The best stories help audiences explore real-world issues. The Harry Potter series achieved this in many ways, including the depiction of the British Ministry of Magic. On many occasions throughout the series, the Ministry proved to be an ineffectual government whose primary concern was their public image. This made it all the easier for Voldemort to rise to power and eventually take over the Ministry of Magic.

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Fans can certainly draw many parallels between the Ministry of Magic and many problematic real-world governments. In order to explore what made the Ministry such a problematic government, it is worthwhile to explore some of the worst mistakes the Ministry made throughout the Harry Potter series and in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Obsessing Over Dumbledore's Will

Rufus Scrimgeour gives Harry Potter the snitch

Instead of putting an action plan together to stop Voldemort, Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour fixated on the contents of Albus Dumbledore's will. He was legally allowed to keep these contents for thirty-one days before handing them over to the individuals specified in the will.

Scrimgeour wasted valuable time fixated on items that weren't meant for him when he could've been actively working to defeat Voldemort and his followers. He let himself be distracted by the will while Voldemort and his followers infiltrated the Ministry of Magic and prepared for an imminent takeover.

Attending The Grindelwald Rally

Grindelwald with his arms outstretched

Albus Dumbledore warned Theseus Scamander that Grindelwald would hold a rally and that under no circumstances should Theseus and his fellow Aurors attend that rally. Dumbledore knew the presence of Aurors would only aid the division and anger that Grindelwald would sow.

Despite making it abundantly clear that attending the rally would be a trap, Theseus and the other Aurors went anyway. Grindelwald called out the Aurors for being violent and responsible for punishing those who sought the "truth." This instigated the chaos that Grindelwald wanted and emboldened his followers to attack the Aurors, who reacted with the violence that Grindelwald wanted all along.

Trying To Arrest Dumbledore

Cornelius Fudge, and other members of the Ministry of Magic

The Ministry tried to arrest Albus Dumbledore after he took credit for the existence of Dumbledore's Army. Of course, Dumbledore evaded arrest in epic fashion.

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This made the Ministry look like utter fools and made the many individuals who admired and respected Dumbledore lose all respect for the Ministry. The Ministry looked incompetent for failing to arrest him and lost credibility for attempting to vilify Dumbledore.

Scapegoating Stan Shunpike

Shunpike Stan

The Ministry of Magic arrested the Knight Bus conductor Stan Shunpike because they believed him to be a Death Eater. Even when it became clear that Stan wasn't a Death Eater and he didn't have any ties to them, the Ministry kept him imprisoned in Azkaban. They scapegoated him and made a big deal about his arrest to conceal the fact that they were failing to arrest any actual Death Eaters.

Rightfully so, this made Harry Potter distrust the Ministry even further as he refused to partner with a government that would publicize the arrest of an innocent man for the sake of positive public perception.

Covering Up The Mass-Breakout From Azkaban

Harry Potter Azkaban Prison

During the events of The Order of the Phoenix, Lucius Malfoy and all of the other imprisoned Death Eaters were liberated from Azkaban during a mass-breakout. The Ministry covered up news of the breakout, once again fearing that it would make them look weak and incompetent.

Meanwhile, the Death Eaters roamed free and did Voldemort's bidding, with most of the public unaware that they were no longer in Azkaban. Having all of these Death Eaters at his disposal strengthened Voldemort's forces and made the takeover of the Ministry much easier.

Enacting The Anti-Werewolf Legislation

Remus Lupin

The Ministry of Magic created legislation that made life more difficult for werewolves. Sirius Black referenced this in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, mentioning that it was drafted by Dolores Umbridge and that it made it almost impossible for his friend Remus Lupin and other werewolves to get a job.

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Living as a werewolf was challenging enough without the struggle to find employment and the knowledge that the government will create laws to make their lives more difficult. This mistreatment made good werewolves like Lupin distrustful of the Ministry and motivated more vengeful werewolves to join Voldemort.

Empowering Dolores Umbridge

Dolores Umbridge sitting in her office

The Ministry made an egregious error when they ensured that Dolores Umbridge would become the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. Cornelius Fudge expanded her role into becoming the High Inquisitor and eventually the Headmistress. Umbridge abused her power and tried to make Hogwarts a miserable, government-controlled institution.

Her actions caused most of the student body and even some of the professors to turn against her. Through her influence, the Ministry became a truly invasive and corrupt force, and she tried to destroy everything wonderful about Hogwarts. Harry and countless others lost any trust they had in their government as a result.

Using Dementors

Dementors feed on people's happiness and can consume someone's soul. Despite the Dementors' terrifying and evil nature, the Ministry foolishly thought they could control them and relied on the Dementors to guard Azkaban. After Sirius Black escaped Azkaban, the Dementors were even sent to Hogwarts.

Placing these highly dangerous creatures near children and relying on them to guard Azkaban was a terrible idea. The Dementors were volatile beings who the Ministry could never fully control, so it was no surprise that they sided with Voldemort when he seized power. The Ministry's reliance on them made it much easier for Death Eaters to be broken out of Azkaban while continuing to aid Voldemort once he was in control of the Ministry.

Denying Voldemort's Return

Dumbledore playing with his wand in Deathly Hallows Part 2

Instead of facing the problem of Voldemort's return, the Ministry spent a whole year denying it. Voldemort's return was a frightening and overwhelming reality to accept, so the Ministry chose to pretend that it hadn't happened. A problem doesn't go away by ignoring it, though.

This denial gave Voldemort and his followers ample time to grow stronger as they worked from the shadows. Dumbledore and everyone else who knew that Voldemort returned were branded as crazy, which made stopping Voldemort and his followers all the more difficult.

Enforcing The Muggle-Born Registration Commission

Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge with her Cat Patronus

Many mistakes led to the Ministry of Magic becoming fully infiltrated and taken over by Voldemort's followers. The greatest mistake was that after this happened, the Ministry created the Muggle-Born Registration Commission.

At this point, the Ministry was no longer just an incompetent government desperately trying to hide their incompetency; they were now an oppressive one enforcing a prejudiced initiative in order to control the magical world. This was a horrifying abuse of power as they tore families apart and sowed fear and division. Only through the work of wise witches and wizards like Kingsley Shacklebolt and Hermione Granger would the Ministry eventually become a worthy government again, but the stain of the Muggle-Born Registration Committee can never be fully forgotten or wiped away - nor should it be.

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