Dave Spector

In 1934 the Nazis ended birthright citizen ship in Germany.

Jews, Roma, Black Germans, communists, trade unionists, and others were stripped of citizenship entirely. Their assets stolen and they were rounded up, they were thrown into vans by government agents and disappeared.

Seems familiar somehow. Remind me — what happened next?

Meanwhile, right now, in America….

DOJ announces plans to prioritize cases to revoke citizenship
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/30/nx-s1-5445398/denaturalization-trump-immigration-enforcement

Jun 30, 2025 at 3:20pmIvory for iOS
Show threadEdelruth, PBS Passport HolderJun 30, 2025

@Dhmspector

Sometimes learning things I did not previously know does not bring me joy.

Show threadTor LillqvistJun 30, 2025

@Dhmspector I very much doubt that Germany had US style birthright citizenship even before 1934, that just being born in Germany, regardless of the citizenship of your parents, would have given you citizenship.

(Note: I am not doubting at all that the Nazis removed citizenship from lots of people.)

Show threadBenjamin BraatzJun 30, 2025

@tml @Dhmspector You are correct. Germany never had jus soli, only has a limited form of it (children with at least one parent being a permanent, legal resident for five years) since 2000.

The Nazis only introduced a German citizenship in 1934. Before that there were mainly the citizenships of the states/Länder, not a citizenship of Germany as a whole. They did their racist and antisemitic changes to it a year later in 1935.

Nevertheless, even if parallels are not one-to-one, they are effing scary.

Show threadRainerJun 30, 2025

@Dhmspector
Yes, well: the past is never past.

And as Bertolt Brecht wrote: “The womb from which this came is still fertile.”

#BertholtBrecht

Show threadDave SpectorJun 30, 2025

@photogramm

Reminds me of a Faulkner quote:

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” — William Faulkner

Show threadRae PattersonJun 30, 2025

@Dhmspector

Further regulations in 1940 automatically removed state citizenship from individuals who became domiciled abroad; Nazi concentration camps were included in the definition of "abroad".

From Wikipedia

Show threadRobin BartonJun 30, 2025
@Dhmspector It is a dark and murky current carrying the usa to strange and foreboding territory
Show threadToni AittoniemiJun 30, 2025

@Dhmspector it took less than 4 years for the annexations of foreign countries to start, and 5 years for a world war to occur.

Tik-tok.

Show threadHansJul 1, 2025

@Dhmspector
Es wiederholt sich!

Grosser Gott:
Erbarme dich.

Show threadKrist van BesienJul 1, 2025
@Dhmspector not to pick a nit, but Germany never had birtright citizenship. It still hasn't, just like most European countries.
What the Nazis did was jsut strip Jews of their citizenship by decree.
Show threadJason Anthony GuyJul 1, 2025

@Dhmspector

1. Use admitted child pornographer as the “test case”—no one defends the “indefensible”.

2. Declare any crime—right down to parking tickets and jaywalking—as reasons to denaturalize.

3. Strip citizenship at will.

Show threadDave SpectorJul 1, 2025
@JasonAnthonyGuy yeah, pretty much. 🫠
Show threadsatireJul 2, 2025
@Dhmspector you don’t need a time travel machine to deal with one hitler at a time when
Show threadchmpsAug 23, 2025
@Dhmspector
I also considered that parallel, but perhaps a better comparison is the spikes of expulsions and banishments in US history (e.g. red scares). So not-so-new.