I listen to podcasts when I drive my older son to and from his various soccer commitments. It passes the time, I learn stuff and, I hope, he takes something from it too.
On Sunday, as I was driving home from Delaware, I turned on the latest “The Rest is History” series on the Nazis rise to power. And the episode on the takeover of Poland in particular.
It’s a tough listen. But a very important one too — especially today, which commemorates the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, a concentration camp where the Nazis killed more than 1 million people during World War II.
I want to call on everyone to use today as a moment to a) remember that colossal loss and b) make a point to either educate or remind yourself about what happened there.
“The Rest is History” has done a number of terrific podcasts on the Nazi movement. This playlist, which encompasses 15 episodes, is a worthwhile place to start.
There’s also a very detailed (and, yes, long) podcast series from Noiser called “Adolf Hitler: Rise and Downfall” that is very much worth your time.
If you’d rather read than listen, Ian Kershaw’s biography of Hitler is, to my mind, the best work out there on the man and the movement he built.
A word too on the comparisons between Hitler and Donald Trump. I have made clear in this space that I do not like them. I think comparing anything to the systematic murder of 6 million people has the effect of lessening that loss.
I do not believe Trump is Hitler. I do not believe the underlying realities and structures of America today resemble post-World War I Germany in a way that would allow such a seizure of power.
But, I DO believe deeply that the best (and only) way that we ensure our democracy is preserved is by being engaged and active participants in it. And part of that engagement is learning what’s come before.
So make today the day you spend a bit of time thinking about Auschwitz and the broader Holocaust as a way to ensure it never happens again.
Thanks much for listening.
Chris
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