Given that the current economic upheaval is being compared to the Great Depression of the 1930s and that was presaged by economic the upheavals in Germany during the 1920s that resulted from their defeat in the First World War, I thought the following piece from Jesus' General was an interesting perspective and analysis.
Comparisons between Nazis and Republicans are sometimes appropriate and sometimes inappropriate, but in all cases it's only supposed to be on an abstracted level that compares polices or attitudes. The comparisons aren't supposed to be direct and immediate because Republicans aren't supposed to be actual Nazis or actual fascists, yet in their struggle to overcome all possibility of satirization, Republicans appear to be trying to become just that. In some cases, Republicans are accepting genuine neo-Nazi white supremacists in leadership roles in the Party. In other cases, rank-and-file Republicans are expressing Nazi-like hatred of outsiders and minorities that would give even Himmler warm fuzzies.
The most outrageous example would be the two elected Republican precinct delegates in Michigan who are genuine neo-Nazis. One, Kyle Bristow, openly embraces the support of the Council for Conservative Citizens and the designation of his blog as "pro-white." Better known examples would be the behavior of people attending the campaign rallies for John McCain and Sarah Palin.
Their conservative "base" is shouting out that Obama is a "terrorist" who should be "killed" and that he is guilty of "treason." At another McCain/Palin event, one conservative family brought an Obama doll to show that he's a "puppet," but their child was explicitly instructed that "you need gloves" just to touch it. In addition to the "terrorist" label we also find him being called a "Communist and a Marxist." Given how conservative his economic policies are, I don't think American conservatives know what real communism is anymore.
... the rest after the click.
They say "it can't happen here" but that's only because they are not aware of how insidious scapegoating and xenophobia can be. Couple this with events over the last eight years that have seen an erosion of he Constitution, the raising of large private armies (Blackwater, in particular), concentration camps (Gitmo) and the rise of a self perpetuating military-industrial complex - the time is ripe for a change - and not necessarily a change for the better. It can happen here. It's as simple as that.
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