Parallels Between the Taliban and the Nazis

We study the fascist dictators of the early 20th century in a very simple-minded way. When we read about them in our World History book it truly makes them along with all of their ideas seem like: history. In our country, and specifically where we live, we see no trace of these ideas. But, the truth is that these ideas are still present in the modern world. The Taliban in Afghanistan are a modern example of a fascist group. By living in the United States and learning so much about the destruction that these reigns of dictators caused, it is clear to us that these ideas are not only morally wrong, but also unproductive. In the U.S. we are lucky to be able to practice a number of freedoms. We have a very powerful, stable, and democratic government. It would be nearly impossible for a fascist group to turn Americans off of the democratic government and on to them. In countries such as Afghanistan, it is the polar opposite. For many people, the Taliban seems very attractive. The government is unstable and distrusting. The Taliban provides a stable set of laws and an alternative to the unorganized and unproductive government. Sound familiar? In early twentieth century Germany, the economic troubles combined with the unstable government made the Nazi movement look promising. Both groups started and gained followers in the same manner. Many of their ideas are also very similar. They both value the traditional lifestyle of woman in the home (demonstrated by the story of the girls getting acid thrown in their faces when attempting to attend school) and violence and fear to gain followers. The Taliban have not gone as far as the Nazis, trying to limit the world to one race, but who's to say that eventually they won't. When we look back and learn about the enormous amount of terror that the Nazi party bestowed upon the world, we have to remember that history has a way of repeating itself. Let's not forget that at its early stages the Nazi party was simply regarded as an overthrowing of the communist government.  To paraphrase a character in Cabaret: They will overthrow the communists and then we will take over. Who's we? Germany.