American Nazis: The 1930s, II
Interview with Bradley Hart, Review of "Hitler's American Friends"
NEWS
German far-right extremism is on the rise and Holocaust memorial sites have subsequently reported an increase in Nazi-themed vandalism.
Canadian parliament gave two standing ovations to a Ukrainian veteran who fought Russia in WW2 but it turns out he fought as a Nazi Waffen-SS member.
Yaroslav Hunka was sent to the Eastern Front after Holocaust operations had ended in the area but his unit was implicated in killing Polish civilians.
Iranian youth are turning to communism to organize their revolutionary efforts as the brutal state crackdown on protesters continues.
The protests began one year ago after Mahsa Jina Amini was murdered by police for not wearing her hijab correctly.
The U.S. suspended aid to Gabon after its military takeover last month.
Gabon is rich in oil, timber, a top producer of manganese—used in steel, batteries, fertilizer—and its Port of Libreville is a major hub, making Gabon Africa’s third wealthiest nation, so its problems may have widespread impact.
FEATURE
This week’s theme is Nazism in America during the 1930s. If you missed my column, I recommend starting there for the best experience before tuning in to my interview with this week’s expert on the subject.
American Nazis: The 1930s
This is the first of a 10-part series on Nazism in the United States. Each part will focus on one decade in American history to help shed light on the evolution of the movement within America.
This week I spoke to Bradley W. Hart, professor of media and journalism at California State University, Fresno and author of “Hitler’s American Friends,” about Nazi sympathizers in America during the 1930s and 1940s. Listen to a clip of Hart talking about the Radio Priest, who you will have read about in my column above.
In our conversation, we also talked about major Nazi American movements, the influence of the religious right, the reaction of the U.S. government and American media, and the lessons we can apply to help us navigate political challenges in our time. Here’s the full interview. Enjoy.
Bradley Hart on early Nazi American history
Listen now (54 mins) | Bradley W. Hart is an academic, historian, professor of media and journalism at California State University, Fresno and the author of “Hitler’s American Friends: The Third Reich's Supporters in the United States,” which tells the story of Nazi sympathizers in America during the 1930s and 1940s.
REVIEW
The Nazis were actually more successful than they expected or intended when it came to inspiring Americans to adopt their views. After Hitler’s ascent to the German chancellorship in 1933, the American groups . . . began to spring up spontaneously around the country. Few, if any, received official support from the German government. Some became so embarrassing they were explicitly denounced by the German embassy. Others were deliberately kept at an arm’s length, either because their leaders were disreputable or because the Nazis believed they could actually be more effective if left to their own devices.
How infected with Nazi ideology did American society become in the years leading up to World War II? Did America almost go down the path to fascism? What prevented this from happening and what lessons can we learn in our fight against fascism today?
These are the questions Bradley W. Hart grapples with in his book “Hitler’s American Friends: The Third Reich’s Supporters in the United States,” an exhaustively well-researched account of Nazi sympathizers in America during the 1930s and 1940s.
Hart covers the major Nazi American movements, from the German American Bund to the Silver Shirts, dissecting their ideologies and machinations while providing the kind of granular detail that makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time, allowing the reader to not only visualize street scenes and pub debates but actually grasp the societal reasons for the rise of antisemitic and pro-Nazi sentiments at the time.
Wisely, Hart does not tell this story simply for those interested in this fascinating and terrifying corner of American history, but also uses this history as a lens through which to understand the dangers of political extremism within democracy in our time.
I find this series fascinating. Thank you.
While I have often praised your posts, today I am a bit critical. This conversation, when it turned to current events, seemed to only consider the sins of the right and nothing was made over the sins of the left. Do hold the feet of the right to the fire so to speak, but don't overlook the egregious behavior (not to mention hypocrisy and hubris) of the left.
The left has been equally violent, devisive, and intolerant. They have used the levers of power to try to silence their opponents. They were the ones in 2017 tweeting Not My President, calling that election illegitimate, and rioting in Washington, DC during Trump's inauguration. They have had citizens investigated and harassed by law enforcement for ideological reasons. They used back channels to social media companies to "ask" them to stifle free speech (which they could not legally do themselves - while they were investigating those companies). They have talked of limiting the First Amendment, eliminating the Second, abolishing the Senate, packing the Supreme Court solely to regain their control of that branch for the Democratic Party. They attempted to establish what their critics called The Ministry of Truth to enforce their definition of The Only True and Reliable Science (some of which proved to be scientifically, factually incorrect after contradictory views from doctors and epidemiologists were suppressed in 2020 - 2021).