The world is remembering the end of World War I, a seminal event in modern history. As always, we try to glean meaning from such remembrances, some of which make sense and others which are misleading. Katrin Bennhold has written a short essay fro The New York TImes entitled “Can Europe’s Liberal Order Survive as the Memory of War Fades?” Her observations about the similarities between 1914 and 2018 are chilling:
“Politicians are apt to use history selectively when it suits them. But the history in this case is ominous.
“Now as then, Europe’s political center is weak and the fringes are radicalizing. Nationalism, laced with ethnic hatred, has been gaining momentum. Populists sit in several European governments.”
9 November was also the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht, a night when Nazi-inspired thugs broke the windows of Jewish stores, signalling the ultimate intent of Aryan nationalism in Europe. The world, to its everlasting shame, ignored that warning, as it seems to be ignoring the signs of anti-semitism today.
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