Sebastian Haffner on how quickly things can change
I’ve written quite a few times before about Sebastian Haffner’s excellent book Defying Hitler. I suggest everyone read it. Haffner, a young man when Hitler came to power, describes Hitler’s rise in harrowing and insightful psychological detail.
Right now I’ve been thinking of the following passage, which I offer here. It describes an event that occurred in Germany shortly after the Nazi takeover. At that time, Haffner was a young lawyer doing research in the library at his place of employment, the Kammergericht (Berlin’s highest court):
…[T]he intruders had arrived at the library. The door was thrust open and a flood of brown uniforms surged in. In a booming voice, one of them, clearly the leader, shouted, “Non-Aryans must leave the premises immediately.” … Someone … answered, “They’ve already left.” … My heart beat heavily. What should I do, how keep my poise? Just ignore them, do not let them disturb me … I read a few sentences mechanically: “The defendant’s claim that … is true but irrelevant … ”
Meanwhile, a brown shirt approached me and took up position in front of my worktable. “Are you Aryan?” Before I had a chance to think, I said, “Yes.” He took a close look at my nose – and retired. The blood shot to my face. A moment too late I felt the shame, the defeat. I had said “Yes”! Well, in God’s name, I was indeed an “Aryan.” I had not lied; I had allowed something worse to happen. … What a disgrace to buy, with a reply, the right to stay with my document in peace! I had been caught unawares, even now. I had failed my very first test. I could have slapped myself.
As I left the Kammegericht it stood there, gray, cool, and calm as ever, set back from the street in its distinguished setting. There was nothing to show that, as an institution, it had just collapsed. There was also nothing about my appearance to show that I had just suffered a terrible reverse, a defeat that would be almost impossible to make good. A well-dressed man walking down Potsdamer Strasse.
That tells you how extraordinary a writer Haffner was (real name: Raimund Pretzel). He also happened to live through extraordinary times, but although his life was less dramatic that many lives during those turbulent times, he was a keen observer who spared no one, including himself. His “voice” reminds me somewhat of the writing of Primo Levi, another keen observer and fine writer who lived through those same times and whose path led to Auschwitz.
The reason I highlight this passage is that I believe that for Haffner it wasn’t just a moment of historical transition, but one of personal transition as well. The court he had once respected had collapsed, despite outwardly looking the same. And Haffner had suffered a simultaneous disruption. He didn’t collapse, but he knew he had been tried and found himself lacking the internal integrity he might have previously imagined he would have demonstrated under such circumstances. He judged himself harshly, but I don’t judge him harshly. I very much doubt I – or most people – would show any more courage, especially as a young person with so much of life ahead.
But that’s the problem, isn’t it? Or at least part of the problem.
We have been observing the collapse of once-respected institutions that had seemed stable – our legal system being one of them. The fact that it was respected doesn’t mean it was perfect; far from it. But it wasn’t hollowed out. Now it has come very close, and at least half of America seems to think that’s just fine if it’s done in the service of getting Trump.
This is the kind of comment that utterly baffles many outside the USA.
Is your argument that the justices are becoming fascists? Even the ones appointed by Trump?
Are you suggesting that Trump et al are behaving legitimately in ignoring court orders because the judiciary are too political?
Or are you accepting that under Trump the USA is sliding into some weird contemporary Fascism?
What was that Hemingway line ‘slowly then all at once’ take the victims of rotherdam and rochdale how long did it take for them to get a measure of justice
Over in this neck of the woods the cake baker in colorado another in minnesota was it even after they won their first
How about derek chauvin and that kangaroo tribunal he was put through, when will he get justice. After years of michael manns climate jihad some degree of accountability has been rendered for mark steyn but at the cost of most of his savings and his health
It seems the victory that daniel penny received is few and far between the sandmann civil verdict the same way
Let me see. England is imprisoning citizens for bad tweets while letting Muslim rapists go free. Australia built concentration camps for COVID patients. Germany wants to ban the AfD, because they disagree with immigration policy.
But sure, the USA is descending into fascism.
Two quotes come to mind:
“The dark night of fascism is always descending in the United States and yet lands only in Europe.”
And:
“The word Fascism has now no meaning except in so far as it signifies ‘something not desirable’.”
David Clayton:
You should know the answer, if you’ve read any of the many many posts I’ve written about the lawfare against Trump. In fact, I think you do know the answer, and you are just letting us know what YOU think.
And most of those are citizens of some note many average citizens never get accountability of any kind
When the media and the legal apparat combine against you youre in a world of hurt
That remark was gunther grass (in a rare bit of self awareness) speaking to jacques revel as related to tom wolfe
“Lawfare” is a classic of newspeak. Every time Trump turns out to be a crook you blame the prosecutor.
Maybe you would be better off not supporting a crook, sex offender and now man who ignores the constitution
In no way do I see the President ignoring the Constitution, far from it. So I’m inclined to label you a liar there, Mr Clayton. Yes. That’s it, you are a liar.
I purposefully gave five non trump related incidents we can go back decades to what conrad black and lewis libby endured what david radler was largely spared and richard armitage was never touched at all
There does seem to be a tag team of fitzgerald comey and mueller one handled the black and libby cases then moved to protect michigan state from their involvement with larry nasser the comey and martha stewart public enemy no 1
Forbes said Robert’s wife Jane made $10 mil in six years as a head hunter for top law firms. I don’t believe it is remotely ethical for ANY first degree relation of ANY fed judge to be doing this let alone the wife of the Chief Justice. The Forbes story suggested that $10 mil was pretty top of the scale compensation as well.
Rotten from the top.
In the Georgia case, the effing prosecutor is a straight up criminal and the judge unethically presided over a case in which he used to work with said prosecutor and donated money to her campaign.
The bullshit defamation case for Trump denying he raped the idiot loon is absurd beyond words. The damage these crap cases do is immense.
RE: Predictions of the coming civil wars
Linked below is an article exploring the ideas of and warnings by Professor of War in the Modern World, David Betz of King’s College London that–based on his research, and in his estimation–some European nations have now passed the “tipping point” which will very likely lead to civil wars, which may have high casualty counts.
Given that, in his view, these civil wars cannot now be stopped from happening, Professor Betz is recommending anticipatory steps which governments can take to minimize the inevitable damage, for instance, things like removing symbolic cultural treasures–prime targets in these civil wars–to safe places, where they will be protected from being destroyed, as was done in WWII.*
* See https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2025/06/14/already-past-the-tipping-point-academic-sounds-civil-war-warning/
The Haffner book is indeed very valuable. I reviewed & excerpted it at some length:
https://chicagoboyz.net/archives/42473.html
His description of the agony his father went through when he was required to swear to beliefs he did not hold..on pain of losing his pension, the only source of support for himself and his wife…is all too painful in the light of the human destruction perpetrated in the US over recent years by the ‘Woke’.
It is said thats what the baathists did before the war but their most valuable museum pieces in a bank vault
Walz and Dems are in a real bind. Turns out the shooter in Minn was appointed by Walz to a position in the admin. So, can’t blame Trump, MAGA, regular Rep or White Supremist.
I am not supporting this guy, but a lot of Dem words can lead to violence.
To me, this shooting sounds very personal.
“Maybe you would be better off not supporting a crook, sex offender and now man who ignores the constitution” – David Clayton
Oh my. Have you looked closely at Biden’s history? He’s all of the above and was in government for 48 years. In addition, he set this country up for financial ruin, an invasion by illegal aliens, had a spineless foreign policy, turned the military into a social justice experiment, favored men competing in women’s sports, and much, much more. A pathetic man with a pathetic record.
Neo wrote:
“… at least half of America seems to think that’s just fine if it’s done in the service of getting Trump.”
This is arguable, since Trump won the popular vote.
Sod off. Nobody is the US cares what baffles you Europeans. The EU and UK are on the fast track to the end of Western Civilization via self-inflicted wounds. Enjoy your conversion.
Since when does someone from the UK call themselves European? David Clayton is not, I’m afraid, what he pretends.
David Foster on Haffner:
You beat me to it.
Eric in reply to David Clayton from the UK:
Also beat me to it.
Judging by idjits like Mr. Clayton concurrent with unequal application of the law and suppression of dissidents in the UK, I am grateful that my ancestors fled the place. Ancestors who, when they fled the UK, were usually called Dissidents.
Europe: Beta Males begging for sex with Karen’s who are being raped by Muslims with the entire establishment doing absolutely nothing about the rapes, except calling the raped women, some as young as 10, prostitutes.
Rather they ignore or approve of their women being raped by relentlessly importing more Muslim rapists and imprisoning those brave citizens who report about or object: Tommy Robinson.
No wonder my ancestors left Europe. They could smell the rot coming. Thank you , thank you.
OFFS! Clearly the Federal judiciary is corrupt to the core, and the Dems have enough on enough of them to compel the issuance of one Trump-thwarting lawfare TRO after another!
It’s a win-win-win… they either win outright, force Trump to appeal under relentlessly negative media coverage, or force him to ultimately defy and fulfill their Hitlerian fantasies!
Nothing could be more obvious.
“David Clayton is not … what he pretends”
It’s an open question whether “David Clayton” even exists, he could very well be an AI exercise.