Eric Lewis: Political violence is the new normal in Donald Trump鈥檚 America

Eric Lewis: Political violence is the new normal in Donald Trump鈥檚 America

Political violence has existed as long as politics. From both the left and the right, violence against political enemies has been a feature, not a bug, of radical political movements.

Vladimir Lenin developed a 鈥渟cience of terror鈥, in which violence was essential to overthrow the state. In Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler declared: 鈥淭he very first essential for success is a perpetually constant and regular employment of violence.鈥 And Benito Mussolini declared political violence a necessary tool both in his early days as a socialist and after his conversion to fascism. Radicals demonise their enemies and insist on responding with violence justified by any means.

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