What Is The Significance Of The Double Headed Eagle Hitler's Rise To Power
After WW1, the central powers were left in a pile of shambles. The League of Nations did an efficient job in ensuring there was someone to blame after the war. That someone was Germany and they were in for a world of hate. The victors of the war declared that Germany would partake in all war reparations, heavily decrease their military, decrease of their land and would need to live with war guilt. Italy also felt the wrath of the Allies. They were promised land by Great Britain if they switched sides from the Central Powers to the Allies, so they did. When the Allies won over the Central Powers, Italy asked for the land they were promised and Great Britain concluded that Italy barely helped during the war so they deserved nothing. Both Germany
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and Italy were disgruntled with how the Allies treated them, that bitterness arose among them. This set the stage for Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler to gain power in nations where the citizens felt like they had hit rock bottom, thus allowing fascism to be born. In today’s world, the word Fascism is being thrown around once again, surprisingly being used to describe the President of the United States. President Trump was able to gain support from frustrated Americans, specifically those living in Rural America. He brought a new form of energy to the Republican party, which many were able to identify with. Just like Mussolini and Hitler, Trump was able to gain power from individuals who felt forgotten. All three men were able to utilize the charisma of fascism to gain their position of power, so Aunt Gertrude, Trump does display some aspects of fascism. In “The Double Headed Eagle: Hitler’s Rise to Power,” the film depicts how Hitler was able to gain power and support from the German people.
The film opens up with Hitler giving an incredibly moving speech. He speaks on the atrocities the German people faced after the war and how they needed to unite to take back what was stolen from them. The film then moves on to demonstrate Hitler’s journey throughout Germany and how he was able to capture the hearts of the citizens. Trump experienced a similar journey, in which he did a campaign tour around the US hoping to gain votes. From the moment he started his campaign, voters knew there was something different about him. He spoke freely, uncensored, both qualities that attracted many Americans. Trump quickly coined the term “Make America Great Again!” A nostalgic feeling of bringing America back to its traditional values, though it is not clear what Trump means when he says “Again.” One key element of Fascism is retracing to the past, how far is up to the leader. Mussolini, another Fascist leader during the 20th century, highly stressed the idea of going back to the “glory days” of the Roman Empire. He wanted Italy to return to that once powerful state, to demonstrate to the Allies that they still had “it.” Trump wants to retrace to a time that is not today, just as Italy and Germany wanted to return to the “glory days” of their time. “The Double Headed Eagle: Hitler’s Rise to Power” showcases how popular this mentality was and the power of nostalgia does work in favor of radical
ideas. Trump’s speech at the “America First” rally in Phoenix, Arizona alludes back to that idea of uniting people under one commonality. Fascism puts a large emphasis on the nation and takes a serious approach to “US vs Them.” This is subconsciously mentioned throughout Trump’s speech, using phrases such as “We’re all together” or “As a nation we’re a team.” He mentions a group of American soldiers he met prior to his rally, and says that even though all the men come from different backgrounds, they still act as one unit. He encourages Americans to behave in the same manner, recognizing that we are all Americans and that when one of us suffers an injustice, we all suffer an injustice. As Mussolini states in The Doctrine of Fascism, “it sees not only the individual but the nation and the country” (cite). Fascism to Mussolini, revolves around the people rallying behind their nation. Everyone is bound by common traditions and customs and that it is only right for everyone to become a team, as Trump stated. Trump’s speech was able to evoke those feelings of nationalism, making them feel like they were all the same person. Towards the end of his speech, Trump alludes back to the soldiers stating that they are, “All united by the devotion to their country.” Once again, Fascism is built on nationalism and its need to convince the people that, “everything in the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.”
Fascism calls for action and everyone to unite and follow. Mussolini heavily criticized Liberal and Socialist societies because they were all talk. In the first paragraph of The Doctrine of Fascism Mussolini states, “Fascism is action and it is thought…” (cite). Besides nationalism, Fascism seeks to partake in action. They do not plan to sit around and watch the world pass them by. For this reason, it is clear to see why Hitler was continuously expanding Germany, conquering everything he could. It is in the nature of the ideology to expand as much as possible, so when Trump quotes a Mussolini quote on twitter, it is possible he appreciates the stance Fascism has on action. The tweet reads, “@ilduce2016: “It is better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep.” – @realDonaldTrump #MakeAmericaGreatAgain.” The quote encourages one to be a lion, regardless of the consequences it may bring, instead of living as a sheep for the rest of one’s life. It is ironic for a fascist leader to encourage their citizens to act like lions, when the reason a fascist country can exist is for its citizens to act like sheep. Trump can most definitely see himself as the lion, as Mussolini probably saw himself as one too. Someone who identifies themselves as a lion definitely portrays some form of authoritarianism, which is not uncommon in a fascist nation. Trump does come off as chauvinist at times and some may see that as a “lion quality.” On numerous occasions, Trump has said some questionable statements and has even called upon controversial orders, that have fueled his followers to rally against him. Luckily, his followers have been immensely loyal, just as Mussolini’s and Hitler’s were, and enabled him to snatch the presidency.
Trump has been able to cause uproar in the last 2 years and there is no plan of him stopping. Fascism is fairly a simple ideology to understand if someone is willing to put themselves in the shoes of the people who chose to follow it. Fascism was there to lift the morale of all the citizens who felt disgruntled after WW1. Trump was able to capture the hearts of rural and middle class America, after years of feeling like their needs were not being heard. All three men, Mussolini, Hitler and Trump knew how to evoke the emotion of those around them. Trump does demonstrate some aspects of Fascism, but a minimum level. Having said that, the American people should still keep tabs on the new president, making sure he does not go above his head.
and Italy were disgruntled with how the Allies treated them, that bitterness arose among them. This set the stage for Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler to gain power in nations where the citizens felt like they had hit rock bottom, thus allowing fascism to be born. In today’s world, the word Fascism is being thrown around once again, surprisingly being used to describe the President of the United States. President Trump was able to gain support from frustrated Americans, specifically those living in Rural America. He brought a new form of energy to the Republican party, which many were able to identify with. Just like Mussolini and Hitler, Trump was able to gain power from individuals who felt forgotten. All three men were able to utilize the charisma of fascism to gain their position of power, so Aunt Gertrude, Trump does display some aspects of fascism. In “The Double Headed Eagle: Hitler’s Rise to Power,” the film depicts how Hitler was able to gain power and support from the German people.
The film opens up with Hitler giving an incredibly moving speech. He speaks on the atrocities the German people faced after the war and how they needed to unite to take back what was stolen from them. The film then moves on to demonstrate Hitler’s journey throughout Germany and how he was able to capture the hearts of the citizens. Trump experienced a similar journey, in which he did a campaign tour around the US hoping to gain votes. From the moment he started his campaign, voters knew there was something different about him. He spoke freely, uncensored, both qualities that attracted many Americans. Trump quickly coined the term “Make America Great Again!” A nostalgic feeling of bringing America back to its traditional values, though it is not clear what Trump means when he says “Again.” One key element of Fascism is retracing to the past, how far is up to the leader. Mussolini, another Fascist leader during the 20th century, highly stressed the idea of going back to the “glory days” of the Roman Empire. He wanted Italy to return to that once powerful state, to demonstrate to the Allies that they still had “it.” Trump wants to retrace to a time that is not today, just as Italy and Germany wanted to return to the “glory days” of their time. “The Double Headed Eagle: Hitler’s Rise to Power” showcases how popular this mentality was and the power of nostalgia does work in favor of radical
ideas. Trump’s speech at the “America First” rally in Phoenix, Arizona alludes back to that idea of uniting people under one commonality. Fascism puts a large emphasis on the nation and takes a serious approach to “US vs Them.” This is subconsciously mentioned throughout Trump’s speech, using phrases such as “We’re all together” or “As a nation we’re a team.” He mentions a group of American soldiers he met prior to his rally, and says that even though all the men come from different backgrounds, they still act as one unit. He encourages Americans to behave in the same manner, recognizing that we are all Americans and that when one of us suffers an injustice, we all suffer an injustice. As Mussolini states in The Doctrine of Fascism, “it sees not only the individual but the nation and the country” (cite). Fascism to Mussolini, revolves around the people rallying behind their nation. Everyone is bound by common traditions and customs and that it is only right for everyone to become a team, as Trump stated. Trump’s speech was able to evoke those feelings of nationalism, making them feel like they were all the same person. Towards the end of his speech, Trump alludes back to the soldiers stating that they are, “All united by the devotion to their country.” Once again, Fascism is built on nationalism and its need to convince the people that, “everything in the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.”
Fascism calls for action and everyone to unite and follow. Mussolini heavily criticized Liberal and Socialist societies because they were all talk. In the first paragraph of The Doctrine of Fascism Mussolini states, “Fascism is action and it is thought…” (cite). Besides nationalism, Fascism seeks to partake in action. They do not plan to sit around and watch the world pass them by. For this reason, it is clear to see why Hitler was continuously expanding Germany, conquering everything he could. It is in the nature of the ideology to expand as much as possible, so when Trump quotes a Mussolini quote on twitter, it is possible he appreciates the stance Fascism has on action. The tweet reads, “@ilduce2016: “It is better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep.” – @realDonaldTrump #MakeAmericaGreatAgain.” The quote encourages one to be a lion, regardless of the consequences it may bring, instead of living as a sheep for the rest of one’s life. It is ironic for a fascist leader to encourage their citizens to act like lions, when the reason a fascist country can exist is for its citizens to act like sheep. Trump can most definitely see himself as the lion, as Mussolini probably saw himself as one too. Someone who identifies themselves as a lion definitely portrays some form of authoritarianism, which is not uncommon in a fascist nation. Trump does come off as chauvinist at times and some may see that as a “lion quality.” On numerous occasions, Trump has said some questionable statements and has even called upon controversial orders, that have fueled his followers to rally against him. Luckily, his followers have been immensely loyal, just as Mussolini’s and Hitler’s were, and enabled him to snatch the presidency.
Trump has been able to cause uproar in the last 2 years and there is no plan of him stopping. Fascism is fairly a simple ideology to understand if someone is willing to put themselves in the shoes of the people who chose to follow it. Fascism was there to lift the morale of all the citizens who felt disgruntled after WW1. Trump was able to capture the hearts of rural and middle class America, after years of feeling like their needs were not being heard. All three men, Mussolini, Hitler and Trump knew how to evoke the emotion of those around them. Trump does demonstrate some aspects of Fascism, but a minimum level. Having said that, the American people should still keep tabs on the new president, making sure he does not go above his head.