The Correlation Between the Weimar Republic and Trump's Policies

First, I apologize if some of my work is lacking in certain areas. I wasn’t here for 2 of the days we studied genocides, so my knowledge is mainly based on google searches and past knowledge. What does learning about the choices people made during the Weimar Republic, the rise of the Nazi Party, and the Holocaust teach us about the power and impact of our choices today? The decisions made during these times teaches us that our choices have impacts which extend past our own circle, whether or not they indirectly affect us, and the extent of our willingness to actively participate in these choices can dictate their overall outcomes. To elucidate, the choices of each individual matter, because they will ultimately shape the world.

The Weimar Republic was Germany’s republic government that was accountable for its people following the end of World War I. The Weimar Republic’s new constitutions granted stronger rights and freedoms to individuals and groups within Germany. However, the people’s confidence in the government was weak due to the economic crises among other challenges that followed. The Weimar Republic served to be a democratic government, but its foundation demonstrates the fragility of democracy. Democracy roots itself upon the people of the government as well as its citizens. In situations where both parties are actively participating, leaders are held accountable for their actions, the nation’s institutions are strengthened, and citizens involve themselves in speaking up against injustices rather than watching them unfold from the sidelines. By analyzing the weaknesses in the Weimar Republic, individuals today can recognize components a country requires for an efficient government. To me, a failing government can be seen in China. China has one of the most dangerous conditions for ethnic repression of an advanced country. The country possesses a non-democratic authority, a history of being oppressed which prevents guilt from past ethnic crimes, and sprinkles of individuals filled of nationalism and spectatorship. More than a million Chinese Muslims are detained in internment camps where they are to be re-educated. These people are dehumanized and persecuted, and many Chinese citizens are left to overlook it because they agree on the basis of re-education, or are afraid to speak out. This sheds a light on what Chinese citizens must do, in collectively opposing their government’s actions, but it should not go without our help. We have the power to raise attention to the situation of Muslims in China and have the ability to ask for our own governments to assist. China should not be able to pursue their actions if there is international involvement, and it should be said that economic gain must be disregarded when in pursuit of the safety of another group. (I say this because of what occurred in the Abyssinian Crisis with Britain/France.)

The rise of the Nazi Party teaches the power certain people possess when they capitalize on the anger and resentment of individuals in a country. Hitler promised to restore Germany’s power in the world and pride in their own nation, which many Germans saw as a stronger alternative to the Weimar Republic. The rise of the Nazi Party demonstrated how individuals chose to follow Hitler’s prejudice ideas as he’d help promote nationalistic attributes of superiority. When Donald Trump proposed the idea of building a wall, in a way it resembled Hitler’s ideas. Donald Trump voiced how the illegal immigration of Mexicans affected the economy of the United States. 'True' Americans were losing their jobs, and Mexicans created unsafe environments. Donald Trump classified Mexicans, discriminated against them, and deported many. His supporters believed in this because by keeping them out, it showcased America’s superiority. That they’re these powerful humans in need of expressing strength and keeping aliens out. But to contrast, many US citizens disagree with the construction of a wall, because it would create division between two groups. You see, Hitler was able to manipulate the Germans by collectively securing their interests. In his radical ideas of expressing hate towards Jews, he defined them as a single category of individuals with fixed characteristics. This mimics Donald Trump in how he tries to define Mexicans as these evil workers sent to take away the jobs of Americans. But, the greatest distinction between the two lays in the people. Citizens agree that by building a wall, it will do the opposite of uniting the nation. Collectively, people voice their opinions on Donald Trump’s actions, which cannot go without backlash. This demonstrates the positive impact our choices can make as they boulder up to counter the injustices of a political leader.

The Holocaust stressed the philosophies of lebensraum, where Germans believed they needed more living space. And in order to achieve this space, they would need to empty it of their ‘inferior’ races. In doing so, the power of the Nazi Party had escalated to a point where many groups being irradiated could not physically resist, so they focused on spiritual resistance in which they tried to maintain a sense of identity and faith within a dehumanizing environment. This can be seen in the Canadian colonization of Indigenous people. The Indigenous people show parallels to the victims of the Holocaust. Much like victims of Holocaust, the Indigenous relied on the spiritual resistance of a group. They tried to keep intact any pieces of their culture and identity following residential schools. And due to clear blindness, the Indigenous people were classified, discriminated, and exterminated. These are all attributes of a genocide. Yet even these affects still linger as many Canadians deny the past events as a genocide, and the Indigenous people are continuously faced with hardships surrounding economic crises and racism. It even goes as far as historical museums in Canada refraining from referring to residential schools as a clear genocide, or Stephen Harper coating Canada as a country free of traces from colonization. The case of the Indigenous people perfectly showcases how as a collective we must raise awareness and acknowledge the wrongdoings of Canadians, while offering ways in order to elude them from a cycle of victimized colonization. This is emphasized especially in cases where political leaders and certain businesses decide to disregard or deny them in order to preserve a positive self-image.