Ever read the Reichstag Fire Decree (Germany 1933)?

[unschooler]

This followed the burning of the Reichstag, which was attributed to communist terrorists.

Order of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State

On the basis of Article 48 paragraph 2 of the Constitution of the German Reich, the following is ordered in defense against Communist state-endangering acts of violence:

§ 1. Articles 114, 115, 117, 118, 123, 124 and 153 of the Constitution of the German Reich are suspended until further notice. It is therefore permissible to restrict the rights of personal freedom < habeas corpus >, freedom of opinion, including the freedom of the press, the freedom to organize and assemble, the privacy of postal, telegraphic and telephonic communications, and warrants for house searches, orders for confiscations as well as restrictions on property, are also permissible beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed.

According to wikipedia, The decree was not accompanied by any written guidelines from the Reich government; this omission gave wide latitude in interpreting the decree to Nazis like Göring, who as Prussian interior minister was in authority over the police forces in Germany's largest province.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_Fire_Decree

The recent Garrison Keilor column in Salon mentioned the subsequent Enabling Act that allowed Hitler's "cabinet" to enact laws w/o the involvement of the Reichstag.

[Lasher]

1. And the Reichstag fire is believed to have been set by Hitler's cronies

[TexasLawyer]

2. Those who do not know history

are doomed to repeat it. Thanks, this stuff is important.

[unschooler]

3. I was amazed when I saw the striking parallels....

:scared:

[Daphne08]

5. I've never read it. It is indeed very disconcerting. n/t

[sce56]

4. Remember they were so upset with the CBS minseries the rise of Hitler

back in was it 04?

October 17, 2006,Will be remembered as the Enabling day of the 21st Century!
"The government will make use of these powers only insofar as they are essential for carrying out vitally necessary measures..."
~Adolf Hitler, March 23, 1933, before the German Parliament (Reichstag) as he urged them to pass his "Enabling Act"

Got Fascism Yet?

[tblue]

8. This is scary as hell

Why oh why didn't Feingold or Boxer filibuster?

[unschooler]

13. I don't remember that. Did it get on the air?

[AndyTiedye]

6. It IS Happening Here

[Ezekiel in Exile]

7. "Full powers--or fire and murder!"

HistoryPlace.com has a nice, step-by-step online account of how Hitler went from an interim Chancellor and head of a minority party to absolute dictator in 60 days. They describe the day the Reichstag voted for the Enabling Act:

On March 23, the newly elected Reichstag met in the Kroll Opera House in Berlin to consider passing Hitler's Enabling Act. It was officially called the "Law for Removing the Distress of the People and the Reich." If passed, it would in effect vote democracy out of existence in Germany and establish the legal dictatorship of Adolf Hitler.

Brown-shirted Nazi storm troopers swarmed over the fancy old building in a show of force and as a visible threat. They stood outside, in the hallways and even lined the aisles inside, glaring ominously at anyone who might oppose Hitler's will.

Before the vote, Hitler made a speech in which he pledged to use restraint.

"The government will make use of these powers only insofar as they are essential for carrying out vitally necessary measures...The number of cases in which an internal necessity exists for having recourse to such a law is in itself a limited one," Hitler told the Reichstag.

He also promised an end to unemployment and pledged to promote peace with France, Great Britain and the Soviet Union. But in order to do all this, Hitler said, he first needed the Enabling Act. A two-thirds majority was needed, since the law would actually alter the constitution. Hitler needed 31 non-Nazi votes to pass it. He got those votes from the Catholic Center Party after making a false promise to restore some basic rights already taken away by decree.

Meanwhile, Nazi storm troopers chanted outside: "Full powers - or else! We want the bill - or fire and murder!!"

Sadly, no such tactics were required to get the U. S. Congress to vote for the Military Commissions Act.

I would not be surprised, however, to see something similar next January when the House is called to order and the vote for Speaker is held.

[flamingpie2500]

11. The only difference between Hitler and Bush is Hitler was loved .

[unschooler]

14. Good link. It also shows some parallels to Putin's recentralization

of power in Russia.

[pnorman]

9. Here's that Enabling Act:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enabling_Act


By an odd coincidence, I was just now using that website in a discussion on my union's BBS! It was already in the buffer, so all I had to do was "right-click" and then "paste".

pnorman

[mogster]

10. Chilling

The resemblance to nazism becomes more and more clear. I think the Germans had similar debates as we have, prior to the total takeover - when Hitler came fully out of the closet as dictator. Worries, confusion and doubt.
Of course, we have the advantage of the comparison with their past regime.

[unschooler]

12. "Trust us" is the motto of dictators.

Ironic that the republicans came to power in part by stoking the fires of mistrust of the guv-mint.