# Could A European Dictator Like Hitler Emerge? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 15, 2015, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-european-dictator-like-hitler-emerge/725240 "2015-07-15T16:09:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-european-dictator-like-hitler-emerge/725240/61 "2015-07-20T09:14:08Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > I don’t think anyone’s brought it up yet, but for a time Greece was run by a Fascist Junta, called “the Black Colonels” so they’ve already had this happen. And very recently Golden Dawn became majorly popular. And those guys are bona fide, old skool fascists. ---
**Author:** ![RagingxMarmoset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@RagingxMarmoset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RagingxMarmoset)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-european-dictator-like-hitler-emerge/725240/62 "2015-07-20T14:52:35Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > You are making the capital mistake of confusing the future with the present. What counts is not current usage, but potential usage. Germany – due to various manpower, location, and economic issues – has the potential to harm Europe in such a way that only Russia can equal. I have no doubt that Germany could do serious economic damage in Europe, but I remember reading that we (United States) had serious concerns that they would not be able to meet their NATO obligations. Germany’s defense spending is among the lowest of all developed nations. Cite, cite, cite. Everything useful is blocked at work. I’ll have to back this up when I get home. Edit: Germany’s defense spending as a percentage of GDP. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-european-dictator-like-hitler-emerge/725240/63 "2015-07-20T15:49:26Z")
The Dutch are just biding their time. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-european-dictator-like-hitler-emerge/725240/64 "2015-07-20T16:58:44Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > So your are OK with asinine lefty comments but annoyed by asinine righty comments? Point out where I said that. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-european-dictator-like-hitler-emerge/725240/65 "2015-07-20T17:08:50Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Point out where I said that. You congratulated SDMB posters for their not mentioning Obama but overlooked the mentions of Trump, Rubio and Texans. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-european-dictator-like-hitler-emerge/725240/66 "2015-07-20T17:37:29Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > No, mostly. German Nazi era antisemitism has its roots in their misunderstanding of genetics and biology. Not to be picky, but German anti-Semitism had its **roots** in, well, Nazism and Europe’s long history of picking on Jews. The “scientific” justifications came after. Nazism inherently requires conflict between races and nations; the Nazis were going to pick on someone, and the Jews were a popular and convenient target (as were the Roma, though people don’t talk about that as much because they’re still despised in Europe.) They would have thrown some pseudoscience on whatever internal enemy was convenient. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-european-dictator-like-hitler-emerge/725240/67 "2015-07-20T18:21:39Z")
German antisemitism predated Naziism by decades. The Roma werent a target of prewar Naziism because they werent part of the greater German population. The scientific roots of antisemitism werent seen as psuedoscience then. It was a product of their understanding of genetics and eugenics and was embraced by some of the leading intellectuals inside and outside Germany. Jews were also despised by some others because of their association with the Weimar government and leftist politics. ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-european-dictator-like-hitler-emerge/725240/68 "2015-07-20T19:09:52Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > No, mostly. German Nazi era antisemitism has its roots in their misunderstanding of genetics and biology. They considered Jews to be the other and a cancer on the German people. Its a concept that is hard for Americans and Westerners to understand. The (Nazi) Germans considered themselves to be a unique people and be that the state and all its resources should be put to the service of the people. There was no room for any outsiders. > > Also antisemitic was a powerful force in both German and Austrian intellectual circles since the 19th century. > [@madsircool](#): > > German antisemitism predated Naziism by decades. > > The Roma werent a target of prewar Naziism because they werent part of the greater German population. The scientific roots of antisemitism werent seen as psuedoscience then. It was a product of their understanding of genetics and eugenics and was embraced by some of the leading intellectuals inside and outside Germany. Jews were also despised by some others because of their association with the Weimar government and leftist politics. I was speaking to the importance of economic hardship in Hitler’s rise to power. I do understand the concept of “the other”; I lost family to the Nazis in France and Greece. But every group either has an historical “other”, or the capacity to invent one, but it is most likely to be acted upon in times of hardship. As was mentioned, the Jews (and the other victims) were convenient scapegoats throughout history; the hardships imposed on Germany by the reparations and the depression created a confluence of motivations to accept the extreme measures the Nazis adopted. I don’t seriously believe that Donald Trump is the next Hitler, but I am mindful of the circumstances that can lead to the popular acceptance of extremist politics. For every paranoid or conspiracy theorist, there are people like **XT** or **John Mace** , who want to wait for more evidence - the “It can’t happen here” rationale. Most of the time they are correct, but under the right circumstances, it can happen anywhere. How many Jews in Germany didn’t take it seriously until it was too late, even though they were all too familiar with historical antisemitism? In Greece today, for example: If Syriza falls and the economy get worse, the chances of Golden Dawn taking power are increased; not because most Greeks are fascists, but because they will be desperate for a solution. ---
**Author:** ![Haberdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Haberdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haberdash)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-european-dictator-like-hitler-emerge/725240/69 "2015-07-20T20:00:30Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Color me pleasantly surprised. I would have thought in a thread about the rise of a new Hitler someone would have made an asinine Obama comment by now. > I apologize for underestimating the fine people of the SDMB. Obama isn’t Hitler. Putin is Hitler. Obama is Chamberlain. > [@camille](#): > > I was speaking to the importance of economic hardship in Hitler’s rise to power. The whole world went through the Depression. Any attempt to put the blame on anything except the cowardice and rot at the center of German culture will not succeed, because it requires ignoring all the countries that didn’t respond to “economic hardship” by starting World War II and the Holocaust. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-european-dictator-like-hitler-emerge/725240/70 "2015-07-20T20:09:13Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > You congratulated SDMB posters for their not mentioning Obama but overlooked the mentions of Trump, Rubio and Texans. I didn’t look for examples of Trump, Rubio, or Texans. I’ll admit I did not do a thorough critique of the entire thread but that was never my intention. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-european-dictator-like-hitler-emerge/725240/71 "2015-07-20T22:56:46Z")
I think the Nazi party was unique-when you look at those Nuremburg rallies, you realize the participants are loving it-Naziism was a religion, and a big part of it was the fanatical loyalty to Hitler. I don’t see any movement like that anywhere, now. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-european-dictator-like-hitler-emerge/725240/72 "2015-07-23T01:50:58Z")
> [@Hiker](#): > > If you are looking for a dictator in Europe, the prime candidate would probably be Alexander Lukashenko of [Belarus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus#Governance). The government in Russia clearly is showing authoritarian traits, but not yet enough to be called a dictatorship in my opinion. I do, however, agree with the “potential to be one down the road”. True, but Alexander Lukashenko has not invaded another country or even made hints of aggression since he came to power in 1994. He is a dictator who oppresses people and harasses the opposition, a nasty man. But Belarus is not a threat to Europe. Vladimir Putin controls a large power, and his track record with Ukraine and Georgia give him potential for being a danger down the line. Overall to answer the question I would say it unlikely, we may see some far left or right people elected but dictators unlikely. The systems are democratic and any unconstitutional moves by the a wannabe dictator will be grounds for impeachment, and their own parties will bring down parliament causing elections to be called. Europe is a different time than before WWII. Russia could be a danger because it is not a democracy and there are no systems to put Putin in check. Not so in Greece or any other EU nation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-european-dictator-like-hitler-emerge/725240.md?page=3)