Governing and fear, student voices sought, support from Canada

Governing and fear, student voices sought, support from Canada

Historical warnings Americans often reassure ourselves that authoritarianism is something that happens elsewhere, under foreign flags. History suggests otherwise. Democratic backsliding rarely begins with sweeping decrees. It begins when force appears in public life without transparency, and fear is normalized as a tool of governance. In 1930s Germany, the Sturmabteilung, or Brown Shirts, were not initially an official state police force. Histor…