Is History Repeating Itself?

Winston Churchill wrote, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

History Speaks

Do you think history repeats itself? As you reflect on global events and political currents, have you wondered what it would have been like to live in pre-WWII Germany?

Jocelyn’s late summer read is New York Times bestselling author, Jennifer Chiaverini’s book, Resistance Women. It got her thinking about parallels with today. The book is a WWII work of historical fiction published in 2019. Take it with a grain of historical salt.

Resistance Women

Chiaverini focused on the lives of four women who resisted Hitler’s Nazism. Three are real people. One of the women, Mildred Fish, was a Wisconsin graduate student. She met and married Arvid Harnack, a German economist also studying at the University of Wisconsin. They moved to Germany in 1929 where she hoped to finish her doctorate and teach in a German university. She witnessed Hitler’s rise to power and became his outspoken critic, writing articles promoting the best of German values to refute his Nazi philosophy.

And when it was discovered that an American woman had the courage to lead the resistance, this led Hitler to single out Mildred Fish Harnack to be the only American-born woman executed directly at his express command.

Readers of WWII history agree that you can come away with new knowledge, admiration, and a hope that nothing like it will ever happen again, but you never leave it lighthearted.

What would Mildred think of America in 2025?

Then And Now

Statements in Chiaverini’s novel caught Jocelyn’s attention:

“The results of the September 14 (1930) election had stunned everyone, except perhaps for the leader of the Nationalsozialistiche Deutsche Arbheirpartel, an Austrian named Adolph Hitler.” (p.26)

“…along comes this loud, angry man, promising to take them back to a mythical golden age of prosperity…” (p.26)

“…as Nazi belligerence toward women, Communists and Jews became a daily occurrence, she refused to pretend it was not happening…” (p. 36)

“President Hindenburg, eighty-four years old and in poor health, had been persuaded to run for re-election because his party considered him the only man who could defeat Adolph Hitler and persuade rival factions to cooperate for the greater good.” (p. 60)

“Surely the German people see the same pattern we do. Eventually, it’s going to come down to right and wrong and common sense will prevail.” (p. 115)

Lessons 

Winston Churchill and the apostle Paul agree on the warning of history. Paul wrote, “These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don’t repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt.” (1 Corinthians 10:11,12, The Message)

In all of Chiaverini’s narrative, this statement stands out to me – “…you must never become accustomed to the extraordinary and outrageous. If you do, little by little, you’ll learn to accept anything.” (p.36)

Does history repeat itself? A better question is, are we heeding the lessons of history?

What do you think? Please join the conversation and share your thoughts below. Thank you.

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