Democracy did not end when Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933. Its demise began with the legislative election of September 1930 and was hurried along by Hitler’s three predecessors. Germany had three chancellors in 1932: academic economist Heinrich Brüning, an aristocratic dilettante, Franz …
Read MoreBorrowed tune
The 84th anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s assumption of power is in just a few days. There will be a vote in Turkey in just a few months for a new constitution that could give President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (above) unchecked power. History has a litany …
Read MoreElection of firsts
The first election in Germany after the Great War was just 14 months after the signing of the Armistice. Voting method was proportional representation for the election of 421 legislators on Sunday, 19 January 1919. Proportional representation is often criticised on the basis it was the system that “elected …
Read MoreAn opening
Tony Blair is back. After almost a decade out of politics, the controversial former New Labour UK Prime Minister is taking tentative steps to be involved, albeit not directly. Blair’s intention to contribute more to the political debate is welcome because his is a persuasive …
Read MoreSpeeding Nazis
Pervitin was a shopping staple in Nazi Germany. And it propelled the Blitzkrieg of 1940 when Nazi troops occupied six countries in the first nine months of World War II. Pervitin was a methamphetamine. It fuelled the German army. It fuelled the civilian population’s happiness. This …
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