Amnesty: ‘divisive politics at 1930s levels’

The report was damning. After assessing the state of human rights in 159 countries, yesterday Amnesty International concluded that in 2016: “Blame, hate and fear took on a global prominence to a level not seen since the 1930s.”

From Donald Trump in the USA to Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, “anti-establishment” politicians have a “toxic agenda that hounds, scapegoats and dehumanizes entire groups of people.” This, the report said, “threatens to unleash the darkest aspects of human nature”.

Amnesty is not the first to make this comparison. In November last year, a Holocaust survivor said that she had “seen this once before”, referring to Austria’s far-right party. In December, Prince Charles warned Britain that rising populism had “disturbing echoes” of the 1930s. And earlier this month, one of Adolf Hitler’s biographers argued that Trump’s campaign rhetoric was taken straight from the “playbook” Mein Kampf.

There is a long-held “law” of internet comments that whoever invokes Hitler during an argument instantly loses. But these latest warnings come from respected, thoughtful voices. So are they right?

Arguably, the defining feature of the 1930s was the Great Depression. This was felt all over the world, and high unemployment fuelled the rise of fascism in Europe. In 2017, the world is also recovering from a global financial crisis — but while Germany’s GDP fell by 30% after 1929, today the economies of most Western countries are growing.

But what of fascism? In the 1930s, Europe’s most dangerous politicians evoked a mix of nationalism, “strong man” personalities, nostalgia for the past, and a disdain for elites. They claimed to speak for “the people” while turning them against each other. Many of these trends may sound familiar.

Yet others note the lack of extreme violence and censorship in today’s populist movements. Trump is not Hitler. Instead, the historian Simon Schama described him as an “entertainment fascist”.

Repeating in rhymes

Clearly the specific events of the 1930s are not being repeated. But many fear that the political mood is similar all the same. Even the demonisation of the media as “fake news” echoes Hitler’s hatred of the “lügenpresse”. We must listen to Amnesty, say some, and learn the lessons of history before it is too late — and 1930s tensions erupt into 1940s horror.

Do not get carried away, warn cautious observers. People have also likened the current moment to the culture wars of the 1960s, and the populism of the late 1800s. History is important, and comparing the past to the age we live in now is always worthwhile. But it cannot give us the whole story — and 2017 is thankfully still a long way from the violence of 1939.