Signposts on the Way to Fascism

Guest Opinion

"...Fascism can come back under the most innocent of disguises. Our duty is to uncover it and to point our finger at any of its new instances—every day, in every part of the world." (Umberto Eco)

The word “fascism” has been bandied about of late to the point that some people dismiss it as just another meaningless political accusation. But it is crucial to understand what fascism is so that we can identify it and squelch it before it takes hold.

Notorious examples of fascist leaders include Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, and, more recently, Kim Jong-un, Vladimir Putin, and Viktor Orbán (Hungary). Fascism is not a specific or consistent ideology, but an authoritarian way of ruling—the leader makes the rules and people must follow.

Aspects of fascism include: increasing control/tenure of the leader, lying and propagandizing, repression of the press and free speech, the cult of tradition—especially in regards to the role of women—the demand for absolute loyalty, militarism, and territorial expansion.

The fascist ruler has charisma that inspires people to follow him. (I will be using the male pronoun, because all the leaders considered herein are male.) People who are resentful of the government, who believe they’ve been left behind, who fear difference, and who think life was better in the good old days, fall for someone who promises to fix things, regardless of the truth or possibility of those promises.

Trump’s brand of fascism is “bubbling up from below in very worrisome ways, and that’s very much like the original fascisms,” when Mussolini and Hitler leveraged mass discontent to gather support. (Robert Paxton, The Anatomy of Fascism)

A fascist leader claims infallibility. “Often, I would like to be wrong,” Mussolini told a reporter, “but so far it has never happened.” “What the Fuhrer does is always right,” proclaimed the National Socialist Party newspaper in 1936. “I will absolutely apologize sometime in the distant future if I’m ever wrong,” Trump declared.

Fascists seek to consolidate and extend power. Hitler bypassed the constitution, governed by decree, then abolished all other political parties. Hugo Chavez developed a new constitution that lengthened his tenure and increased his military authority. Victor Orbán rewrote Hungary’s constitution to expand the powers of the prime minister while diminishing those of parliament.

Trump violated the Constitution by actively working to overturn a free and fair election. Republicans and their allies are currently angling for a constitutional convention that would allow a total rewrite of the Constitution.

Fascists have no regard for the truth. “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth,” according to Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda. Hitler bragged about telling “colossal untruths.” Trump made more than 30,000 false or misleading claims during his presidential tenure. (Washington Post Fact Checker)

Fascists control the media. The Nazi party shut down the free press in Germany. Trump has called the press “the enemy of the people.” Stalin and Chairman Mao both used this phrase to denigrate dissenters, most of whom ended up in prison. Trump now has the owners of Fox News, X (formerly Twitter), and The Washington Post in his pocket.

Fascists consider the proper role of women to be wives, homemakers, and mothers. In Hungary, Orbán urged women to have more babies. Mussolini rewarded families based on their number of children (he considered 12 to be appropriate), outlawed birth control, and barred women from most sources of employment. Hitler removed women from administrative positions and said he would emancipate them from emancipation.

Eerily echoing that declaration, Trump promised women that “You will no longer have anxiety from all of the problems our country has today. You will be protected, and I will be your protector.” A Supreme Court stacked with his nominees took away women’s rights to govern their own bodies.

Fascists create their own loyal militant groups. Hitler had the brownshirts; Mussolini, the blackshirts. Trump has the Proud Boys and militias and may soon have the National Guard and the Armed Services.

Fascists always want more. Hitler took over many countries. Mussolini took over Ethiopia. Putin took Crimea and invaded Ukraine. Trump has spoken numerous times of wanting Greenland, the Panama Canal, and even Canada.

Complacency in the face of fascism is lethal because fascists use the single-minded loyalty of their followers to act fast. According to Hitler, “Our great opportunity lies in acting before they do. We have no scruples, no bourgeois hesitations.” Often the opposition is busy fighting among its own factions and cannot achieve a united front to fight back.

In a mere four years, Mussolini “abolished all competing political parties, eliminated freedom of the press, neutered the labor movement…took control of the national police.” (Madeleine Albright, Fascism: A Warning)

Is Trump a fascist? He will soon be in a position to put into place the building blocks of fascism. His actions and remarks suggest that this is his agenda. That’s why those who love democracy must be vigilant to work together and protect our Constitution and our democratic government.

Karen Mulvahill is a writer living in northern Michigan.

View On Our Website