During his heated debate with former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday night, September 29, President Donald Trump disturbed many of his critics when he expressed his solidarity with the Proud Boys — a racist far-right group with a history of violence. History repeats itself, and journalist Amy S. Rosenberg — in an article published in the Philadelphia Inquirer on October 5 — warns that some historians see troubling parallels between the United States in 2020 and countries that sunk into fascism in the past.
For her article, Rosenberg interviewed some scholars and historians in Philadelphia and nearby southern New Jersey. One of them is Anne Berg, who grew up in Germany and now teaches history at the University of Pennsylvania.
Rosenberg writes that although Berg’s parents were “basically hippies,” her grandparents “were Nazis” — and Berg told the Inquirer, “To expect that things are going to return to normal is irresponsible. People need to be aware of the risks we are facing right now.” Continue reading.