we should not forget the past
According to the New York Times, only 30% of Millennials believe that it is necessary to live in a democracy. A totalitarian state would be viewed as perhaps no better but also no worse.
That disturbs me but it doesn’t surprise me. It’s been almost 80 years since the outbreak of the Second World War, which was first and foremost a war against totalitarian Fascism. That is a span of four generations if not more. To be sure, during all that time there have been many tense moments, several trials and tribulations to overcome. There have been natural disasters, periods of domestic unrest, several wars, recessions, and scandals. Still, overall it has been a good 80 years for Americans at least. The biggest issues many of us confront are which house to buy, which car to drive and when to upgrade our smart phones.
It was not always this way. The first World War I was a war was about Nationalism and entangling alliances. The second World War would arise from the ashes of the first, and the driving forces within Germany, Italy, Japan would enable the rise of militant fascist totalitarian states and would strengthen the communist totalitarian regime in the Soviet Union. By the 1930's, the growth of Fascism and the spread of Communism threatened the entire world order and lead to the darkest period in modern history. The United States was largely unaffected for a time, but we too were eventually drawn into the world-wide struggle to protect the free world. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, few Americans doubted that nothing less than the very survival of our country was at stake.
After those terrible wars in which several millions lost their lives, most nations were exhausted, many near a state of complete ruin. The US and Russia emerged as the strongest, most powerful nations. For another 40 years these two nations would poke and prod each other due to fundamentally different governing ideologies, each struggling to maintain ascendancy. Gradually Japan, China, and Europe recovered and all have since taken their place in the new world order. America has enjoyed economic growth and technological advancement, guarded by unparalleled military power.
So it's understandable that most Americans today, whom after all never lived through the World Wars, the Great Depression, the Dustbowl, or the Cuban Missile Crisis may not fully understand just how dangerous the world has been in the past, and how narrowly we have averted terrible outcomes. But it also true that we have allowed ourselves to move forward and have chosen to large extent minimize and even forget worst events of the 20th century. This is a huge mistake.
To even think a totalitarian Fascist or Communist state might be a worthwhile alternative to Western Democracy is to be blind with ignorance and numb to human suffering. Before you chose totalitarianism, review history and learn what living within these regimes was really like.
Today, American freedoms, values, institutions and society are under siege like never before. Do not sit back and assume with any certainty that what happened elsewhere cannot happen here. Apathy breeds contempt and fear breeds hatred; these are the foundation for totalitarianism. There are forces today that would lead us down the dark totalitarian path. But study history, learn its lessons, and then stand up! Use your voice and be counted! Take your country back! Exercise your rights and protect your freedoms. With courage and common sense the vanguard of darkness can be defeated.