‘53 Days’ to Dismantle a Democracy

On a dark and rainy October morning, amid the celebratory events of Suffolk Weekend, Suffolk students, faculty, staff and friends packed the Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Commons to talk about the fragility of democracy.  

“I promise you, if we were here 10 years ago, we would not be filling the room with a conversation about the end of the Weimar Republic,” mused speaker Dr. Timothy W. Ryback, cofounder and director of the Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation in The Hague. 

A noted historian, writer, and frequent contributor to The Atlantic, Ryback joined Beyond Conflict founder and CEO Tim Phillips, BS ’83, HDHL ’18, for a timely conversation on democracy, trust, and lessons from history. Drawing on his new book, 53 Days: How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy, Ryback detailed how Hitler brought down the Weimar Republic in under two months using the very tools of a constitutional democracy. Paired with Phillips’ decades of experience helping divided societies rebuild trust, the conversation explored what those consequential 53 days can teach us today. 

Ryback described his effort to look at the rise of Adolph Hitler through fresh eyes by studying the daily press from that time. Rather than focusing only on the events that led, with retrospective inevitability, to the fall of German democracy, Ryback highlighted the uncertainty of a time that has taken on fresh resonance for societies experiencing polarization and tumult.  

“What you see is this guy stumbling from one disaster to the next, almost failing completely,” said Ryback. “You suddenly see people who are standing up against him, who have been forgotten by history.” 

Ryback linked the erosion of democracy in Germany with a failure to address everyday concerns such as unemployment, inflation, and public security. He compared the country’s path to fascism with historic and current far-left and far-right populist movements—from Soviet communism to the upcoming Brazilian election and Hungary’s resounding rejection of authoritarian leader Viktor Orban in the spring.   

“Two-thirds of the Hungarians voted to throw Orban out of office,” Ryback explained. “Had the Germans in 1933 voted the way the Hungarians did last spring, there would have been no Third Reich. There would have been no World War II. There would have been no Holocaust. Hitler would have been out of office within a month.” 

Responding to an audience question on what Germany could have done differently to prevent the destruction of their democracy, Ryback pointed to the role journalists played in consistently calling out Hitler’s actions (and the lawsuits that followed). Ultimately, Ryback returned to the critical importance of voting.  

“At the end of the day, it was a democracy ruled by the people, and it was up to the German people to vote the way they did.” 

Ending on a hopeful note, Phillips pointed to the lessons in Ryback’s work about the ways in which ordinary people could have changed the course of German and world history.  

“I think that’s empowering,” said Phillips. “That gives people agency. That’s why I think this message is so important.” 

About Beyond Conflict 

Nonprofit Beyond Conflict is a leader in bringing together the fields of brain and behavioral science, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding to address intractable conflict and violence around the globe. Since 1992, Beyond Conflict has created powerful and innovative frameworks to open pathways for progress in peace talks, transitions to democracy, and national reconciliation in the aftermath of division and violence in numerous countries around the world. 

Earlier this year, Beyond Conflict and Suffolk University announced a strategic partnership that brings Beyond Conflict’s decades-long global leadership in promoting peace, democracy, and reconciliation to Suffolk, an institution grounded in traditions of public service, civil discourse, and community engagement since its establishment in 1906.   

Through the strategic partnership, Suffolk University students, faculty, and staff, along with broader communities in Boston and beyond, will gain access to Beyond Conflict’s deep well of expertise in conflict transformation and brain and behavioral science-informed approaches to social change which furthers the University’s demonstrated commitment to inclusive community-building and its extensive history of fostering the next generation of civic leaders.