Why Won’t People Learn from History?

September 18, 2025:

   Why won’t people learn from history? I’d truly like to know because time and time again, humanity continues to make the same mistakes over and over and over again. Disturbingly, we can see it blatantly happening once more before our own eyes.
   Why?
   Perhaps some of you are wondering what I’m talking about. Well, let me tell you. History is full of dictators who manipulated, lied, and generally did whatever they thought necessary to get masses of people to support them in their quest for power and dominance. And once in power, they would do everything they could to keep it. Want an example? Here you go.
   Adolf Hitler is one. We look back on him now with obvious disgust at how horrible he was, but many people seem to overlook the fact that he got elected to power in the 1930s. He took advantage of people’s prejudices in addition to German dissatisfaction with things like the reparations required by the Allies after World War I and the economic hardships brought on by the Great Depression to gain support from the masses who then elected him and the Nazi party to power. And what’s even more disturbing is that if you pay attention to what he said in the 1920s and ‘30s, huge alarm bells should have been going off in people’s minds as his hatred of all things Jewish as well as his megalomania were plain for all to see. Yet, millions of Germans happily supported him electing him into power. And despite all the horrible things he did and the ruin he brought to Germany, as late as 1945 when Allied forces were crushing German resistance and overrunning the country from multiple directions, there were still many who thought that Hitler must have some secret weapon or strategy that would turn the tide of the war.
   Now, let’s take a look at what’s been going on in the 21st century here in the United States. While Donald Trump is not Adolf Hitler, it’s the opinion of many that there are some disturbing similarities. He appears willing to use authoritarian style tactics to try to get what he wants, even when they clearly go against our democratic values. We know the severe degree that Trump exaggerates and spreads falsehoods in order to gain support from people, and we’ve also seen how millions of Americans continue to blindly follow him no matter what he says or does. In some ways, it’s like we’re watching history repeat itself yet again. 
   Many around this country are promoting book bans, a dangerous trend that was promoted by the Nazis. We’re seeing masked ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents use tactics that many feel are reminiscent of authoritarian secret police as they grab people off the streets. And numerous legal experts are clearly stating that the Trump administration is sending people out of the country without receiving legitimate due process (despite the fact that the Constitution is clear that all persons (not just citizens) have a right to due process). We’ve seen how Trump federalized National Guard units in California despite the fact local and state leaders were clear the National Guard was not needed. He more recently federalized Washington DC’s Metropolitan Police and activated the DC National Guard claiming a crime emergency in spite of the fact violent crime rates have been at 30 year lows. Trump and his people are also trying to force universities, museums, and media to say and show what he wants. Look at what happened with the FCC threatening ABC so that ABC indefinitely suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s show just because far-right conservatives didn’t like his joke. In addition to all this, a lot of Trump’s Republicans are trying to take rights away from LGBTQ people (especially from those who are transgender), another example that is reminiscent of the type of things dictators would do.
   The United States has already been through four years of a Trump Administration. We’ve seen how much he deceives, exaggerates, and flat out lies to people for his own personal quest for power, dominance, and adoration. Look at the 2020 election, one that experts around the world agree he lost. Yet he continues to this day to spread outrageous lies claiming that he somehow won even though he absolutely lost. And he has tens of millions of Americans believing these lies and actively supporting him no matter what he does. We all saw on national television how Trump instigated the riotous assault on the United States Capitol Building, yet millions of Americans continue to back him. Trump said very clearly how he would take revenge on his political opponents if he got back in office. Another tactic dictators have used for thousands of years. He’s also been actively getting rid of many Federal Government career civil servants, who have faithfully served under multiple administrations of both parties, and when he replaces any, he appears to do so with his devout loyalists. Ukraine is a democratic nation fighting for its life against Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion of conquest. Yet Trump has criticized American aid to Ukraine and even had the audacity to blame Ukraine’s President Zelensky for the war (instead of Putin), an idea that is ridiculous. On top of that, he has repeatedly undermined NATO, an alliance which is vital to keeping authoritarian thugs like Putin in check. Frankly, we’ve seen repeatedly how Trump likes authoritarian leaders. We saw on national television how as President, he believed Putin over US Intelligence. We’ve also seen over and over how he denigrates immigrants using scare tactics and making what many feel are outrageous, xenophobic comments. And despite all this, Trump was voted back into office. And what makes all this even more disturbing is how the vast majority of the Republican Party is willingly going along with it all.
   So yes, history is in the process of repeating itself.
   Why won’t people learn from the past? Why won’t they strive not to repeat the mistakes societies have made throughout history?
   Why?
   I wish I had an answer. The one thing I can say is that for those of us who see the mistakes unfolding before us, we must peacefully speak up, speak out, make our voices heard, educate people, and vote in future elections! We must stand up for our democratic values and freedoms like we never have before because we see how the rights of millions of Americans are in jeopardy. I wish I could tell you for certain that everything is going to be alright, but I can’t do that. What I can say is that let’s peacefully work together, educate people, make our voices heard, defend our rights, and stand up for freedom and our democratic way of life.

This article expresses the views of the blog: Views and Observations.