Holocaust Museum Shares 14 Signs Of Fascism In Its Early Stages, People Now See A Connection To The Current State of US Politics
A few years back, the gift shop of The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum used to sell this poster with 14 early signs of fascism listed on it. Apparently, the list was originally created by self-proclaimed amateur historian Laurence Britt in 2003 for an article published by Free Inquiry magazine. Even though the gift shop of the museum doesn’t sell this poster anymore, it still goes viral on the internet every once in a while. Why, you ask? Apparently, people find it particularly familiar at this point in American politics.
Here are 14 early signs of fascism by Laurence Britt
Image credits: TuEstUnePommeDeTerre
The poster lists 14 warning signs including powerful and continuing nationalism, disdain for human rights, identification of enemies as a unifying cause, rampant sexism, controlled mass media, obsession with national security, religion and government intertwined, corporate power protected, labor power suppressed, disdain for intellectuals and the arts, and obsession with crime and punishment as well as rampant cronyism and corruption.
“Laurence W. Britt wrote about the common signs of fascism in April 2003, after researching seven fascist regimes,” the note reads
Image credits: TuEstUnePommeDeTerre
Some people on the interwebs find these signs particularly familiar at this point in American politics
Image credits: ndla
For instance, the first early sign of fascism is described as powerful and continuing nationalism. Do we even need to talk about this one? Donald Trump’s slogans such as “America First!” or “Make America Great Again!” are well-known for being his favorite ones. Besides, back in 2018, at a campaign event in Houston, Trump said this: “You know, they have a word, it sort of became old-fashioned. It’s called a nationalist. And I say, ‘Really? We’re not supposed to use that word?’ You know what I am? I’m a nationalist. OK? I’m a nationalist.”
“Catchy slogans, pride in the military, and demands for unity were common themes in expressing this nationalism. It was usually coupled with a suspicion of things foreign that often bordered on xenophobia,” Laurence Britt writes in his article.
Image credits: photolibrarian
“The most significant common thread among these regimes was the use of scapegoating as a means to divert the people’s attention from other problems, to shift blame for failures, and to channel frustration in controlled directions,” Laurence Britt writes in his article. People have been pointing out that Trump always finds a way to blame others for the things happening in the country. For instance, the president has been placing blame for the pandemic outside the United States on the Chinese government and the World Health Organisation.
Moreover, it’s not a secret to anyone that Trump has said and written many things that were quite sexist, to say the least. From referring to a former porn actress who he allegedly had an affair with as “Horseface” to alleging that cable TV anchor Mika Brzezinski was “bleeding badly from a face-lift,” the list goes on.
You can read the full Britt’s article here.
Image credits: Wikimedia Commons
The author ends his article by saying this: “Does any of this ring alarm bells? Of course not. After all, this is America, officially a democracy with the rule of law, a constitution, a free press, honest elections, and a well-informed public constantly being put on guard against evils. Historical comparisons like these are just exercises in verbal gymnastics. Maybe, maybe not.”
Here’s how people have been reacting to this poster
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We are suppose to learn from history. We never do. It is so sad and frightening
It's because individuals are intelligent, but groups are not.
That's because the "winners" always write history as they see fit and thus, we never learn from actual history since you know, we always rewrite it. This is 1984 stuff right there. We're at war with Iraq! Next week "we've always been at war with China, what are you talking about?".
How can children learn when history is no longer taught in our schools? Only revisionist history is allowed, lies and propaganda and hate for America. In 1956, Russian Communist leader Nikita Khrushchev stated "we will take over America without firing a shot". And indeed, they have done just that courtesy of leftist teachers whose goal was not educating their charges but indoctrinating them.
Amen. To add to the problem of ignorance, the Left + many liberals do not read, or refuse to read anything but opinion + "history" by those with a left bias. We have generations of young adults + teens completely brainwashed into thinking communism is a great thing. Clueless. I had to break out of my own leftist brainwash 4 years ago. Once u do yr own balanced research, you can't be a dumb (dangerous) leftie again. Ppl who hate Trump seriously have not looked at the alternatives like Clinton + Biden (serial sexual groper of women + kids, + on camera!).
Corporate protection, labor suppression, and military supremacy have all been going on well before the Orange Sh*thead was voted into office. So has disdain for the arts--anyone else remember the funding cuts specifically targeting those programs in our education system some years back because they're "unnecessary"? National security is also nothing new, nor the religion and government bit. America has had signs of fascism interwoven into its system for a long time--Trump has merely amplified what was already there. And if he isn't voted out of office now, things will only get worse from here.
Its not going to matter who wins. Don't you get it? Its 6 one way 1/2 a dozen another. Trump didn't create these problems and he hasn't help solve them either but neither has anyone that has been in office. I think its funny win people see a smart child and go maybe one day they will be president. Please intelligence is not a prerequisite for the office look at the list of presidents start just with Bush Sr, all the way to now Trump way to go America some real winners. And then you have the jokers in the house and Senate don't even get me start on them. They are where the real problem is. I don't see America recovering from this because you either get Trump or Biden its a lose/lose. WTF
Leah idk who is downvoting this bc ur right. It's going to be so hard to fix what has been outed in these 4 years. I now know who is toxic I will never forget but we are getting better if we keep voting progressive. We can't keep going backwards
If you truly believe there is no difference between the two parties in the US, I advise you to leave. This isn't me asking you to leave. You're welcome to stay. I just question the wisdom of staying in a location on an apparently unavoidable track to nazi equivalency. I personally believe we have at least a fighting chance of keeping that nonsense at least partially suppressed.
I live in Poland and I can check all of them. It's like 1930s in Germany here...
What's happening in Poland? I know I could google search...
We are suppose to learn from history. We never do. It is so sad and frightening
It's because individuals are intelligent, but groups are not.
That's because the "winners" always write history as they see fit and thus, we never learn from actual history since you know, we always rewrite it. This is 1984 stuff right there. We're at war with Iraq! Next week "we've always been at war with China, what are you talking about?".
How can children learn when history is no longer taught in our schools? Only revisionist history is allowed, lies and propaganda and hate for America. In 1956, Russian Communist leader Nikita Khrushchev stated "we will take over America without firing a shot". And indeed, they have done just that courtesy of leftist teachers whose goal was not educating their charges but indoctrinating them.
Amen. To add to the problem of ignorance, the Left + many liberals do not read, or refuse to read anything but opinion + "history" by those with a left bias. We have generations of young adults + teens completely brainwashed into thinking communism is a great thing. Clueless. I had to break out of my own leftist brainwash 4 years ago. Once u do yr own balanced research, you can't be a dumb (dangerous) leftie again. Ppl who hate Trump seriously have not looked at the alternatives like Clinton + Biden (serial sexual groper of women + kids, + on camera!).
Corporate protection, labor suppression, and military supremacy have all been going on well before the Orange Sh*thead was voted into office. So has disdain for the arts--anyone else remember the funding cuts specifically targeting those programs in our education system some years back because they're "unnecessary"? National security is also nothing new, nor the religion and government bit. America has had signs of fascism interwoven into its system for a long time--Trump has merely amplified what was already there. And if he isn't voted out of office now, things will only get worse from here.
Its not going to matter who wins. Don't you get it? Its 6 one way 1/2 a dozen another. Trump didn't create these problems and he hasn't help solve them either but neither has anyone that has been in office. I think its funny win people see a smart child and go maybe one day they will be president. Please intelligence is not a prerequisite for the office look at the list of presidents start just with Bush Sr, all the way to now Trump way to go America some real winners. And then you have the jokers in the house and Senate don't even get me start on them. They are where the real problem is. I don't see America recovering from this because you either get Trump or Biden its a lose/lose. WTF
Leah idk who is downvoting this bc ur right. It's going to be so hard to fix what has been outed in these 4 years. I now know who is toxic I will never forget but we are getting better if we keep voting progressive. We can't keep going backwards
If you truly believe there is no difference between the two parties in the US, I advise you to leave. This isn't me asking you to leave. You're welcome to stay. I just question the wisdom of staying in a location on an apparently unavoidable track to nazi equivalency. I personally believe we have at least a fighting chance of keeping that nonsense at least partially suppressed.
I live in Poland and I can check all of them. It's like 1930s in Germany here...
What's happening in Poland? I know I could google search...