be complicit with it . Following the crowd through indifference , opportunism or conformism is also a form of complicity .
History may not repeat itself , but these sociopsychological and collective mechanisms that influence the behaviour of an individual and a society remain the same today as they were a hundred years ago . Populists , demagogues and autocrats have understood this well . No need for them to resort to oppression or force , which are prohibited in a democracy ; the good old methods of manipulation are enough : spreading fear , designating scapegoats , causing division , sowing hatred and chaos . In this climate , all they have to do is take on the role of the saviour who has heard the needs of the people but has been ostracized by the corrupt establishment for having the courage to speak forbidden truths .
Although in the minority in most European countries , populists claim to be the sole representatives of the people – as if the people were a homogeneous bloc incapable of nuances and differences . They promise to return to the people control over their destiny , in what would be “ real ” democracy . In fact their paternalism infantilizes the population and paves the way for dangerous antidemocratic abuses . Politicians who declare “ I am the people ” are claiming to be the direct emanation of the popular will ; History has shown where this can lead : to consider that there is no need any more to consult the people .
The myth of the providential martyr still exerts an important power of attraction today as it did in the past . Isn ’ t it tempting to take refuge in the role of the victim and entrust our salvation to a saviour rather than assume our responsibilities as citizens in a democracy ?
Another psychological weapon of the Third Reich that populists and autocrats use today is distorting the meaning of words . Tricking us into lowering our guard , they pretend to stand for values that most of us hold dear . Some even go so far as to include the terms of freedom or democracy in their names … the Freedom Party of Austria , the Dutch Forum for Democracy , the Czech Freedom and Direct Democracy .
We have to look behind the slogans to
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Observing Memories ISSUE 4