The other day House Majority Whip James Clyburn claimed the United States would wind up being like Nazi Germany while blaming right-wing extremists for political violence, particularly the attack on Paul Pelosi. Never mind the fact that Pelosi’s attacker David DePape was a left-wing, illegal immigrant from Canada.
Clyburn went on to say that America was on track to repeat what happened in Germany in the 20th Century while downplaying concerns about inflation and the increase in gas prices. Interestingly, Germany experienced inflation during the Interwar years. In fact, the inflation was so bad that salaries, savings, pensions, and insurance were worthless. It was even said that it took a wagonload of money to buy a loaf of bread. Ironically, Clyburn said buying a loaf of broad (i.e. the price of buying one) was less important than one’s own self-interest when it comes to voting.
At any rate, Clyburn is wrong to compare the current state of America to that of Germany during the days of the Weimar Republic (the government established in the aftermath of World War I). Instead, the two scenarios have several contrasts, which are as follows:
- Germany experienced uprisings from both left-wing and right-wing extremists. Examples during the Spartacist revolt and the Nazi’s Beer Hall Putsch.
- In regards to the Weimar Republic, only 25% of the population favored it. Another 25% hated it. The rest of the population went along with it until the economy got worse and either drifted towards the far left or far right, particularly during the Great Depression. Such lack of faith in the Weimar Republic also occurred due to Germany previously being an authoritarian nation.
- The German Government experienced 26 cabinet changes during the Weimar Republic, which also began to break down in 1930- the latter of which enabled Hitler to come to power. It should also be noted that Hitler had excelled in the dirty, backroom politics of that era.
- Many Germans (especially those who served in the military) believed that their country had been betrayed by the Weimar Republic into accepting the Treaty of Versailles, especially since German soldiers were still entrenched in Allied territory when the war ended, i.e. Germany had not been defeated on the battlefield. Such betrayal was labelled the Stab-in-the-back Myth.
- Germany and America are two different nations, with different cultures, laws, etc. Americans of today still believe in freedom and love their country (despite the propaganda of the left). Germans during the post-World War I era loved their country but had little if any concept of freedom or having a republican form of government. Hence a significant portion of them were old-fashioned, authoritarian, and hostile to ideas from abroad.
- Whereas the far right took power in Germany under the Nazis by appealing to it youth, a significant portion of youth in today’s America lean towards the far left.
- Despite the current problems, the America of today is more successful than the Weimar Republic.
Thus, today’s America is nothing like Germany during the Interwar Years.
