This week in my American History class we have been studying the the New Deal. As we deciphered all the alphabet agencies and reached the late 1930’s, we were able to conclude that while all those programs did help get America back to work, it was ultimately the massive armament for the Second World War which truly brought the country back from the brink of massive social and economic ruin. As a precursor to next week’s lesson, World War II, we looked briefly at the situation in Weimar Germany during the 1930s.

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As Germany had been destroyed during the first World War and the Treaty of Versailes imposed extremely harsh punishments on the nation, its economy was never able to regain footing. As a result, the tenuous ability of the Weimar government to maintain control and win the confidence of the populace was destroyed as the depression’s effects were felt worldwide. In this void, Hitler was able to gain a following among the German people by presenting himself as savior of the nation and architect of a great German revival. Just one month after he was sworn in as Chancellor, the Reichstag was destroyed by fire. Blaming the fire on Communists, Hitler and President von Hindenburg were able to pass a sweeping decree suspending many constitutional liberties. This decree was predicated on the assumption that Communist violence against the state posed a danger to public safety, and thus appropriate measures needed to be taken to counter this threat. The decree abolished: habeas corpus, freedom of speech, press and the right to protest, and privacy rights for postal and electronic communications. Legislation following soon thereafter granted expanded powers to the executive (Hitler,) allowing it to create new laws and amend the Constitution as it saw fit, without the approval of the Reichstag. Though these powers, granted in response to a specific Communist threat, were to last for only four years, they continued until the end of the Second World War.

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The American economy had been destroyed by globalization, and as a result, people began to lose faith in the ability of government to protect their interests. In this time of uncertainty, George W. Bush was able to strike a chord in many Americans by promising a great cultural and spiritual revival. Just half a year after his election as President, the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked. Blaming the attacks on terrorists, Bush and a compliant Congress passed the Patriot Act, curtailing many of Americans’ constitutional rights. Habeas Corpus was denied to individuals held on terrorism charges, a massive extra-judicial wiretapping effort against the American people was undertaken, and the executive branch continued to exercise powers in contravention of Congress’ wishes through signing statements. Although many of the key components of the Patriot Act were written to expire in four years, it has since been twice renewed and remains the law of the land…

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Next Post – PNAC, 9/11, and the New Pearl Harbor