america hitler

In American politics, people often compare their enemies to Hitler or to the Nazis. Many Democrats compared Trump to a “fascist,” and Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez famously compared child detention facilities to “concentration camps.” (Republicans claimed this was an unfair comparison and disrespectful to the real victims of the Holocaust.) On the other hand, Republicans often claim that their Democratic enemies are like Hitler, and often whine that “the Left” is persecuting them similar to how the Nazis persecuted the Jews (“cancel culture” is like the Holocaust, wearing a mask is like wearing a yellow star, etc.). Obviously these are exaggerated, bad comparisons, and are more about scoring political points than teaching history accurately. 

But is it always wrong and disrespectful to draw comparisons or lessons from the Holocaust? Isn’t it possible–while being respectful and acknowledging all the differences that make the Holocaust uniquely horrible–to try to draw lessons from it and prevent anything like it in the future? What comparisons or lessons for the present, if any, can we learn from the Holocaust? 

Using specific evidence/examples/comparisons from the primary source you analyzed, please make a specific argument about a lesson or comparison you might draw from the Holocaust. I’m not interested in your general/vague opinions about politics or Holocaust comparisons. I want you to carefully and respectfully (not politically) draw a lesson from something you learned in your document/film.