from Hacker News

What the Press Got Wrong About Hitler

by cyberlurker on 3/22/25, 3:29 PM with 32 comments

  • by lysace on 3/22/25, 3:47 PM

    We presume that things that have been stable for hundreds of years will continue to be stable by just some sheer force of history. This is a falsehood.

    See also: the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_effect

    > The Lindy effect (also known as Lindy's law) is a theorized phenomenon by which the future life expectancy of some non-perishable things, like a technology or an idea, is proportional to their current age.

  • by lysace on 3/22/25, 3:38 PM

  • by smrtinsert on 3/22/25, 5:26 PM

    After reading this article read up on the constitutional flaws in the Weimar Republic. It is fascinating to see how a country can be ultimately brought down by its own legal structure if it's not designed well.

  • by iJohnDoe on 3/23/25, 3:54 AM

    Great article. One classic lesson here is, “Don’t underestimate your opponent.” A powerful opponent is one where they are aware they are being underestimated.

    Everyone thought he was a “comical figure”. A lot of people said Trump wouldn’t win. Well, they were a bit surprised.

    The scary thing this time is that more women voters and more democrats needed to get out and vote for Harrison. Failed opportunity. The second scary thing is we see everything happening in real-time with all the knowledge of the past and those in power aren’t doing enough. Second failed opportunity.

  • by jaybrendansmith on 3/22/25, 7:48 PM

    At what point do we fight or flee?

  • by InTheArena on 3/22/25, 5:00 PM

    I read another article by this author recently it wasn’t impressed, but this is a pretty impressive piece.

    The one thing I wish the author went into is the piece: Why is it that people dismissed Hitler with their stereotype of “the small man“ ?

    I would argue that it was because of confirmation biases and an overwhelming sense that everyone saw the world the same way that they did, and anyone who did not was not worth taking seriously. They saw the benefits of individual rights, liberalism and socialism.

    This is especially important because Hitler’s appeal was rooted and rejecting the international order. Rejecting how far Europe in general, and Germany in particular had fallen.

    He saw how the economic order that was so catastrophic to the Germans and connected with Germans who were already disenchanted with liberal and press elites.

    The fact that he really did not have any solutions other than scapegoating and war for each of those things didn’t really matter because he saw and tapped into anger that others ignored. That made them adore him.

    I think the Hitler and Trump comparisons are catastrophic bad and misplaced (you can easily convince me of more parallels to Mussolini) - but in this sense, I think ithe comparison here makes easier to understand why Trump supporters see the bile and disregard that the media and political opponents as badges of honor - they increase, not decrease their adoration of him.

  • by dom96 on 3/22/25, 4:34 PM

    I read this and it offers no lessons at all. Just seems to be a retelling of the history. So the title of this article seems like click bait, unless I missed something.