Can It Happen Here? by Cass R. Sunstein

Author:Cass R. Sunstein
Language: eng
Format: epub

The Resistible Rise of Louis Bonaparte

Jon Elster

I. Introduction

The election of Donald Trump as president of the United States has triggered many historical analogies, notably with Mussolini, Hitler, and Berlusconi. Richard Cohen (Washington Post, May 3, 2017, p. A 17) suggests an intriguing comparison with Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany, adding, however, that “[m]ore disturbing than the similarities [ . . . ] are their differences. The kaiser was the product of an archaic monarchical system—the bad luck of the draw. Trump, however, was elected in a democratic process, and yet the result has been distressingly similar.” In this chapter I discuss the rise to power of another autocrat, Louis Bonaparte (later Napoleon III), through a democratic process. First, however, I shall comment on the psychology of autocracy. I conclude with some observations on the comparative method.

The title of the chapter is a spin-off from the title of a play by Bertolt Brecht, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, an allegorical representation of Hitler’s rise to power. Arturo Ui is a gangster who takes over the cauliflower industry (an allegory of the Prussian Junkers) in Chicago by bribery and force. As Ui’s rise to power unfolds, there is only one point at which he might have been resisted and stopped. This occurs at the very beginning, when Ui bribes a respected politician, Dogsborough (an allegorical reference to General Hindenburg). Ui’s further rise to power occurs by brute force, in what seems to be an irresistible way. By contrast, I shall show that Louis Bonaparte might have been resisted at three main branching points, where his opponents had both the motive and the opportunity to stop him. The central question is why they failed to stop him when they could.

To convey some aspects of Arturo Ui’s character, let me cite some of the lines that Brecht puts in the mouth of Ui, taken from the translation by Jennifer Wise (1972):

It doesn’t matter what professors or smart-alecks think; all that counts is how the little man sees his master.

I don’t muzzle the animal that does my heavy lifting. I overlook the foibles of my employees.

Me, I’m a peaceful man. But threats I don’t stand for. You don’t trust me blindly no more? Then go. Nobody’s stopping you. You stay, you do your duty to the utmost. I say who gets what and when: duty first, rewards later. All I ask of you is trust, trust and nothing but.

I’m not exactly loved. My humble beginnings as a poor son of the Bronx are always held against me, “He doesn’t even know which fork to use at dinner,” they say; “How can we trust him in the world of business?”

Trump observers will nod.

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