Doomed Repetition
TimeWatch Editorial
September 16, 2016
George Santayana was born on the 16 December 1863 in Madrid, Spain. He was a philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist. Very seldom are statements made by those who have passed on, remembered and reapplied with reoccurring frequency. George Santayana happens to be a part of that very short list. He is often quoted, even though the one who is quoting him knows him not. The irony of that fact is a unique application of the very statement being quoted. Since his passing on the 26th September 1952 in Rome, Italy, the echo of his words resound throughout the world. The quote so often referred to is this:
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana
There are also many variables that are connected to Mr. Santayana’s statement. Edmund Burke is quoted as saying, “Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.” Sara Shepard says “Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.” On and on it goes. The accuracy of the statement produces more fruit than one would believe. Also, the numbers of examples that prove its accuracy are impressive. But there are some events in history that we would prefer to not have repeated.
One of the easily remembered events of history is the story of the rise of Adolf Hitler. Andrew Nagorski writing on the FORWARD website on June 19, 2012 says the following:
"In the very early 1920s, when Adolf Hitler was still only a local rabble rouser in Munich, two men from Munich’s American consulate made a point of observing his rallies: Robert Murphy, the young acting consul, and Paul Drey, a German employee who was a member of a distinguished Bavarian Jewish family.
“Do you think these agitators will ever get far?” Murphy asked his colleague.“Of course not!” Drey replied. “The German people are much too intelligent to be taken in by such scamps.” Andrew Nagorski, Jews Failed to Spot Hitler's Menace, Forward Website, June 19, 2012
The more outrageous the personality of obviously dangerous individuals, the more difficult it appears for people to take them seriously. Hitler’s voice, his mannerisms, all indicated something that was obviously not the norm. The Germans and the Jews were accustomed to a political environment and culture that was more in line with the historic style with which they had become familiar. Jennie Rothenberg Gritz , a former senior editor at The Atlantic, and now a senior editor at Smithsonian magazine wrote an article on March 13, 2012 in the Atlantic entitled; Early Warnings: “How American Journalists Reported the Rise of Hitler.” She says:
“After the Great Depression hit, suddenly the Nazi Party became a major contender for power. Yet you had Americans meeting Hitler and saying, "This guy is a clown. He's like a caricature of himself." And a lot of them went through this whole litany about how even if Hitler got into a position of power, other German politicians would somehow be able to control him. A lot of German politicians believed this themselves.” Jennie Rothenberg Gritz , The Atlantic, March 13, 2012
But that did not happen. He did come to power, and no one was able to control him. The story of Adolf Hitler and his impact upon the entire world should be a lesson that remains forever. The media in the time of Hitler behaved in much the same way that many ordinary citizens did. Listen to how Jennie Rothenberg Gritz describes it.
“Even the reporters were sometimes slow to write about the things they witnessed firsthand. I tell the story of Hans Kaltenborn, a famous radio broadcaster of that era. He was of German descent, but had grown up in the United States. Right after Hitler took power, there were attacks on Americans who failed to give the Hitler salute. Kaltenborn went over with the attitude that these reports were greatly exaggerated. Then his teenage son got beaten up for exactly the same reason. The Nazis apologized profusely and said, "I hope you won't write about this." And Kaltenborn replied, "No, I don't insert anything personal in my stories." Even after this happened to his own son, he was reluctant to write about it.” Jennie Rothenberg Gritz , The Atlantic, March 13, 2012
Question: have we learned from the past? Or are we waiting to pass through the grinding destruction and conflict that drove the Hitler years?
Cameron A. Bowen
