Hot Type: Elon Musk and The Trump Collaborators
Heidi Siegmund Cuda on how history will remember the rogues' gallery of democracy 'gravediggers' who paved Donald Trump's path to power
“The problem isn’t government waste. The problem is that billionaires don’t pay taxes.”—Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny
I read books six at a time, using feathers as placeholders, as I research clues left by journalists of the ‘30s.
I am well informed on how entire countries can turn to the darkside, because I have read Bella Fromm’s Berlin Diary, “Blood & Banquets”, and Dorothy Thompson’s Harper’s Magazine essay, “Who Goes Nazi?” I share my findings as quickly as I can to help build resilience against all the bad things. I am read by thousands hoping to reach millions, but the enemies of democracy own the platforms. And still, we have a duty to warn.
I learned of the work of the brave women journalists from a century ago by reading The Gravediggers: The Last Winter of the Weimar Republic.
The Gravediggers authors Rüdiger Barth and Hauke Friederichs offer a day by day account of the lead up to Adolf Hitler being made Chancellor of Germany. The book documents each day from November 17, 1932, until January 30, 1933, the day Hitler took power.
“The gravediggers didn’t have to triumph,” they concluded.
That tenet is a mirror of modern America. Greed, revenge, and amoral businessmen created a perfect storm for Hitler.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Byline Supplement to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.