The word fascism is tossed around with gusto by both sides of the American political landscape these days. The historical memory of the fascist regimes of the 20th century – Germany, Italy, Spain, and to some extent Japan – provides strong images evoking ruthless dictators and police states.
A definition of fascism typically mentions the following: extreme nationalism, a narcissistic, aggrieved dictator, an autocratic, all-powerful state, state-controlled media, the elimination of political opposition, a focus on enemies of the state, a militaristic foreign policy and some sort of secret police and informant infrastructure.
In recent years right wing pundits and news sources in the USA and in other nations have claimed that fascism is a characteristic of the left. They note that the Nazi party’s name was the National Socialist German Worker’s Party and that both Hitler and Mussolini were, in their early days, associated with socialist groups. They also point to the Stalin and Mao dictatorships and the personality cults and police states that surrounded these megalomaniacs. They depict the so-called cancel culture and woke political movement as forms of ‘thought control’ and a threat to free speech. They consider current government spending an indication of an all-powerful state and they believe that religious freedom is under attack.
It is true that dictators and police states have emerged from both sides of the political spectrum. Revolutions that have been precipitated by communist or socialist movements have been just as likely to create horribly cruel and repressive states as the ones created by the true fascists. These regimes, whether originating from right or left, end up becoming a type of fascism.
However, the historical truth is that fascism was diametrically opposed to socialism and communism, and that the pitched battles of the 1920’s and 1930’s were fought between those two political ideologies. Socialism’s focus is on the worker, international cooperation and a more egalitarian society. Fascism promotes nationalism and the state.
What is clear in the history is that repressive regimes, whether fascist, Marxist, Stalinist or any other ideology, have similar characteristics: a personality cult centered around a narcissistic leader; a tendency to reject or eliminate credible media and create a world view oriented around the leader’s political agenda; a habit of accusing political opponents of doing the things that it is guilty of; extreme nationalism; a continual state of alarm over external and internal enemies; and a rigidly controlled society.
Given these criteria, the MAGA world of Donald Trump would seem to have a strong potential to veer toward this kind of autocratic rule, which one may define as neo-fascist. There is no more narcissistic, aggrieved political figure in the world today than Donald Trump. He has transformed immigrants as well as many minority groups within the country into enemies of the state. He alienates our allies and disparages the UN and efforts by the global community to solve international problems such as climate change. Although he does not control it directly, the right-wing news media has many of the characteristics of a fascist, state-controlled media, in that it has limited interest in seeking out truth and reports everything through a very Trump-friendly lens. He demands and obtains absolute allegiance from his party. He has also promised to seek out and eliminate political opponents and to take revenge on a variety of groups if he is reelected, a classic fascist tactic.
The depiction of woke and cancel culture as fascist has been effective on the right, but it is a perspective that doesn’t pass scrutiny. Most of the culture war has played out in social media and very little has passed into law or any sort of forced behavior. No one is forced to ponder or acknowledge the legacy of racism; no one is forced to be gay or transgender; no one is denied the right to worship, pray or espouse fundamentalist religious views; no one is forced to have an abortion; no woman is forced to work outside the home; no one is forced to be sympathetic to the plight of immigrants and refugees. The so-called radical left has not even been able to increase taxes on the wealthy to help slow the vast and growing disparities in wealth and income.
The latest accusation of fascism from the right focuses on the Trump legal cases and the supposed weaponization of the justice department. The fact that both the defamation and hush money cases were tried in state courts with no relationship to the federal justice department makes a mockery of this accusation. Add to that the fact that all of the election fraud cases from 2020 that were brought before various jurisdictions were found to be without merit and it is abundantly clear that the right’s arguments in this sphere have absolutely no basis in fact or reality.
The clearest path to fascism is a growing allegiance or obeisance to a dangerously unpredictable and vengeful leader. The quasi-religious personality cult around Donald Trump is striking in its similarities to past demagogues and tyrants. The craven acquiescence of many tech, finance, political and business leaders and other former anti-Trumpers is also depressingly similar to the insidious capitulation and miscalculation of the 20’s and 30’s. Trump may not have an army of storm troopers yet, but the radical fringe of his supporters has shown itself ready to answer the call.
America still has a strong economy and a history of weathering highly partisan political times, but I don’t believe it is hyperbole to say that a second term of Donald Trump could herald the arrival of neo-fascism to the home of the brave and the land of the free.
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