Philip Kerr wrote one of the most eye-opening books ever, March Violets, the first in a very, very dark trilogy that follows a private investigator in Berlin in Nazi Germany. The first novel is set in 1936, and its title refers to opportunists embracing Hitler. But should fascism come to America, don’t be surprised to see American “March violets” decide to ignore any corruption, violence, illegality, or extremism.
Johnny-come-latelies who jumped on the Nazi bandwagon as soon as Hitler came to power were called “March violets” because these opportunists joined the Nazi Party after the passage of the Enabling Act, which was passed on March 23, 1933. What this act enabled was for Chancellor Adolph Hitler to rule without having to consult the German parliament or Weimar President Paul von Hindenburg — in short, the law made Hitler a dictator.
The Enabling Act of 1933 only happened because respectable Germans kept giving in to Hitler little by little. Von Hindenburg was pressured into appointing Hitler chancellor in January 1933. The Reichstag was the building for the lower house of Parliament, the German equivalent of the House of Representatives in the United States, and it was burned in late February 1933. Using the arson of the Reichstag (which was probably committed by Nazi henchmen to drum up an excuse), Hitler banned the Communist Party and arrested its members. Then Hitler persuaded von Hindenburg (he’s the Mitch McConnell in this version) to outlaw the right to free speech, assembly, protest, and due process; von Hindenburg didn’t like the idea, but he was too weak to resist. That meant that Nazi Brown Shirts and German authorities could rough up anyone who came out against Nazism. (Yes, that poem “First They Came“ by Pastor Martin Niemoller is literally true.) But this so-called Reichstag Fire Decree also allowed Hitler to flout the German constitution. (Remind you of anyone else who thinks he should be able to “terminate” sections of the Constitution?)
But that wasn’t enough for Hitler, ergo, the Enabling Act.
Businessmen, public officials, religious leaders, and many others looked at Hitler and — reluctantly or not — got on board. His Holiness Benedict XVI was a member of the Hitler Youth. Famed conductor Herbert von Karajan joined the Nazi Party in 1933, another March violet whose music career benefited from being a favorite with the Nazi elites. With a system as corrupt and violent as Nazi Germany, they decided that Nazi Party membership and bribes and favors to those in power was worth aligning with a murderous regime intent on eliminating Jews, gays, communists, socialists, and Roma. Nothing personal, just the cost of doing business.
The first modern-day March violet was Jeff Bezos. The Washington Post had an endorsement of Kamala Harris ready to go, but the boss (who has been the object of Trump’s ire before) decided it was time to get on board the Trump train and kill the endorsement. But Bezos isn’t alone, and he won’t be the last. As Trump continues to consolidate power, keep an eye out for more March violets blooming.
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