Opinion | Flag wars: symbols of undying support

How Nazi Germany set a path for modern America and Trump to follow

Sam Andrus, Photo Editor, political science major

In one of my political science classes this semester I was tasked with reading Peter Fritzsche’s “Hitler’s First Hundred Days.” The book is a historical account of Adolf Hitler’s initial 100 days in power beginning Jan. 30, 1933. It is composed of historical accounts melded with first-hand perspectives from various German letters, diary entries and other forms of written experience. 

The book was striking in itself. Yet the most striking thing of all was the clear similarities I observed between Hitler and President* Donald Trump.

The list of comparisons is truly staggering. I would never dare to accuse a sitting president* of copying Hitler’s playbook, but if that’s what Trump is doing, he’s executing it near-flawlessly.

Hitler’s reactionary “us” and “them” logic can be found in many of Trump’s speeches. Meanwhile, Trump’s “America first” ideology parallels the Germans’ own nationalism. The most dangerous aspect of this type of personality-cult-politics is the effect it has on the people. 

During the 1932 election, which Hitler would lose to Paul von Hindenburg despite coming to power later on, the people of Germany showed their support by hanging political flags of choice out of their apartment windows. One of the chapters in Fritzsche’s book calls this the “flag war,” the most common being the Nazi, social democrat and communist flags. The flag war turned neighbor against neighbor – much like the flag war of today. 

Neighbors living next to someone with a Make America Great Again flag may feel obligated to separate themselves by displaying a Biden flag, or vice versa. This obligation to conformity is explained in Timothy Snyder’s “On Tyranny.” Citizens will display signs of loyalty, even if they do not personally believe in them, because when the public sphere is covered in signs of loyalty, not showing support becomes isolating.

Just like the Germans of 1932, we have been forced to display symbols of loyalty, whether it be out of actual enthusiasm for Trump or Biden or simply out of spite against political opponents. Symbols of support for Trump and Biden are not far from any household. Flags of “Trump 2020” or “Biden-Harris” adorn the bannisters and window panes of people we may have once considered to be friendly, before learning their political loyalties. The “flag wars” of modern day suggest a chilling comparison to Nazi Germany that truly makes me wonder whether America will continue to follow in that rhetoric’s footsteps. 

Columnist’s disclaimer: The asterisk after the word “president” is not a typo but rather a reference to Donald Trump’s impeachment and to differentiate him from an actual president, lest the word lose its meaning entirely.