From The Ramparts

Is America Like Nazi Germany

                                                        Is America Like Nazi Germany?

                                                             Junious Ricardo Stanton

            When I was in high school, we learned about Nazi Germany, World War II and the horrors Hitler unleashed on Germans and Europe, I wondered why the German people went along with a man like Adolph Hitler and the German National Socialist Party aka Nazis? Later, I discovered that Hitler and the Nazis employed sophisticated propaganda, psychological manipulation, intimidation and violence against those who spoke up and out against the policies of the Nazi Party. Hitler had a man named Joseph Goebbels who served as the head of the Ministry of Propaganda during the reign of the Nazis in Germany.

            Hitler came into power in January of 1933, by March of that year Joseph Goebbels was installed as the head of the Ministry of Propaganda. Goebbels had earned a PhD in Philology and was described as bright. After earning his PhD Goebbels authored fourteen books.

Goebbels became aware of Hitler and his philosophies when Hitler was on trial for treason in 1924. Following Hitler’s release from prison Goebbels joined the Nazi Party and volunteered his services. Goebbels worked on a regional Nazi newspaper and worked his way up within the party; eventually gaining Hitler’s trust. Goebbels played a huge role in party organization and policy making. He was an eloquent speaker and knew how to use the media to promote the Nazi Party agenda.

Once Hitler and the Nazis came into political prominence Hitler appointed Goebbels to positions of authority and influence which he used to further Hitler, Nazism and himself. As the head of propaganda Goebbels was extremely innovative taking full advantage of the technology of that day, radio and film, to promote Nazism and Hitler’s agenda including genocide and war. His Ministry of Propaganda controlled the media (newspapers, radio and film), theater and all cultural activities with overt and subliminal messages promoting Nazism. Goebbels cunningly controlled the media images, messages and content while suppressing and censoring anything that opposed Nazism.

Early during his membership in the Nazi Party Goebbels was one of the main proponents of book burnings and attacks on dissidents.  Hitler became the beneficiary of Goebbel’s policies as the Ministry of Propaganda made Adolph Hitler the central figure and focus in German life, to oppose Hitler was to court death. Goebbels’ strategy was to have his hand in everything in German social life and culture, to program the content of all media, control what was disseminated inside Germany and how Germany was depicted to the outside world as well. Goebbels was so effective America’s Time Magazine put Adolph Hitler on the cover of their 1939 cover as Man of the Year!

I mention this because when we look closely, we see eerie similarities between Adolph Hitler and Joseph Goebbels’ Nazi Germany and what we’ve experienced in the US over the last several decades. Just like in Nazi Germany where there were a concerted consolidation and centralization of media, the same thing exists here in the US. Like Nazi Germany where censorship and suppression are rampant public policy, the same thing is true here in the US. Hitler burned books, Trump closes museums. New technology was used by Goebbels to monopolize the media and promote Hitler’s agenda; the same thing is happening here.

 Nazi Germany used the Ministry of Propaganda to glorify Hitler, here in the US there is a deification and idolization of US presidents like Trump, Reagan, Bu$h Jr, Clinton and Obama. In Nazi Germany the invasions of neighboring countries were cheered by the media; the US misadventures in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia and Iran are accepted without question by an apparently brain-dead, somnambulant American public.

 Just like in Nazi Germany where fairy-tale Aryan racial supremacy and genocide were promoted and propagated, the United States has a long and sordid history of racial hierarchy, caste, genocide and imperialism. In many ways modern America is more like Nazi Germany than we are willing to admit!

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posted by Junious Ricardo Stanton @ 11:43 AM