There are many ways a people can lose their freedom. The most obvious is invasion by another power.
The invasion of Africa and the American continents by European powers is obvious. In the case of North America, we were taught it was Manifest Destiny. The most natural thing: Taking the freedom of wilderness savages by supposedly civilized Europeans.
The existing cultures and peoples were irrelevant. George Washington thought the Indians could be assimilated by teaching them farming and writing, and some were successful, but as soon as Washington was gone, the white slave owners asserted their belief system.
The Conquistadors had a different tactic. They used the religious heaven or hell strategy to convince the Indians that their ways were evil and religion offered salvation in exchange for the natives being used as plantation serfs.
Actually, the idea of personal freedom was quite new in 1776. Until then, most of mankind lived in some sort of bondage. Monarchs owned everything — land, people and even lesser monarchs. The majority in Europe were serfs, bound to the land regardless of whom the king allowed to manage the land as if he owned it. And collect taxes.
A minority, peasants and tradesmen, had a bit of liberty, but the slightest misfortune could send them into poverty and obligation to someone else. In most past civilizations the vast majority were virtual slaves. If not by ownership, then by custom and religion that dictated what one’s place would be and accordingly could do.
Early republics, like Greece and Rome, were only democracies among the rich and powerful land owners. The working people had no voice or were outright slaves. Things did not really improve until the 17th century, the age of enlightenment.
Early America was an oligarchy. A minority of white men owned much of the land, and means of production, and slavery was common. In the North, it often took the form of an indenture contract that could be worked off.
Many of the rich and powerful had higher ideals; they studied the earlier democratic forms — Greece, Rome, Switzerland and Iroquois. They saw a vision of government by the people and started the long process toward equality.
After two world wars, it looked as if democratic equality was possible. The formation of the United Nations made great promises, unfortunately thwarted by the veto power given a handful of countries including Russia. Still, no functional democracy has invaded another democracy.
More peoples lose their liberty internally. Revolutionaries have based coups and civil wars on grievances sometimes imaginary. The American Revolution was against an English king, who was German. The Bill of Rights gives an outline of things that must be preserved for a nation to remain democratic.
Unfortunately, the outline can be used in reverse by a potential dictator who wishes for more power. First, they could discredit the free press, the foundation of democracy. Smash the presses if possible, or install a state press to misinform the people. Do the same with the radio and television stations. Disarm the people except for a sympathetic minority.
They could create artificial or even imaginary crises, and then campaign against the result. Make outrageous claims to create a common enemy — Jews, immigrants, intellectuals to give the majority something to feel superior to and at the same time threatened by. Declare martial law, maybe one proclamation at a time.
This is mandatory, that is forbidden. Censor certain words from government documents and rename geography so history gets confusing. Declare a national language that can be edited to remove certain concepts.
Dictators bypass due process and find ways to punish or disappear dissidents. Create chaos with on-again, off-again taxes, regulations and random firings and rehiring, so businesses can’t plan ahead. Businesses then need higher prices to stay solvent.
Replace experienced civil servants with unqualified sycophants who will do what they are told, whether or not it makes sense. Chaos is a diversion to make people or an enemy unable to know what’s really planned. Meet secretly with hostile foreign powers and lie.
Ken Obenski is a forensic engineer, now safety and freedom advocate in South Kona. He writes a biweekly column for West Hawaii Today. Feedback encouraged at obenskik@gmail.com.
