Weimar Germany’s decline in authoritarianism was not fast. It took years of economic despair, political polarizations, and attacks on democratic processes, that led to Adolf Hitler’s success to deconstruction German democracy just fifty-three days after being appointed chancellor.
In the 1930s, as Germany was fueled by hyperinflation, economic collapse, and political instability, a fertile ground for extremism was created. Similarly, today in the United States, trust in our government systems is waning, specifically after the 2020 elections. A 2022 Gallup poll showed that only 23% of American adults trust the presidency, and 7% trust the United States Congress. All governmental categories the survey covered showed a decrease in trust of the public. Gallup’s data has shown a general decrease in trust of the fourteen institutions included each year since 1979, with a record low of 27% average. The insurrection at the capital on January 6th, 2021, exposed the potential escalation of not trusting the government, including violent affairs to overthrow democratic processes—echoing the destabilization before Hitler’s rise to power.
Populist resentment is often caused by economic crises. After the Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to claim all fault for what was at the time called “The Great War,” they were deeply in debt, creating nationwide hardship; the Nazi party took advantage of this adversity by utilizing propaganda. The United States has had a couple of economic disasters in the last twenty years, but the 2008 financial crisis caused scars that last even today, seventeen years later. This economic struggle has created rhetoric such as Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, drawing alarming parallels to Nazi calls to restore Germany’s former greatness, exploiting public fear and indignation to rationalize authoritarian intentions.
In the United States, there has been a rise of intolerance against anyone who is not a cis-het white male, similar to how Germany scapegoated anyone who wasn’t Aryan. This sinat chinam (meaningless hatred) is fueled and justified by nationalism. These extremists believe that anyone not part of these specific groups is taking rights away from those who are.
Nazi propaganda in Weimar Germany was tolerated due to the “Lügenpresse” (lying press), when the media was delegitimize, allowing it to dominate the press. Today, in the United States, we have discredited legitimate journalism, calling it “fake news” and empowering alternative media outlets that promote conspiracy theories. The press is an essential piece of democracy; undermining it will only erode the public’s capability to differentiate fact from fiction.
This slow erosion of democracy allowed Hitler and his supporters to turn to authoritarianism quickly. Through propaganda, they preserved the facade of legality. In America, democratic norms are threatened with efforts to overturn election results, restrict voting rights, and politicize the judiciary. Public confidence in the government and elections permits further democratic backsliding. History has conveyed the idea that democracy, while fragile, cannot be eroded all at once, and if it seems like it did, then the cause was actually a symptom, and that symptom can be the end of the rights of the people.
While the U.S. is salvageable, it would be unwise not to recognize and act on these striking parallels, which could lead to irreversible damage. Americans are living in a volatile environment with political polarization, unchecked populism, and weakened institutions, where democracy is vulnerable. Historian Timothy Snyder warns in On Tyranny, “Post-truth is pre-fascism.” Without efforts to preserve American democracy could fall into onto the trajectory of disturbingly familiar ways.