"Perhaps Germany will serve as a warning," Arvid says. "May they learn from us to snuff out fascism in America when the first sparks arise..." Has America learned that lesson?

"Perhaps Germany will serve as a warning," Arvid says. "May they learn from us to snuff out fascism in America when the first sparks arise and not delay until democracy goes up in flames all around them." Has America learned that lesson? What factors might cause fascism to rise in America as it did in Nazi Germany? How do you think Americans could combat or prevent it?

Oh my, this is a loaded question but a good one. I think we have a president that would lead us to fascism if he were able to. I look at how he treats and speaks of Mexican immigrants - that they are rapists and murders - Hitler did the same when speaking of the Jews. Trump also incites violence against others - just like Hitler. We must get someone in office who is intelligent, compassionate, who brings back a sense of humanity and kindness to others. This country was not meant to be an Aryan country - I am afraid some of us have forgotten that.

One more comment about snuffing out fascism. Page 175 has a paragraph at the bottom that talks about Hitler knowing that freedom of the press is the greatest threat to fascism and that he knows he must discredit what the press says. That sounds all too familiar today.

PinkLady again I want to thank you for your comments, well said.

Not telling the whole story is worse than telling a half story and saying it is the truth. It's easy to blame Trump for everything but that is only half of the story. Dig deeper.

That is a loaded question. I feel like America has taken a step back at this time.

No. America did not learn the lesson then and definitely has not learned it for the present. Human nature yearns to have absolute control of the variables of life through an absolute ruler. The American Constitution seeks to avoid and control that desire. We will see if the American vision can withstand an all out assault.

Media control stood out so vividly in this book, and I can't help but look at our own media and feel we are being manipulated in very much the same way. To what end, I cannot say, but I strongly believe we are being fed by the media and I, for one, refuse to take anything reported as absolute truth.

This question is one that will probably cause a lot of controversies. America today is fraught with issues and I agree with renem that it is too easy to blame the current government for all of our problems. Our society seems to be very tribal and we appear to have great difficulty accepting differences. The media does not help the situation but I really believe that we all benefit from responsible journalism and it should not be silenced. I just seems difficult to find reporting that is truthful, objective and accurate.

Is it only me who feels that the United States never appears to learn from history. It keeps involving itself in say, the Middle East, with disastrous consequences for the invaded as well as the invaders. If this country refuses to see the errors of its own ways, how can we expect it to learn from Germany's descent into the evil blood-letting madness of WWll? Since Jennifer Chiaverini shows us Arvid passing vital secret economic data to American government officials, this country cannot claim ignorance about what was happening or was about to happen. At the same time, DDemocratic President Roosevelt did not criticize Hitler's policies towards the Jews, fearing angry reactions from antisemitic Americans, proving once again that all politics are local. Republican Donald Trump's arrival on the scene signaled the answer to the prayers of all the racists and xenophobes still smarting from their perceived insult of having to endure a black President for eight years. Trump's eventual departure from the scene will not automatically mean the end of race-baiting and intolerance. It will just go away and wait for the next demagogue to come along as the answer to their wet dreams. Trump's continuing trashing of that part of the media that endeavors to bring us the facts, that is outlets other than Fox News, Rush Limbaugh et al, is intended to tar the honest media with a black brush, and make some Americans who bother to read newspapers distrustful and suspicious, while the rest gobble up every word uttered by Limbaugh, Hannity and Coulter as Gospel truth.

We as a people must rely on history of the past and learn from it, for to take to heart that history repeats itself is an educator in itself. Too much of past history is either being ignored or changed to fit the times or the particular moods of those writing about the events to suit themselves. We must be critical thinker as well as individuals who use common sense. Yes, I think we are aware of Fascism and the dangers it inflicts on the countries and the people that embrace it.

I think the question of whether or not America has learned from history is complicated, because it requires us to consider who or what "America" is. The American federal government? Local governments? Individual citizens? Groups? I think it would be correct to say that Americans as a whole have not learned to act in their/our own best interests on a larger scale and that this leaves us open to abuses of power, but as in Resistance Women, there are many groups, communities and organizations working towards humanitarian goals.

As far as what else people can do, I try to listen as much as possible to people who are marginalized in society more than I am (or in different ways) because they see things that I don't, and give me broader context for understanding politics and government. I also agree with MarieA that being a critical thinker is a large part of it.

All through this book I found myself cringing and hoping that we can get back to an America that is a force in the world and that we can be proud to live here. It took many years for Germany to overcome the years that Hitler and his followers created. If anything, it shows that all things take time whether it is creating strife or finding a safer ground. I've told friends that you can almost substitute the years of the 21st century for the years of the 1930-1945 with different women/men and have the same book in modern times.

I feel that many Americans have become more sensitive to the feelings of others. Living in Virginia, I am glad to see the awareness that some people are finally feeling about civil war monuments and confederate flags. I hope and pray there will never be another Hitler, but I do feel that there are still areas of the world under leadership that does not value human life.

American has not learned anything from WWII and now we are almost a divided nation and no longer looked at as the strongest country in the world.

Apparently not. Look where we are today. The parallels are astounding.