Dear Editor:

I was about 12 when I first learned about the holocaust — the slaughter of 6 million Jews — and I have wondered forever more how the German people, a supposed civilized people, could allow a madman like Hitler lead them to commit the greatest crime in the history of the world?

The first book I read about the Nazi dictator was Alan Bullock’s Hitler: A Study of Tyranny, the standard biography of Hitler. After reading Bullock’s book and many other Third Reich books and watching many related films, I still can’t understand how the German people, and their collaborators, followed Hitler in total violation of their Christian beliefs and in their own complete destruction.

Fascism “is a form of far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition and strong regimentation of society and of the economy…”

I know there are evil people in the world, but the basic question that remains for me is: what makes civilized people blindly follow a dictator that is gravely harming millions of innocent people? Why do the multitudes ignorantly, happily follow a madman?

Moreover, what is greatly bothering me are the parallel fascist signs I am seeing in the United States under the desired autocracy of Donald Trump.

History demonstrates how the Nazis abominably demonized and marginalized the Jews during the 1930s.

Trump’s racism against people of color, and the cruel separation of thousands of traumatized children (one-fourth under five) from their parents in pursuit of a “zero tolerance,” political immigration policy are also horrendously immoral acts.

The same lies told over and over again by Trump remind me of Joseph Goebbels very effective propaganda campaigns that mesmerized the Germans into believing anything Hitler said and doing everything he said to do.

The hundreds of well-armed and threatening American militia groups recall the Nazi Brown Shirts.

The appeasement of Neville Chamberlain is akin to the Republican’s party sell out of their souls to Trump, hardly a brave one among them.

I could go on and on highlighting the fascist danger signs engendered by Trump, instead let me just leave with you my profound believe that Trump is a classical fascist and his behavior is a continuous clear and present threat to our precious — fragile — Democracy.

Bill Bryant

St. Clairsville