Beck Highlights Alarming Parallels Between Present-Day Russia and Germany Pre-World War II

Glenn Beck has made no secret of his belief that the world is headed for World War III, and recently released a video highlighting the similarities between present-day Russia and Germany just before World War II. He said the two countries have followed the same "fascist playbook."

"The escalating violent military conflict between Russia and Ukraine is deeply troubling, but it's also deeply familiar," Beck said. "The last time the world saw military aggression like this, it ended in global war and tens of millions dead. The similarities between now and then are striking."

On March 12, 1938 Germany annexed Austria calling it "anschluss," meaning union. 76 years later to the week, Beck said, Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated what he called the reunification of Crimea and Russia.

Image credit: Glenn Beck/TheBlaze via Facebook

"On March 18, 2014, Putin signed a bill allowing Russia to completely annex Crimea. ... Annexation passed with 97 percent of the vote," Beck said. "In an attempt to give [the annexation of Austria] more legitimacy, [Hitler] ordered a national referendum: annexation passed with a highly suspicious 99.7 percent of the vote."

"So similar were the two events, the Moscow Times labeled Putin's move 'anschluss.' And that's just the beginning," Beck said. "May, 1938. Hitler has no intention of peace and presents a battle plan to take over Czechloslovakia to war generals. ... With German citizens leery of war, Hitler unleashes a propaganda campaign. Goebbels declares he will not stand by and do nothing while ethnic Germans suffer in Sudetenland. Now Putin claims he's protecting ethnic Russians."

Image credit: Glenn Beck/TheBlaze via Facebook

"September 30, 1938, the Czechoslovakian president agrees to almost all the demands in the Munich Agreement," Beck added. "September 5, 2014, Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels sign a truce in Minsk."

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proudly declared "peace in our time" after the agreement at Munich, but less than six months later, the Nazis took over Czechoslovakia. Similarly, the ceasefire in Ukraine lasted only weeks.

"Where does it all end?" Beck asked. "We know what happened in 1939. The question is, will history repeat itself? What happens in 2015?"

Watch the complete video below: