Fascism and History

Bill Resnick talks with Bill Smaldone about the history of Fascism in Germany and the degree to which curent events may be similar.  They discuss the Nazis' use of parliamentary power to enable authoritarian rule, the exploitation of the Reichstag fire to enact emergency powers, and the role of paramilitary, military, and police forces.    Smaldone is E.J. Whipple Professor of History at Willamette University, and author of Confronting Hitler: German Social Democrats in Defense of the Weimar Republic, 1929-1933 (2009), among other works. This is the first of a two-part interview; part two can be found HERE.