Weak democracy can lead to dictatorship
Adolf Hitler's rise to power is often cited as an example of the weakness of democracy in allowing such a thing to happen. Constitutional Court President Wasan Soypisudh contributed to this misreading of history by saying that Hitler "abused a popular maj
The fact was that Hitler lost the 1932 election, coming in a distant second. The Nazi Party won only about 200 seats in the 608-member Reichstag. So it was not true that Hitler rose through majority electoral support. What did finally gain him dictatorial power and the suspension of the German constitution was the turmoil that followed the fire at the Reichstag. But it was “given” to him instead of him gaining it through the election. If any lesson can be learned from the German experience, it is that the then German system of democracy wasn’t strong enough.
Kemadist Chiaracharuwat
Bangkok
