept aside. In any case, Brning‘s government-by-decree from 1930 to 1932 was incredibly regressive, endorsing rightist social policies, implementing almost complete de-regulation, and cutting most social spending while raising taxes enormously on the poor and middle-classes but leaving the aristos and property owners untouched.

Papen and his sometimes allies the far-right Catholic Centre Party had flirted with fascism, orchestrated coups against some left-wing Lnder governments, and managed to de-criminalise the SA (which strengthened the NSDAP immensely during 1932-1933). And of course, when he became effectively powerless, Papen lobbied for Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor, obviously hoping to use the Nazi muscle to stifle Papen’s opponents. The DNVP party also allied with the Nazis during Weimar and was instrumental in helping to pass Hitler’s legal coup, the Enabling Act.

The widespread public acceptance of Fhrerprinzip was devised by the Nazis and sold to the public as a way of cutting through the plodding bureacracy and pointlessly separated police and judicial powers that were held to have weakened the Republic’s attempts to combat economic malaise and domestic/foreign terrorism.

Brand new we’re retro.