Comment by mmooss
5 months ago
Into the 1920s and early 1930s, Germany seems to have been a/the center of research, culture, etc. The rise of the Nazis shut down research that conflicted with their political goals and researchers left for free countries, especially the US. The US, perhaps the only wealthy place on earth after WWII - it devastated Europe - has been the center of research and culture since then.
Now in the US, right-wing powers have campaigned to shut down disinformation research, often via lawfare and apparently via influence on major universities. Also, the Trump administration has made clear it is against much scientific research, especially when results conflict with political goals, and has already interfered in significant ways with research (and also culture). I think the Trump administration would agree with that description.
There's no war yet that will devastate the US economically, but the Trump administration is willing to risk that. Even without a war, it's not hard to imagine disinformation researchers moving to Europe now, and also scientists and also artists generally. Again, I think the Trump administration would endorse that.
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Germany is a federation of states, too.
Touché. I should've said free and independent states, which is the along the lines of the typical verbiage used by US states. It was also in the context of who controls universities, which in the context of Nazi Germany, was likely Germany.
Vietnam invigorated the US economy? The twenty year Afghanistan War too?
1920s-1930s Germany was "a/the center of research, culture, etc."?
This is especially rich in the context of a post pedestaling against disinformation.
Could you provide the reasoning for what you are saying? I think it's pretty well-known and non-controversial.
To be more specific, I mean Germany and environs, for what it's worth.
That is the Weimar Republic Era as Germany suffered through the brutality that was the Treaty of Versailles, and it was hell. Germany was suffering through hyperinflation, lack of availability/affordability of basic goods/necessities, massive unemployment, extreme civil unrest, and of course the rise of numerous extremist groups.
The Nazis' base was largely made up of disaffected people down on their luck. And in this era of Germany there were vast numbers of them.
Your assumption was just absurdly wrong. While the Nazis never gained majority support in a fair election, they did gain near 40% with a message that would scarcely resonate with anybody able to have a remotely pleasant, or even 'normal', life.
This is also why the Treaty of Versailles was so completely idiotic. Make life awful enough for a people and they'll start to feel they have nothing to lose. We effectively guaranteed WW2.
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