Surviving Fascism

The dark clouds of Fascism are once again engulfing the world. History tells us that, once Fascism is in place, it will not leave willingly. Mussolini lasted over 20 years before being strung up by Partisans at a gas station in Milan. Hitler’s Thousand-Year Reich ended in violence and destruction. Making aggressive war doomed both regimes.

            In some places where Fascism took root, it died a natural death. Franco had the good sense to stay out of WWII and ruled Spain until his death in 1975. Argentina has flirted with Fascism for decades with Peronistas and Military Juntas coming and going. Leaders practicing modern forms of Fascism have been very clever in controlling the levers that keep them in power. None have been more successful than Vladamir Putin, the former Communist KGB Officer, who discovered that Fascism pays better than Communism did. He has amassed a great wealth and power since he first took over in 2000. He’s not going away anytime soon.

            I have to confess there is a certain allure in Fascism. Everyone likes a dynamic Leader who seemingly addresses their fears and places the blame for their failures on someone else. The Fascist Fuhrer can generate a great deal of public support in the beginning. Few notice, in their euphoria, that as others are singled out for persecution, their own liberties are also being infringed upon.

            “We don’t know what we had until its gone,” is more than just a trite old saying. Under Fascism our liberties are eroded away until they are gone. The Legislative Branch abdicates its role in serving as a check on executive power. The influence of the Judiciary is muted. Those who are “different” are singled out for special abuse. Dissent is quashed. Freedom of the Press, Speech, and Assembly is suppressed.

            So, how does one stand up to the abuses of a Fascist Regime? Perhaps you are thinking of steps like these:

1. Vote. Good luck with that. Once in power, the Fascist will do everything possible to make it difficult for you to vote. Opposing candidates will face legal consequences. Armed thugs will show up at polling places. The mechanics of voting will be under a cloud. Elections, if they are held at all, will serve only to anoint the Leader.
2. Legislative solutions. In a divided government the legislature becomes totally irrelevant. Nothing gets done, except by Executive Decree. There are no overrides of the Leader’s vetoes, no censures and certainly no impeachments.
3. The Courts. Forget them. Unchecked by the electorate and the legislature, the Unitary Executive can simply ignore the courts. He controls the Justice Department that would presumably enforce them. Given enough time in power, the Leader can reshape the courts to sustain his power. A divided and weak legislature will simply rubber-stamp the Leader’s appointments.
4. Direct Action. OK, you can take to the streets. How does that work when the Leader controls law enforcement and the military? I think Emilio Zapata said it best, “It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.”
5. Leave. You can give up and just leave. All you need to do is find a country that will accept asylum seekers. Belarus? Whoops, that’s worse. Canada?  Better find a sponsor. As many displaced Jews learned in WWII, it is hard to escape an aggressive dictatorship. Those who fled to Holland, France, or Denmark, wound up in the ovens. Sadly, America kept its gates only partially open.
6. Prayer. Unhappily, Fascism is often sustained and supported by people of faith. They love that the Leader forces their values onto those who don’t share them. Jesus would tell you  that that prayer without action is empty bullshit.

My conclusion is this. Once you go down the path toward Fascism, there is no easy road to redemption. We are screwed. Only a catastrophic event like a war, revolution, or economic collapse will end this nightmare. It will be up to our Grandchildren to figure out what happens then. I hope they act wisely.

LDT March 4, ‘25