Echoes of the Past: How History Warns Us About the Rise of Modern Authoritarians

By Aiyepola Abayomi

The arguments defending the rhetoric and actions of figures like Donald Trump and Elon Musk follow a dangerous historical pattern—one that has allowed authoritarian leaders to rise unchecked. History has shown that when people dismiss warning signs, they often find themselves engulfed in something far worse than they ever imagined. While some may insist that Trump and Musk’s words and actions are not comparable to those of Adolf Hitler and his inner circle, the similarities in their early strategies are impossible to ignore.

First, there is the debate over whether Elon Musk gave a Nazi salute. The exact form of a salute is irrelevant. The Nazi salute itself wasn’t what made Hitler dangerous—it was the ideology behind it. In the 1920s, when Hitler and his followers staged the Beer Hall Putsch, many dismissed it as a failed coup, a mere overreaction by misguided patriots. But in hindsight, that event was an indication of what was coming. Similarly, Musk’s engagement with white nationalist rhetoric and far-right ideologies shouldn’t be brushed aside simply because his gestures or statements don’t perfectly match historical examples.

Another defense often used is that Musk is simply making the government more efficient. This echoes the justifications given by Hermann Göring as he helped consolidate Nazi power. Göring didn’t begin his political career shouting about racial superiority; instead, he focused on “restoring order” and “rebuilding Germany’s economy.” The same framing is now used to excuse Musk’s increasing influence over critical industries such as defense, artificial intelligence, and communication platforms. What appears on the surface as efficiency is, in reality, a centralization of power that should not be ignored.

The argument that Trump and Musk may be “pro-white” but are not like the Nazis is another dangerous dismissal. Hitler did not start by building concentration camps. He started by scapegoating minorities, using racial grievances to rally support. Trump’s entire political career has been fueled by racial division—from questioning Barack Obama’s citizenship to calling African nations “shithole countries.” Musk, on his part, has allowed his platform to become a breeding ground for white nationalist discourse, normalizing exclusionary rhetoric in ways eerily similar to early Nazi propaganda.

Another common justification is the idea that Trump’s views on race are shaped by Africa’s poor leadership. This is exactly how colonialists and Nazis justified their racial policies. Hitler saw Slavs and Africans as inferior and incapable of governance, using this belief to rationalize their oppression. Similarly, modern arguments that generalize an entire race based on the failures of certain African leaders follow the same logic. History has shown that once a group is labeled as incompetent, the next step is justifying their exclusion, and then their elimination. That was the trajectory Nazi Germany followed, and it is the same logic that has been used time and again to strip people of their rights.

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Perhaps the most alarming claim is that Trump has a mission and Musk is helping him. This is where history provides its most chilling warning. Hitler had a mission to “restore” Germany. Göring had a mission to militarize its economy. Heinrich Himmler had a mission to purify its population. Joachim von Ribbentrop had a mission to manipulate diplomacy to Hitler’s advantage. Every authoritarian has a mission, and every dictator has enablers. Musk, through his influence over critical sectors, is playing the same role that German industrialists did in the 1930s. They did not start the war, but they made it possible.

This is how societies sleepwalk into disaster. In 1923, many thought Hitler was just another loud nationalist. By 1933, he was in power. By 1938, Kristallnacht revealed just how far his movement was willing to go. By 1939, Europe was at war. The same kind of dismissive attitude seen today—excusing authoritarian tendencies in the name of nationalism or efficiency—is exactly what allowed history’s worst atrocities to unfold. Ignoring these warnings is not just naive; it is dangerous.

Aiyepola Abayomi writes from Abeokuta, Nigeria.