John Kampfner in The Times reflects on the significance of Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” . Here is my view:
There is a direct comparison between Mein Kampf and today’s politics – the overwhelming presence of a blame culture. Politicians of almost all persuasions, and their followers, see a problem and seek someone to blame. Hitler’s rise was constructed on this premise. His early political life, for which Mein Kampf was the instruction manual, told Germans to hate – and to blame the Jews for everything.
Donald Trump uses the blame culture all the time and, like Hitler, links it to an overt narrow nationalism. This nationalism, again like in the Third Reich, is strongly promoted by symbolism. The two tall flagpoles on the White House are modern vestiges of Nuremberg Rally symbols.
The interwar years presented strong challenges to all nations but especially to Germany. In fact the Weimar Republic could probably have succeeded had it not been for the Wall Street crash of 1929. But economic collapse was just the evidence Hitler needed. The “What have we got to lose” imperative propelled Hitler to power, as it has twice for Trump.
The blame culture is driven by mendacity. Goebbels knew that if you keep repeating a lie people will come to believe it. So did, and do, the promoters of Brexit – another example of the blame culture. Those who spread the pro Brexit lies always did so in a Union Jack displaying situation. The raw nationalism did persuade sufficient voters. As it had for the author of Mein Kampf.
The apparent rise of Reform , untested as yet in a national election, is another example of overwhelmingly negative campaigning and the blame culture. And of a Goebbels type mendacity. As with Trump those who are culturally and racially different from the White Anglo Saxon Protestant majority are blamed. And symbolism. Reform chairman Zia Yusuf announced that “Reform-controlled English councils will move at speed to resolve that the only flags permitted to be flown on or in its buildings will be the Union Jack and St George’s flag”.
In 1997 the BBC documentary “The Nazis: A Warning from History” examined Adolf Hitler and the Nazis‘ rise to power in Germany. The title was unequivocal. Don’t imagine that history cannot repeat itself.
Paddy’s Blogs in a crazy world 
The Nazi comparisons with todays politics is real. The far right are gaining ground almost everywhere. As in Hitlers time it’s based on fear mostly. Fear that Islam and immigrants, the new hate targets will threaten their way of life.
It’s nonsense of course just as the Jewish hate figuresof the past were. If Reform and Le Pen ever gain power then despair will overwhelm all of us who believe in a pluralist, liberal European society..
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