The Trump administration has called for emergency elections in Ukraine, after a series of events distancing themselves from the nation currently partially occupied by Russia. The move has many historical parallels - to keep it simple and non-speculative, let’s look at the parallels within a government who this administration has explicitly credited as an inspiration: the Third Reich.

Parallels

• Austria (1938ce): the forced election that never happened
  • Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg planned a referendum on independence.
  • Adolf Hitler forced him to cancel it under military threats.
• Trump allies push for elections in Ukraine while supporting Russian aggression, similar to how Hitler demanded political changes while preparing to invade.
  • Austria was annexed before the people could vote, and Germany held a rigged plebiscite after occupation.
• The Sudetenland Crisis (1938)
  • Germany supported ethnic German Nazis in the Sudetenland, encouraging them to demand autonomy.
  • Trump’s team suggests Ukraine needs elections while occupied territories remain under Russian control, echoing Germany’s manipulation of border politics.
  • The Munich Agreement forced Czechoslovakia to cede the Sudetenland, undermining its sovereignty without an immediate war.
• Slovak Independence (1939ce)
  • After annexing the Sudetenland, Germany pressured Slovakia (then part of Czechoslovakia) into declaring independence.
  • A forced “election” was held under Nazi influence, creating a puppet state rather than true sovereignty.
  • Trump’s push for elections in Ukraine, while Russian-occupied areas remain under Kremlin control, mirrors how Germany used manipulated votes to justify breaking apart nations.
• Vichy France (1940ce)
  • After France fell in WWII, the Nazis backed a collaborationist government in Vichy, presenting it as legitimate.
  • Russia has staged fake elections in occupied Ukraine, and Trump’s push for “emergency elections” could be a way to install a Kremlin-friendly leader.
  • Vichy France lost credibility and became a Nazi puppet.

Strategy

• “Democratic processes” were used to justify authoritarian control.
• Nazis (and now Russia, with potential Trump backing) used elections to:
  • Destabilize governments under siege.
  • Create legitimacy for foreign influence.
  • Pressure leaders into resignation or concessions.

This is a modern adaptation of an old playbook: first, withholding support, then demanding fradulent elections, and finally using the resulting chaos to justify further aggression.