learntoquestion ltq discussions

Originally posted by flower123 on November 09, 2025 11:17

Throughout history, major tragedies have a tendency of mirroring each other. I think this is purely logical. For genocides and other instances of mass destruction, the situation needs to meet certain criteria to have an end result of that magnitude. However, I think each aftermath is different which affects both the narrative of the tragedy and how we think about the event in current day. Declaring a war legally requires a certain elevation of a problem. This is because the emotional and physical impact of the majority need to match for it to be justified. Only certain circumstances can evoke such strong emotions. This is why so many wars are declared over land. Land is a prime example of, if messed with, an aggressor. It has always been a symbol of strength and power within government, when neighboring nations attempt to take land, it causes extreme emotion which can only be expressed at the extreme level of violence. In Weimar Germany, we observed this when they suffered immense inflation. In Zimbabwe in 2008, their government was unreliable, similar to Weimar. They suffered inflation of similar proportions because their government was overprinting money. Prices were doubling every 24 hours and their government even printed a $100 trillion bill. The ratio between the two nations at their peak, are the only prime examples that are comparable to that extent. The root of the problem was the same as not having a stable government, but the outcome and result was completely different. These situations prove that although “cause” tends to mirror itself throughout time, “effect” is always going to look different. All in all, I think the roots of major events mirror each other in past history. However, no exact event had the same outcome or expression of effect. This makes sense given social patterns and logical thinking.

I definitely agree with the idea that all major tragedies throughout history repeat because they have the same root causes. I also agree that human emotion is the main driver of violent actions throughout history, and that a certain amount of emotional turmoil will fester into physical violence because we don't yet have a better way to deal with it. However, I disagree that extreme emotion can only be expressed through extreme violence. Human beings have logical thought and empathy, and we are capable of talking problems out if we are given the incentive to do so. However, violence is often the easiest answer, and our governments push us towards irrationality and dehumanizing and blaming minorities for our problems instead of doing this. Additionally, there's the matter of proportionality. If there's an unstable government and the people are upset about inflation, does that warrant protests? Riots? Revolutions? Genocide? Where do we draw the line where the extreme violence extreme emotion leads to is inevitable?

Your post was a little confusing. I know I'm not one to talk because I also write using big words, but I had trouble understanding what you were saying at points. For example, how can land be an aggressor? It's not sentient. And what happened due to the inflation in Zimbabwe? I don't know that history. There were a lot of parts where the wording could have been clearer or the dots could have been connected for me a little better. But the ideas were very good!

Originally posted by flower123 on November 09, 2025 11:17

Throughout history, major tragedies have a tendency of mirroring each other. I think this is purely logical. For genocides and other instances of mass destruction, the situation needs to meet certain criteria to have an end result of that magnitude. However, I think each aftermath is different which affects both the narrative of the tragedy and how we think about the event in current day. Declaring a war legally requires a certain elevation of a problem. This is because the emotional and physical impact of the majority need to match for it to be justified. Only certain circumstances can evoke such strong emotions. This is why so many wars are declared over land. Land is a prime example of, if messed with, an aggressor. It has always been a symbol of strength and power within government, when neighboring nations attempt to take land, it causes extreme emotion which can only be expressed at the extreme level of violence. In Weimar Germany, we observed this when they suffered immense inflation. In Zimbabwe in 2008, their government was unreliable, similar to Weimar. They suffered inflation of similar proportions because their government was overprinting money. Prices were doubling every 24 hours and their government even printed a $100 trillion bill. The ratio between the two nations at their peak, are the only prime examples that are comparable to that extent. The root of the problem was the same as not having a stable government, but the outcome and result was completely different. These situations prove that although “cause” tends to mirror itself throughout time, “effect” is always going to look different. All in all, I think the roots of major events mirror each other in past history. However, no exact event had the same outcome or expression of effect. This makes sense given social patterns and logical thinking.

There are a lot of takes in your piece that I think are very compelling, but I think the most compelling idea in your post was your example of land. As you stated, land “has always been a symbol of strength and power within government, when neighboring nations attempt to take land, it causes extreme emotion which can only be expressed at the extreme level of violence”. This was an interesting take to me, and I agree with it because it shows how emotions can decide on a lot of decisions. I also really liked how you compared both Zimbabwe in 2008 to the Weimar republic. I liked how you first started what Zimbabwe was like in 2008 and then stated how the stem of the problem is very similar to the Weimar republic, and how both of their governments were not stable at all. My own views on your topic are similar because I also said that history itself, even though it might look the same, it will mainly have a different outcome. This is because it has a lot of similarities throughout our timeline, and that many events from the past can be similar to the present, but not always exactly the same.

Originally posted by microwavedpizza on November 10, 2025 09:19

I believe the idea that history rhymes is accurate because no event repeats exactly, but there are clear behavioral patterns throughout history that have led to similar instances. A constant struggle and desire for power can be observed as groups have competed against each other in every culture and time period, examples ranging from America’s revolt against Britain in the 18th century to modern day debates between Democrats and Republicans. People may attempt to make a direct correlation between society today and the Weimar Republic to emphasize the severity of what's going on and warn against such events ever becoming a possibility again. Aspects such as the severe political polarization between parties in the U.S. and the large percentage of Americans struggling economically might lead people to make a comparison between our society and Germany’s in the early 20th century. Many citizens desire change, so they rely on past events to criticize the current existing governmental system we abide by. While it is clear that nothing can come close to or compare with the horrors of Nazi Germany, the circumstances that allowed for the regime to take place are present in some societies today. Differences between society today, particularly in the United States, and Germany between the years of 1919-1933 include: the blatant normalization of antisemitism, extreme post-war conditions caused by the Treaty of Versailles, economic crisis, and the fact that this was Germany’s first democratic institution so they were unfamiliar with how to run things. While discrimination against Jews is nowhere near erased today, as a society we have progressed and for the most part, made it less acceptable for there to be such outward, undeserved hate. We have not been involved in such a large scale and devastating war for many years, so that is another difference that explains how Weimar Germany was unsimilar and had such pronounced effects. One classmate writes, “Concerningly, antisemitism has been on an uptick recently, perhaps even more concerning is the current administration’s harassment, scapegoating, and mass deportation of immigrants, especially and specifically those from Latin America. And while the country is not recovering from the loss of a war, many people from across the political spectrum feel just as dejected and hopeless about the state of modern society” (Driscoll). Another form of prejudice has been taking place and gaining prominence recently, that being the disgusting behavior towards immigrants. As stated, our situations differ in that we are not freshly out of war, but the economic state is on its way to being similar to that of Weimar Germany’s. As people in Germany felt, many citizens are developing and harboring feelings of hopelessness and being ignored when regarding the way politics are structured. It is important to take these warning signs seriously in order to prevent a similar outcome from occurring again.

I definitely agree with the idea that history does rhyme, and I think it's interesting that this person brings up the idea that history technically never repeats itself exactly. I also agree with the idea that there are a lot of properties of the Weimar Republic that reflect the modern day state of the United States and America itself. Things like economic disparity and the struggle between ideological parties are two prominent aspects that lead to the Weimar Republics failure. Another important aspect that I think should be brought up when talking about the state of the modern world is the rise in antisemitism, which is almost seen as a warning to many for an upcoming event of persecution (whether involving the Jews or not). Another terrifying aspect about the rise in Antisemitism is the idea that many people may begin to see greater validity in Hitler's claims and ideologies simply based on the fact that those ideals negatively reflect upon Jews. I definitely also agree with the fact that the true victims of persecution and violence within the United States are people from Latin America, as they are being persecuted based on how they look, with many claiming that they don't belong in the United States because they "don't look like a citizen". Overall, I agree with the majority of what this person is saying, and I wouldn't change anything.

Originally posted by coolturtle on November 10, 2025 08:43

History is in most cases seen as a chronological set of events all put into one timeline, involving many implicit and explicit factors contributing to why things are the way they are. Psychoanalyst Reik says that history does not quite repeat itself, but “it merely rhymes.” This aspect of looking at history is factual in the sense that similar patterns and themes emerge across different eras despite unique circumstances. For example, the Weimar Republic of Germany from 1918-1933 perfectly represents this idea. Among looking at the many virtual essays related to this topic, they have all come to the same conclusion: factors. In the Weimar Republic there are a certain number of factors that influenced its corruption and eventual downfall. They include: economic conditions, political chaos, antisemitism, and a rising belief in citizens that their government could no longer sustain their needs. Across history, such causes like the Weimar Republic are not identical, however the underlying human behaviors, political dynamics, and social structures can produce similar outcomes over time. Currently, the US government faces much controversy for the removal of SNAP funding among low income families and the mass deportation of many residing immigrants in the country. In a similar sense, the Weimar Republic faced a growing rise in nationalism and antisemitism leading to many citizens being publicly shamed and even physically hurt by their own people. This example is just one of many rhymes among both the current US government and the Weimar Republic. In the same sense, both are led by a newly appointed president and face the same social tensions among its people. There are complete differences between the two, however, due to the rise in technology and news across the last 100 years. However, this relates back to Reik’s idea of history rhyming, rather than repeating, because of the consistent factors and underlying behaviors in specific societies that drive history itself. Furthermore, the rising idea among US citizens of an incompetent president and a unreliable political party resembles that of the growing belief among Weimar citizens. In every virtual essay, there was a mention of the sense of betrayal Weimar citizens felt after the Treaty of Versailles was signed. In a different situation, US citizens feel a sense of anger for the disregard towards the betterment of this country and the lack of accountability. As seen in this example, the events itself are not at all the same but in some ways the citizens in each government symbolize the identical behaviors and reasoning for their emotions. All in all, history shows us that regardless of the given situation, the eventual result and underlying factors of those who cultivate the timeline stay constant.

I agree with the claim that the current situation in the United States, and the state of affairs of the post World War I Weimar Republic in Germany, while not exactly identical, do “rhyme”. The United States is not in the exact same situation as the Weimar Republic was; we are not a new government, or one coming off of a major defeat in war, as the Weimar Republic was. However, it is certainly true that we do see some commonalities between our two nations, mainly in our economic situations, and rising social concerns. Even these are not exactly identical, however they do bear some level of resemblance, making the point of history “rhyming” rather than repeating; history does not just copy itself a hundred years down the line, however it does tend to look and sound similar. I also agree with the point that the United States is in some sense under new leadership, and I think that the way politics in our country have been shaping, it could be argued that we are under a new kind of government altogether, just as the citizens of Weimar Germany were. The entire political landscape in the United States has been rapidly changing, and we are seeing new waves of radicalist thought on both sides. It is also being strongly argued that the United States is moving towards a more fascist government, and this can certainly be reasonably argued. The Weimar Republic was, in that sense, a similarly new government, with lots of new political extremism, and a coming shift towards fascist government. I think this is a very interesting point in the discussion of whether or not the United States can be compared to the German Weimar Republic.

Originally posted by lordofthenumbers on November 12, 2025 21:31

History does rhyme, it takes on the shape of its past as people act similarly. They will act similarly due to the human nature of greed, of wanting something for themselves. In doing things, they want in the same way that people have in the past, even though what it is that they want is different, changing, along with the development of humans. There is nothing that is pointing to them being combined and being seen by the government. Even within the smaller parts of history, it is obvious to see how people act, which is based on their desires in that moment, remaining to be few things: power, money, and love.

Specifically, it is noticeable that in the reading text it is obvious that this sort of thing has happened before, and will continue to happen in the future. For example, Antisemitism is acting similarly today, coming across now more as a result of the different battles and worries in the current era. People want to blame a specific group, according to Risa and Brynn’s website, and so this form of hatred becomes normal. Additionally, it was seen that any “different” people were kicked out, deported to some other place. It is very obvious that currently in America, that is possible as well. There’s the idea that we can do what we want, as long as it won’t impact us, but it will. The control that the government exerts over immigrants can extend to power over citizens as a result of greed. The situation has changed slightly, and so has the group, though the idea is similar: the different must go. At this point in time, the people notice the atmosphere of their government, and make art reflecting the feelings of the time period. In my website, it was very visible that the people felt angry with the Weimar government, in expressing their grief and also in the acknowledgement of the disparity. As time passed through the years, this fact about humanity hasn’t changed. People create as a result of wanting, a better future, justice, or anything else. It helps reflect the political atmosphere of the time, and helps to bring about change. In history, people begin to notice problems through art, through different mediums of being informed.

I agree that antisemitism and anti-immigration are rampant in America today and that it is a terrifying prospect that we could potentially be returning to more archaic and dangerous times as a society because, as I have said before, history and the mistakes that lie within it happened so that we can learn from them in the future. The attacks on Jewish Americans and immigrants in our society today are truly disgusting and the normalization of both of these sentiments through things that seem harmless such as, jokes, memes, or satire actually dilute the true nature of the effects of the hate. In my research of the Weimar Republic, one of the main signs of growing antisemitism was the normalization and diluting of antisemitism through cartoons, jokes, and forgeries. Similarly, I rebuke the greed exhibited by our elites today and agree that the system in place today favors the aforementioned elites. I think that this favoritism and exploitation can lead to horrible things for the country such as revolutions or further oppression. I also agree that through education, learning from the past, and most importantly, educating the masses, we can move away from oppression and exploitation. With the focus of our society today moving away from capital success and towards human innovation and growth as a species, we can truly succeed as a race. In my opinion, borders, separation, and class have ruined us, and that if in some utopian world, humanity as a race came together, all could prosper in the same way the 1% of the 1% prosper today.

Originally posted by vytygygvhbuy on November 12, 2025 21:44

I believe that events from the past have similarities to the present for many reasons. One reason I believe this is because there are certain characteristics that have to be there for certain events to happen. Just like there are certain qualities for a mass movement, there are probably other factors that make certain events happen. Just because this is true doesn’t mean that history will “repeat itself”. I actually feel as if no historical event can be exactly replicated. It would actually be way harder to actually repeat history then to stop it from happening. With that being said there is definitely a chance that history can be similar but definitely not exactly the same. Right now in the world there are some similarities, even though they may be a little far fetched. For example in the Weimar Republic, the people were suffering because of decisions that the government had made. This can relate to how the government was shut down and they are trying to take away EBT cards for people to get food. This at first glance may be different but in both cases people are struggling because of a decision they had no say in. The way some people think about America could also be seen as a similarity. Because of all the wrong going on in the U.S, as of right now, some people feel as if the U.S will never be “great” again. This kind of relates to nihilism and how some people thought that Germany was forever doomed. People now think that Trump has ruined the U.S. and it will probably not ever be as it was. On the other hand people think that there is hope for the country and that things will get better. This is an example of existentialism and how some people were hopeful for what was going to happen in Germany even though it was really bad.

I agree with this person in the aspect that people will follow similar patterns, though they would never create the qualities needed for a last movement. People will suffer all of the time, lacking food, and face similar situations as a result. Poor judgement of the government will cause these people to get hurt. I do think that this situation is different from the situation in the Weimar Republic, however. People were hurt by the outside world, and then the poor governance handled that. The government did a poor job, but this wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the war. The U.S is doing a poor job only from greed, as a slow descent into poor governance as time has passed since the creation of the government. The Weimar Republic was just a weak government in a bad environment. I think the most compelling argument that this person makes is that people in America can hope for better, unlike the very depressed and melancholic mood of the Weimar Republic. They were depressed as a result of the war, which is what streamlined the death of the Republic, as well as exacerbating the difficult situations that the Germans were already dealing with. I think that this person could benefit a bit from adding some specific details, as to what they were referring to as the “qualities” necessary for a similar situation to occur.