Repetition or Rhyme? Looking at the Past to Understand the Present by Matt LaMotte

As a recently retired high school history/social studies teacher, I am frequently reminded that, as George Santayana is credited with stating, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” And also of Mark Twain’s slightly different take, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.”

Throughout history, movements, organizations, and programs have emerged that reflect the socio-political climates of their respective eras. In the 20th century, Italy’s Black Shirts and Nazi Germany’s Brown Shirts were paramilitary groups that played crucial roles in the rise of fascist regimes. By contrast, today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security—in particular the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) program—operates within the framework of federal law enforcement and immigration control.

The three entities may differ in their historical context, operational methods, and societal roles, but they share common themes of authoritarianism, emphasis on national identity, dehumanization of targeted groups, and the use of force to achieve their objectives. Do these similarities reflect the evolving nature of state power and the ways in which 21st-century law enforcement agencies can exercise it?

Italy’s Benito Mussolini rose to power in the 1920s and 1930s with the fanatical support of the nationalist organization known as the Brown Shirts. Founded in 1919 by Benito Mussolini and officially known as the Voluntary Militia for National Security, the paramilitary group used violence and intimidation to suppress more liberal leftist movements. Ultimately, as head of this cult of personality, Mussolini was named “Il Duce,” symbolizing his absolute authority as head of the Fascist movement, which took control of the Italian government. Once in power, Mussolini assumed control of most social, political, and economic activities in Italy.

Adolph Hitler rose to power by a similar route. Following the end of World War I, Germany was destitute. Its economy and newly formed democratic government, the Weimar Republic, were in shambles. By the early 1930s, blaming an anti-fascist, communist movement, Hitler and his infamous Black Shirts rose to power under the banner of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party, using terror, violence, and imprisonment against their political adversaries—in particular non-whites, non-Aryans, and Jews. With the slogan “Make Germany Great Again!”, Hitler and the Nazi Party took control of the German government, promising prosperity, aggressive law enforcement, protection of its borders, and criminalization of minorities.

Almost a century later, the Trump administration’s U.S. ICE program is widely criticized for its aggressive tactics, disregard for habeas corpus and other civil rights, and the fear it imposes on immigrant populations and on communities sympathetic to immigrants’ presence, civil rights, and their role in the American economy. Under the banner “Make America Great Again,” ICE is recruiting “enforcers” by the thousands, building large detainment centers, arresting citizens and non-citizens alike (criminal or not), promising to deport millions, and threatening to “denaturalize” citizens who emigrated here from countries deemed undesirable by President Trump and his architect of the ICE initiative, Stephen Miller.

This comparison highlights what seems to be the evolving nature of state power in the United States. As our society struggles with the difficult issues of national identity, security, and the treatment of marginalized populations, understanding these historical parallels will be vital in shaping a more equitable future for our nation.

Americans need to recognize the similarities between these three narratives—and, in particular, the disastrous outcomes of fascism in Italy and Germany, including millions of deaths, along with economic collapse and political ruin. Repeating such history—or even rhyming with it—will not make America great again.

Matt LaMotte is a native of the Eastern Shore. After college, he returned to the Mid Shore and worked in insurance and finance while raising his two sons. He then pursued a teaching and coaching career in independent schools across different states. In 2018, he chaired the History Department at Sts. Peter and Paul High School in Easton before retiring in 2021. Matt is now focused on conservation, outdoor education, and staying engaged with local and global affairs.