As the new Trump administration appears to be rapidly moving towards fascism, by sidelining both the legislative and judicial branches in favour of a beloved leader, many critics have been quick to compare Donald Trump to Hitler or Mussolini.
Trump, on the other hand, has tried to compare himself to Napoleon, by sharing an apocryphal quote ostensibly praising a man who saves his country no matter what (Books, March 1).
As a historian, however, I cannot help but think of Napoleon’s nephew, Napoleon III. Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was legitimately elected president of France in 1848, put forth by a party who thought he would be easy to manipulate.
But to their chagrin, he proved to have a will of his own. And in 1851, when term limits were about to end his time in power, he and a few key elites enacted a self-coup by claiming it was a security operation. Soon after, he more or less promised to make France great again and declared himself emperor.
Without wanting to comment on the relative pluses and minuses of Napoleon III’s reign, I can only say that I pray that America does not go down the same path. It did not end well for France, let alone Napoleon III. It is inconceivable that a similar path would end well for the US.
Joseph von Zanten
London SE11, UK