From May 27--Trump's Hitler Style Tantrums, Threats against the Press, Social Media

In reading today's reports on Trump's unhinged tantrums and threat to "close down" Social Media Platforms for fact checking him, it reminded me of a story.

It's the story of how Adolf Hitler and Josef Goebbels consolidated the top down control of the German Press in October of 1933. Central to the story is the Munich "House of German Art", as it is pictured below in recent times. First, a little background.

Hitler was appointed Chancellor by President von Hindenberg on Jan 30, 1933, as head of a Minority government, meaning the Nazi Party controlled a plurality of votes, not a majority. He immediately moved to crush out of existence the Weimar Republic and its Democratic system. On February 27, 1933, a Dutch former Communist and mental patient named van der Lubbe, was escorted through an underground tunnel which led from the Chancellors HQ, to the Reichstag, Germany's Parliament. The SS Men with him placed a torch in his hand, and brought it to the draperies in the main area, starting the fire that ended German Democracy.

Hitler quickly denounced the "Communist Plot" to overthrow Germany and declared a State of Emergency. Unfortunately, the Weimar Constitution had a provision for allowing Rule by Decree in the event of National emergencies, as long as the President signed on. President von Hindenberg was under blackmail by Hitler over corrupt business dealings by his Son, Oskar, who convinced his father to authorize Hitler's Enabling Act, under which he shut down the Parliament, and banned all political parties except the Nazis. (Who remember never got more than 37.3% of the Popular vote in a free election!) He also banned all political newspapers that were associated with those parties, allowing only a few News Agencies to operate for appearances. (Though prohibited from criticizing the government and allowed news only coverage)

And, Hitler from there set about the process of Nazification across the board. Labor, the Army, the Educational system, the Churches and all Media. The new invention of Radio became Hitler's primary propaganda weapon. Every household was given a radio, and it only had one station, which was the Goebbels directed propaganda network of the Nazi Party. The people were dosed with Hitler and Gorbbels 24/7, and nothing else. From there Hitler gradually consolidated power over the Economy, the Army and the Police, and systematically began his Anti-Semitic campaign, leading into the Autumn of 1933.

One of Hitler's and Goebbels' projects was the elimination of what they called "Degenerate Art", or Jewish Art, as they began trying to remake German Culture into a Myth worshipping Cult of Aryan mysticism, with the ultimate goal of wiping out Judaism first, and then Christianity. In June of 1931, the German Art Museum in Munich known as the "Glaspalast", literally the Glass Palace, was burned to the ground by an arsonist, destroying 3,000 precious and priceless Artworks, leaving only 80 to survive. (Possibly the work of Nazi Thugs)

So, Hitler and Goebbels built a replacement called the "House of German Art", which was at the center of a months long Nazi propaganda campaign to relaunch Germany's Artistic superiority, now that it would be free of Jewish influence. A major event was scheduled for October 15, 1933, to dedicate the Cornerstone, and the plan was for Hitler to do it personally, with the entire government leadership, press, (including International press) and dignitaries in attendance. Following is a description of what transpired in an August 2019 article in "Art News" by author Mary M. Lane.

--At the commencement of the museum’s construction, Hitler exclaimed, “May a new German art blossom from the flame that destroyed the old Glaspalast on 6 June 1931, and may the new house offer a sanctuary for centuries!” before grasping a commemorative silver hammer to tap three times on the foundation stone to signal the coming of the Third Reich. It was the propagandistic triumph that Goebbels had anticipated for months. Yet, as the first ping of Hitler’s silver hammer sounded and the cameras rolled, the hammer head wobbled. With the third and final ping, it flew off the handle.

So did Hitler.

He demanded that the press self-censor the debacle and the German media, independent only a few months before, unanimously cowed to pressure, reporting that “the Führer had completed the act of laying the foundation stone with three sharp, silvery strokes.”

The Foundation Stone Ceremony’s comic end became a triumph of sorts for Goebbels, proving how once independent institutions were now complying with policies that he and Hitler had introduced a mere eight months before. Only days before the event, Goebbels had required journalists to join his Reich Press Association, which banned non-Aryans or those married to non-Aryans. In one fell swoop, it transformed journalists into civil servants who could be held legally responsible for tarnishing their government’s reputation. Employing his sly sense of humor, Goebbels referred to this as the “Neue Sachlichkeit,” German for the “new reality,” which also was the name of the art movement to which George Grosz and Otto Dix had belonged.--

Looking at this today with the advantage of perspective, it is important to remember that to most thinking people back in those times, they simply commented on how these were outrages, unhinged behavior, absolutely crazy tantrums, etc. and that this would all be reversed at some point at which Germany could have an election, and vote the Nazis out. What they could not grasp was that the outrages and unhinged behavior, and the sytematic eroding of the Rule of Law, were all carefully and coldly calculated, and strategically conducted. And of course, Germany never did have that "free election". Hitler had spent time in jail, and used it to plan everything he did. He bragged at his trial after the failed Munich Putsch how he would come to power legally under the Weimar Constitution, and then act to destroy it. But every step of the way, people were shocked. "How does he get away with this"? people would ask.

It's like the story of the Frog in the pot of water. If you throw it into a pot of boiling water, the Frog will jump right out. If you put in cold water, then turn up the heat gradually, it will stay in, and cook to death.

That, is roughly where we are. I will never stop reminding people how this all happened before, in order to prevent it from happening again.