HEARING THE U.S. TOP MILITARY
MAN CALLING THE FORMER
PRESIDENT THE FOR HER AND
REFERRING TO HIM AS A HITLER.
MILLEY SAW A SPECIFIC ANALOGY
INTO WHAT DONALD TRUMP WAS
DOING.
IN FEBRUARY OF 1933, THE GERMAN
PARLIAMENT BUILDING WENT UP IN
FLAMES.
GERMAN CHANCELLOR, I DONT
HITLER, HE HAD GAINED POWER AND
BLAMED THE COMMUNISTS AND SAID
IT WAS A TERROR CAMPAIGN BY THE
LEFT.
ON THAT PREMISE, HIS GOVERNMENT
PROCEEDED TO SUSPEND
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS GIVING
HITLER THE POWER TO RULE BY
FIAT, AND GERMANY TURNED FROM A
DEMOCRATIC TWO AUTHORITATIVE
STRAIGHT --
STATE.
MILLEY FEARED THAT DONALD TRUMP
WAS CREATED HIS OWN RIGHT TAG.
THE SUSPENSION OF THE RULES
THAT DEMAND A BIG RESPONSE.
WE MUST STOP THE COUNTING OF
THE VOTES, WE MUST SUSPEND
DEMOCRACY.
MILLEY FEARED THAT TRUMP WOULD
USE THE MILITARY TO ACHIEVE
THIS SUSPENSION OF DEMOCRACY.
THEN CAME THE INSURRECTION, THE
INSURRECTION THAT SUCCEEDED FOR
A FEW DAYS AND ULTIMATELY
FAILED.
GIVEN THAT IT FAILED, GIVEN
THAT TRUMP DID LEAVE OFFICE AND
DEMOCRACY DID PREVAIL, IT IS
TEMPTING TO LEAVE THIS ALL
BEHIND US.
TO READ THE BOOK AS A
HISTORICAL ARTIFACT.
REPORTING ON A PART OF HISTORY
THAT IS BEHIND US, THOUGH IT IS
NOT OVER.
DONALD TRUMP HAS NEVER HAD MORE
THEY CAN ATTEMPT TO MAKE SURE
THEY WIN ELECTIONS ONE WAY OR
ANOTHER.
JOINING ME NOW IS ONE OF THE
MOST PERCEPTIVE SPEAKERS ON
THIS SUBJECT, TIM SNYDER.
THIS IS HIS BOOK, ON TYRANNY.
20 LESSONS FROM THE 21ST
CENTURY.
PROFESSOR SNYDER, GOOD TO SEE
YOU.
THERE IS AN ESSAY EURO BARELY A
MONTH INTO THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, BACK IN 2017
AND TITLED THE REICHSTAG
WARNING.
AND SHOWS HOW A MODERN
REPUBLICAN CAN BE TURNED INTO
AN AUTHORITATIVE REGIME.
THE FOUNDING FATHERS KNEW THE
DEMOCRACY THEY WERE CREATING
WAS VULNERABLE TO UNINSPIRING TYRANT WHO MET STEVE
TYRANT WHO MET STEVE
youll find better youll find better
youll find better
WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO AND
GENERAL MILLEY WAS FEELING IN
THE LAST DAYS OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION?
>> MY PERSONAL RESPONSE, I AM
GRATEFUL THAT GENERAL MILLEY
READS HISTORY.
OUR LEADERS AND INSPIRING
LEADERS SHOULD BE READING
HISTORY, THERE ARE TWO REALLY
IMPORTANT REFERENCES IN WHAT
YOU JUST CITED.
THE FIRST IS FEDERAL SPEAKER 48,
MADISON RECOGNIZES HOW FRAGILE
REPUBLICS ARE AND PEOPLE WHO
WANT TO OVERTURN THE WILL USE A
REAL, OR IN THE CASE OF MR.
TRUMP, ARTIFICIAL EMERGENCY.
THE SECOND IS THE RIGHT TYPE
FIRE.
GENERAL MILLEY WAS RIGHT TO BE
THINKING IN THOSE DIRECTIONS
THAT MR. TRUMP WAS A VICTIM,
AND THEREFORE EVERYTHING WAS
PERMITTED.
THAT IS FAMILIAR FROM FASCISM.
USING SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE
PARLIAMENT, IN THIS CASE, OUR
CONGRESS, ITS ALSO FAMILIAR.
THE IDEA THAT WE LOST THE
ELECTION AND SOMETHING DRAMATIC
HAD TO HAPPEN IN PARLIAMENT,
THATS TERRIBLY FAMILIAR.
I AM GRATEFUL THAT GENERAL
MILLEY IS REFERRING TO HISTORY,
THATS IMPORTANT.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS YOU TOLD
DANA MIDDLE BANK, THE
JOURNALIST, THIS WEEK, IS THAT
A FAILED COUP IS PRACTICE FOR A
SUCCESSFUL COUP.
YOUR VIEW IS NOT THAT THE
INSURRECTION FAILED, YOURE
GLAD IT FAILED, AND NOW WE KNOW
BETTER.
YOU ARE WORRIED THAT THE PEOPLE
WHO DID WHAT THEY DID ON
JANUARY 6TH ARE NOW INSPIRED.
>> WE ARE NOW WORKING WITHIN
THE FRAMEWORK OUT A BIG LIE.
ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS TRYING
TO EXPLAIN LAST FALL IS THAT
ONCE MR. TRUMP MAKES THE BIG
CLAIM THAT HE WON THE ELECTION,
WE WILL HAVE A POLARIZED
SOCIETY.
ONE POLITICAL PARTY THAT MAKES
IT A SINGLE ISSUE, WHICH IS
BASICALLY WHAT HAPPENED.
SO LONG THAT WE ARE IN THE
FRAMEWORK OF A BIG LIE, WE CAN
EXPECT ONE OF THE POLITICAL
PARTIES --
IF YOU TELL ONE SIDE OF THE
OTHER SIDE TO, DID YOU ARE
PROMISING YOUR PEOPLE THAT YOU
WILL CHEAT AS WELL.
THE SCENARIO IS NOW PLAYING OUT
WITH THE VOTER SUPPRESSION,
WITH THE CULTURE WARS.
WE GET OURSELVES TO A SCENARIO
WHERE IN 2024, THE REPUBLICAN
CANDIDATE COULD LOSE BY A LOT.
LETS SAY 10 MILLION VOTES.
YOU COULD STILL BREAK UP SOME
COLLEGE MAJORITY, AND THEN WE
WOULD BE IN A POSITION OF MUCH
GREATER RESTRICTION THAN WE
WERE IN 2021.
>> AND WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS
LAST YEAR IN THE FALL, THE
THINGS YOU SAID SEEMED
EXAGGERATED AND BIG, YET EVERY
SINGLE ONE OF THEM HAS COME TO
PASS.
WHAT ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT?
YOU THINK WE WILL BE HEADING
INTO THIS SITUATION IN THE 2022
ELECTIONS?
OR IS THERE ANY WAY THAT THIS
IS STUDENTS OF HISTORY AND TO
NOT LET THIS CONTINUE?
>> AS I SAID AT THE TOP, THE
ENCOURAGING THING IS THAT
PEOPLE LISTENED TO HISTORY.
IF YOU COMPARE 2016 TO 2000, 20
I WAS SAYING THE THING THAT YOU
ARE KIND TO REMEMBER, FOR FOUR
YEARS.
ITS DIFFERENT TO SEE HELL
AMERICANS REACT IN 2020 AND
2016.
WE WERE IN THE MOTIVE SAYING WE
ARE EXPECTING OUR INSTITUTIONS
WILL SAVE US.
THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE
THINKING ACTIVELY AND AHEAD,
THINKING HISTORICALLY, MAKING
PREPARATIONS FOR WORST-CASE
SCENARIOS.
THOSE PREPARATIONS ARE IN FACT
WHAT SAVED US.
THE INSTITUTIONS ONLY SAVE US
IF WE MAKE THOSE INSTITUTIONS
LIVE, IF WE CARE ABOUT, THEM IF
WE ACT THEM.
IM NEITHER PESSIMISTIC NOR
OPTIMIST.
THE POSSIBLE DARK SCENARIOS ARE
VERY MUCH WITH US.
WE COULD LOSE OUR DEMOCRACY IN
THE NEXT FOUR YEARS.
DE
MOCRACY IN
I AM PLEASED THAT PEOPLE ARE
PAYING MORE ATTENTION HISTORY.
IF WE UNDERSTAND THAT AMERICA
IS NOT OUTSIDE OF HISTORY,
THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED