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Totalitarianism, Fascism, or Authoritarianism?

This blog is going to be relatively short. It’s not because I ran out of time, but because I’m not an intellectual where I can go on and on to try and make you think I’m smart. What this little exercise did for me is confirm that I made a great choice about not taking philosophy classes in college.

But I’m going to take a stab at this because I think it’s important we understand the difference between various radical political ideas which even today, pop up in the media (including social), our discussions, and how we view the world and its leaders. Please keep in mind, these are political and not economic systems which frequently creep into our “discussions.”


Did You Know?

Did you know or even remember my blog post from 29 September 2018? Its title was Paris Therapy Pets. If you remember it, great but if not, you might want to click here and read it. Why? Because I have an update. France Magazine  (December 2018; Issue 243) reports that another animal rights group is setting out to protect the Parisian rats. Paris Animaux Zoopolis is plastering Métro walls with signs imploring people to “stop the massacre of rats.” Naturally, they use pictures of cute rats (unlike the images I used in my blog). I’m sure these folks are excited about the upcoming 2020 Chinese New Year. It will be the “Year of the Rat.”


I have run into so many authors who use these terms almost interchangeably that I decided to try and distinguish them from one another ⏤ in other words, I was confused. I find that in much of today’s traditional media and social media that people tend to use these terms on a “fast and loose” basis depending on their political slant (both right and left). Trust me, sometimes it is difficult to differentiate (at least for me). One thing I must point out is that the intellectuals who spend entire days, months, years, and even careers dissecting these issues, often are at odds with one another. There are the generational issues, the revisionist issues, and the philosophical issues which influence one’s take on how the terms are differentiated and applied to certain countries. I thought the best place to begin would be with the facts and then you can make up your own mind. We’ll start and end with the Merriam-Webster definitions. Read More Totalitarianism, Fascism, or Authoritarianism?

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The French Anne Frank

As a young boy growing up in Holland during the mid-1960s, I was introduced to Anne Frank and her tragic story. We were required to read her diary as well as attending the all-day field trip to the “Anne Frank House” in Amsterdam where Anne and her family hid from the Nazis until they were betrayed and deported ⏤ only her father survived.

There is a similar story in France, but it did not become known until 2008 when another diary was published, and the world got a first-hand glimpse into Nazi atrocities. The author, Hélène Berr, has since become known as the “French Anne Frank.”

Hélène Berr shortly before her arrest and deportation. Photo by anonymous (c. 1944).
Hélène Berr shortly before her arrest and deportation. Photo by anonymous (c. 1944).

Did You Know?

Do you know how the term “Nazi” came about? Hitler’s political party was officially called the National Socialist German Workers’ Party or, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei:

NAtionalsoZIalistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei.

The German word “Reich” means “empire.” The first German Reich lasted 844 years and was commonly known as the Holy Roman Empire until it was dismantled by Napoléon in 1806. The second Reich lasted approximately 48 years between 1871 and the end of World War I. Hitler’s Third Reich lasted twelve years with horrifying consequences which unfortunately, some aspects have endured to this day.


Hélène Berr (1921-1945) was born into an upper middle-class French family. In addition to Hélène, Raymond and Antoinette Berr’s family consisted of Jacqueline (1915-1921), Yvonne (1917-2001), Denise (1919-2011) and Jacques (1922-1998). The family lived in Paris at 5, avenue Elisée-Reclus until the French police knocked on their door in March 1944.

Hélène began her diary on 7 April 1942. She ceased writing seven months later on 28 November 1942 but resumed once again on 25 August 1943. There are many entries which document the actions and events perpetrated by Vichy and the Nazis in Paris and France. Reading her diary, you will confront Hélène’s emotions towards the policies of Vichy and the Nazis as well as personal issues. Unlike Anne Frank, we won’t hear from Hélène until 2008 when her diary is published. Read More The French Anne Frank