Nothing makes noise

Reichstag Fire and 9/11

TAG: essay history politics Reichstag Fire 9/11

Approximately 73 years ago a quite important incident in the terms of political sciences took place in Germany, which is seen as the start of a modern dictatorialship: Reichstag Fire. Internet is full of info about this historical event but to save your lazy soul I'll try to summerize why this event was so important for the past and why is so important for now.

On 27th February 1933, i.e. 2 months after Hitler become Chancellor, the Berlin Reichstag (German Parliament) was set on fire. A Dutch Communist named Marinus van der Lubbe is arrested, later found guilty and executed. One day later, 28th February, President Hindenburg and Chancellor Hitler invoke Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution, which permits the suspension of civil liberties in time of national emergency (sounds familiar?). This Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of the People and State abrogates the following constitutional protections:

• Free expression of opinion
• Freedom of the press
• Right of assembly and association
• Right to privacy of postal and electronic communications
• Protection against unlawful searches and seizures
• Individual property rights
• States' right of self-government

Historians see this incident as one of the main reasons for the beginning of 2nd World War. Although there was a little doubt that van der Lubbe was guilty, historians are not agree on who is actually responsible for the Reichstag Fire: Was van der Lubbe acting alone? Did Communists do it? Or did the Nazis themselves do it in order to create an incident? But regardless of who actually planned and executed the fire, it is clear that the Nazis immediately took advantage of the situation in order to advance their cause at the expense of civil rights. The Decree enabled the Nazis to ruthlessly suppress opposition in the upcoming national election which gave Nazis 44% plurality in the Reichstag. On 24th March 1933 the Reichstag passed the Law for Terminating the Suffering of People and Nation, also known as the Enabling Law , essentially granting Adolph Hitler dictatorial power. For short, the events in 1933 can be summarized as follows:

• While it is not clear whether the Nazis intentionally set the Reichstag fire in order to create a national crisis, or whether the Nazis simply were opportunistic, the event was used as justification for a sharp curtailment in constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties.
• The Nazis took advantage of the additional Federal police powers to suppress opponents.
  It is clear that in other situations, the Nazis did use the tactic of creating a "law and order" crisis so that they could provide a solution which further eroded civil liberties and entrenched their power.
• The right-wing Nazis and the left-wing communists were cut from the same cloth -- the point is not that the far right destroyed civil rights. Rather, the point is that a democracy can be destroyed by creating a law-and-order crisis and offering as a 'solution' the abdication of civil liberties and state's rights to a powerful but unaccountable central authority.

The counter guerilla tactics are used by many governments, it's a well known tool in 20th century to reach political aims. A brief look at the last decades in South East Asia, Middle East and Latin America will provide more than enough examples. If we look at the social-political developments after 9/11, we can see why the Reichstag Fire is so important for now. For the same reasoning, it is not really important who is responsible for 9/11 actually. Whether Al Qaeda and some nutcase Arab terrorists or Pentagon and CIA did it, whether some underground US mob or aliens out of space responsible for it, doesn't really matter. What matter is that the Bush administration evaluated the situation exactly as Hitler did and used all the opportunities (it's also highly possible that Bush himself is a pawn like Hitler). And now, such a short time after 9/11, the biggest military power in the world has control on many countries. It's a known fact that history repeats itself. The current political developments after 9/11 create a kind of domino effect, such as the war on terror, attack on Afghanistan, war in Iraq, increasing terror of Islam fundamentalism in Europe and so on (what is next, Iran?). Even the riots in France in last november and the cartoon crisis in Europe and Islamic world in past weeks should be analysed under these circumstances. It's obvious that the values of western civilization are in crisis. The last court case in Austria about the British researcher/historian and Holocaust denier David Irving's arrestment also makes us think about subjects like freedom of speech, states' and individual rights.

At this point we should also consider another historical fact; after 2nd World War America had collected many academicians from Nazi Germany, not only in the areas of technology and science but also philosophy, psychology, political sciences etc., and these people were placed in higher positions. After that America had took of many formulated scenario's which could be used in many area's in the society, also in the political arena. We can say that the tactical book of America, the pragmatic way of thinking which made America a world power, was generated by these academicians (maybe therefore it's not strange to see the similarities in international politics between US and Nazi Germany). Are we heading to a dictatorial world state which we are not aware of it? This should take some degree of importance without falling into the realm of complot and conspiracy theories. The humanistic, rationalistic thinking must be the only guidance for us.

Actually I was thinking to write a post about an art work of Rene Magritte, but this just came to my mind. Anyway, later then..

Noise made by . nothing .