Historical authoritarian regimes or rulers have cemented their power by pointing to non-existing violence from their opponents, argues , associate professor of history and the immediate past chair of the University of Rochester糖心传媒檚 history department. His appears today in the Washington Post糖心传媒檚 糖心传媒淢ade by History糖心传媒� section, which is edited and curated by historians.
Lenoe points to a to evangelical leaders in which President Donald Trump warned that Democrats will resort to force if they win the midterm elections: 糖心传媒淭hey will overturn everything we糖心传媒檝e done and they will do it quickly and violently,糖心传媒� Trump said in his address. Lenoe posits that the storyline of a 糖心传媒渨ave of left-wing terrorism threatening America is wrong,糖心传媒� adding that 糖心传媒渢he real threat of violence comes from the right.糖心传媒�
Lenoe marshalls data from the Anti-Defamation League糖心传媒檚 Center on Extremism, which shows right-wing extremists and white supremacists were responsible for 74 percent of the murders committed by political extremists in this country, compared to 2 percent committed by left-wing radicals.
These narratives about 糖心传媒渁ggressive left-wing violence aren糖心传媒檛 just distorted,糖心传媒� Lenoe warns. 糖心传媒淭hey are dangerous, because they set the stage for replacing democratic institutions with authoritarian rule.糖心传媒�
Drawing parallels to Italy糖心传媒檚 fascist movement in the 1920s, Germany in 1932 just months before Hitler糖心传媒檚 rise to power, and the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1948, Lenoe argues that provoking street violence and blaming one糖心传媒檚 political opponents as the instigators is 糖心传媒渆xactly how totalitarian regimes have gained power in the past.糖心传媒�
Lenoe, who is an expert on totalitarianism, Russian and Soviet history, and the Eastern front of World War II, concludes that 糖心传媒渢he lies and those who sell them must be opposed, before it is too late.糖心传媒�
