Does political hatred follow a pattern?

While watching the political events of the last few weeks, I am reminded of a historical event about 88 years ago. The Reichstag of Berlin was subjected to an arson attack. Chancellor Hitler and his compatriots in the German Parliament "investigated" and concluded the socialists were to blame for the destruction.

Historians disagree and believe the Nazi Party actually committed the crime (so much so, that the German government in 2009 exonerated the lone convicted person.) But this gave the chancellor and his party the groundwork to drum up a song of patriotism and a drumbeat to oppose anyone who opposed them.

The success included a 50,000 civilian army of "patriots" more commonly known as storm troopers. They built support for their legislative course, including registration of Catholics and Jews, who were considered sympathetic to the socialists but not true. The catapult for the Aryan dogma began.

These were the first steps when a simple party name of two syllables with two consonants and two vowels became feared throughout the world. I wonder if history actually repeats itself or this is just the pattern of the human condition. But, to quote Edmund Burke "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."

James Dixon

Lake in the Hills