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One point I always think of whenever the comparison between current day politicians and Hitler arises; was it apparent to the people when Hitler was elected that this is a man that will start the onslaught of millions of people? When I assume the answer is no, the current political situation seems very scary.

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By that logic, anyone might be the next Hitler; no politician can be trusted.

The lessons of history are manifold indeed, but it has been my observation that when one reads a good book on any period of history one suddenly discovers its immense applicability to the present. WWII is very popular, therefore its histories are popular, therefore we find Hitlers in 2016. In 2020 there will be a new Hitler. In the past, every political opponent was a Nero or Caligula. In the future they will be someone else.

History does repeat itself, but never in a crass or obvious way.

I agree with you. It just seems to me that people look at events like the rise of the Nazis as diabolical plots from another world that we -as humans- got rid of, often dismissing obvious warning signs because "it is certainly not that bad".

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