The Rhythm of Fascism
MAGA is the backlash to 60 years of progress
Fascists Feed Off Fear
Fascism takes root in times of transformation. Historically, when existing social structures are threatened by changing norms, threats of fascism isn’t far behind. The trouble is, “far behind” in a historical context can span many generations causing lessons learned to fade away.
But understanding how fascism takes root is crucial for recognizing and combating its resurgence. Progressive Americans failed to understand that there would be ramifications to passing the Civil Rights Act of 1965 and to feminism, and to disability rights, and LGBTQIA+ rights … and to electing a black man to the office built by enslaved black men.
This Was Predictable
Social progress demands the reexamination the status quo. As inspiring as it is to some, it is equally as unsettling to others. Those two reactions create tensions and that tension, left unchecked, will lead to backlash. This is where we are, America. We are in backlash.
In a very real sense, we are being punished for insisting that all people have the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness because fascist movements exploit these fears, framing social progress as a threat to national identity and cohesion.
Fascism is like the black mold spreading unchecked behind the drywall of your recently updated home. You can’t see the destruction until its taken over and then, in one horrifying moment, you realize why you’ve been sick for so long.
Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer
One People, One Empire, One Leader was Hitler’s rallying cry. At the time, to many Germans, it was a call for national unity. National pride. A call to Make Germany Great Again. In truth, it was propaganda designed to prepare for and even normalize what was to come.
High levels of immigration often prompt societal anxiety over cultural dilution and economic competition. Fascist movements thrive in these atmospheres, using propaganda to weave narratives that depict immigrants as threats to societal values, jobs, and security. The perception that “outsiders” are undermining traditional ways of life can fuel xenophobia and bigotry, is a powerful, addictive drug to people with fascists leanings. People who see simultaneously see themselves as an heir to their ancestral legacy and the victim of shifting sands.
In Germany, the history of Jewish migration has a rhythm to it. The 10th Century influx of Jewish immigrants led to The Crusades of 1096 during which Jewish Rhinelander’s had a choice; leave or die. After the persecution of Jews during the Middle Ages, some Jewish communities began to, slowly, re-establish themselves in German territories.
The Enlightenment period lead to some legal recognition of the Jewish people in Prussia by in the late18th century. During the 19th century the revolutions of 1848 expanded Jewish rights, leading to more acceptable societal integration. As a result, Jews from the Russian Empire migrated to Germany seeking better opportunities and fleeing persecution, especially during another period of violent anti-Semitic in Eastern Europe during the late 19th century.
In 1919, under the Weimar Republic, the Jewish culture thrived, contributing significantly to the arts, sciences, and politics. This period saw a notable increase in Jewish population, particularly in urban centers like Berlin.
Spores of fascism were taking root, Germany just didn’t know it yet.
The Night Of Broken Glass
With the rise of the Nazi Party in 1933, Jews faced increasing persecution through discriminatory laws, social ostracism, and violence including the Night of Broken Glass in 1938.
German Jews tried to flee their home but Hitler closed emigration routes. By this time Hitler had become so hate-filled that reducing the Jewish population living in German was no longer enough. He intended to rid the Earth of them entirely. Oh, and he couldn’t risk Jews living to tell the tale of horrors for free of world intervention.
Remember that when you hear “mass deportation,” especially when the mass is being deported to American ICE facilities.
Hitler was also into eugenics. He envisioned a "racially pure" society. He romanticized Social Darwinism or the concept of "survival of the fittest” because he viewed the Aryan race as superior and engaged in a struggle against "inferior" races, particularly Jews, Roma, and those with disabilities.
To offset the chance of Aryans breeding "racially inferior" baby Aryans, Hitler enacted the Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring, which mandated the forced sterilization of individuals with physical and mental disabilities, as well as those with conditions considered inheritable, such as alcoholism and schizophrenia. Estimates indicated that around 400,000 people were sterilized as a result. Additionally, the Tiergartenstraße 4 program murdered individuals deemed "unworthy of life," including those with severe disabilities and mental illnesses and resulted in thousands of deaths.
Make America Great Again
The language of fascism is characterized by polarizing rhetoric specifically designed to isolate, exclude, and demonize various groups. It leverages emotionally charged slogans and imagery to instill fear and resentment to achieve the mission.
Phrases like "pure blood" and "anti-woke" should raise alarm bells for you. Position men as "the protector" of women or blaming feminism for changing the “nuclear family,” should raise alarm bells for you. “Jews not replace us,” a tried and true way to reframe Jews as a collective threat to society, mimicking tactics used since the 10th Century.
Do you see a parallel in Vance’s statements about families?
The convergence of fascism, bigotry, and eugenics provides a chilling narrative of how ideologies seeking to create a “great” society often descend into violence and discrimination. Eugenics proponents used pseudoscience to advocate for the elimination of groups who - as Hitler put it are living “lives unworthy of life” - lead to nothing but horror. Terms like "unfit" and "degenerate" and “undesirable” are early predictors that individuals with disabilities are under attack.
Do you see a parallel to Trump’s view on what constitutes a life worth living?
Understanding how fascism roots itself in times of social progress and high immigration is critical for progressive Americans right now. By recognizing the danger of scapegoating marginalized groups through propaganda and exclusionary language, we can be more vigilant in defending against resurgence movements that resonate with fascist ideologies.
Arm Yourself With Facts
Fascism: A Very Short Introduction by Kevin Passmore
The Anatomy of Fascism by Robert O. Paxton
They Thought They Were Free: The Germans 1933-45 by Milton Mayer