Lessons from the Reichstag Fire

Most Americans are future-oriented. We prefer to look ahead rather than back. As a result, many of us are uncomfortable with history. Sadly, we fail to learn important lessons because we believe them irrelevant.
One of these lessons harks back to the rise of Adolf Hitler. Many of us forget that he was legally appointed German Chancellor. He did not begin to assume dictatorial powers until about a month later. It was only then that he parlayed the Reichstag fire into personal rule.
Much to everyone’s surprise, the Reichstag, that is, the German parliament, suddenly went up in flames. The nation was shocked. No one knew who did it. This did not matter to Hitler. He blamed the conflagration on the communists. They were trying to overthrow the government and had to be stopped. Almost immediately, he went to President Hindenburg asking for a decree to address the emergency. Under the Weimar constitution, it was granted.
Abruptly, Hitler was able to abrogate free speech, the free press, the right of assembly, and property rights. Within weeks, he used these powers to exclude the communists and socialists from the parliament. This gave him a rubber stamp to do whatever he desired—which he soon did.
Hitler’s strategy was three-fold. First, he fanned the flames of crisis. There was an emergency and something had to be done. Second, he demonized his enemies. The communists and socialists were to blame; hence they had to be neutralized. Third, he instituted irreversible changes. With his Brown Shirts leading the way, he immediately clamped down on free speech, the free press, and so forth. Soon he was in complete control.
Although Barack Obama is no Adolf Hitler—he has no plans for concentration camps or for an international war—he too understands how to manipulate a crisis. He began his administration by fanning the flames of our financial crisis. It was, he insisted, no mere recession; it was an emergency comparable to the Great Depression. Something had to be done! Right away!
Second, he demonized his opponents. The problem had been caused by the capitalists and, more particularly, by the Wall Street financiers. They were greedy and needed to have their appetites curbed. As for the Republicans, they had no solutions worthy of being considered. Nor did the private citizens who protested his programs. They were potential terrorists who had to be watched lest they get out of hand.
Third, he proposed irreversible changes. A stimulus package, however large, would not be enough to fix the problem. He would have to address the emergency by drastically changing how education, health, and energy were administered. It was essential to bring all of these under greater government control. Although there was no evidence that any of these were implicated in the financial crisis, he insisted that only greater federal involvement would overcome it.
At no point did Obama and his allies admit complicity in the problem. At no point did they even explain how their proposed answers would achieve the stated goals. The point was to act as quickly as possible. Only this would allow them to bring about the changes they sought.
Except, the Reichstag is not burning. Nor is a senile Paul von Hindenburg in charge of interpreting the constitution. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid may aid Obama with legislative gimmicks, but the legislators are up for election in a scant year and a half. With concerted action, their leaders can be stopped before they alter our government beyond recognition.
The trick is for those of us who believe in representative democracy to recognize what is going on and to refuse to be rattled. Our current crisis, such as it is, is largely artificial. We must see it for what it is.
Melvyn L. Fein. Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Kennesaw State University