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Democracy
Fascism is a term traditionally associated with Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany, as well as other similar far-right movements and regimes. Broadly speaking, fascism advocates the complete control of society by a totalitarian centralized government, which pursues national “greatness” by projecting strength and defeating so-called enemies who are generally racial, cultural, or religious minorities. Opposed to democracy, modernity, and social equality, fascists often win and maintain popular support through pseudo-religious narratives, symbolism, and political rallies. In general, fascists defines nationality in terms of race or ethnicity and praise traditional religious values and gender hierarchies, military strength and imperial expansion, and private control of the economy. Snyder warns that Donald Trump’s style, political ideology, and (especially) loyal following are similar to those of fascist parties and governments, and he warns that Trump’s presidency threatens to turn the United States into a “fascist oligarchy.”
Fascism Quotes in On Tyranny
The On Tyranny quotes below are all either spoken by Fascism or refer to Fascism. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 10
Quotes
Fascists despised the small truths of daily existence, loved slogans that resonated like a new religion, and preferred creative myths to history or journalism. They used new media, which at the time was radio, to create a drumbeat of propaganda that aroused feelings before people had time to ascertain facts. And now, as then, many people confused faith in a hugely flawed leader with the truth about the world we all share.
Post-truth is pre-fascism.
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Epilogue
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Until recently, we Americans had convinced ourselves that there was nothing in the future but more of the same. The seemingly distant traumas of fascism, Nazism, and communism seemed to be receding into irrelevance. We allowed ourselves to accept the politics of inevitability, the sense that history could move in only one direction: toward liberal democracy. After communism in eastern Europe came to an end in 1989-91, we imbibed the myth of an “end of history.” In doing so, we lowered our defenses, constrained our imagination, and opened the way for precisely the kinds of regimes we told ourselves could never return.
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Both of these positions, inevitability and eternity, are antihistorical. The only thing that stands between them is history itself.
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Fascism Term Timeline in On Tyranny
The timeline below shows where the term Fascism appears in On Tyranny. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Prologue: History and Tyranny
...the 20th century: 1918, 1945, and 1989. Many of these democracies collapsed, giving way to authoritarian fascist and communist governments that tried and failed to stop globalization. In the 21st century, the...
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Chapter 10: Believe in truth.
...problem: he pointed out how strange it was to watch people gradually “slip away into” fascism by depicting those who did as transforming into rhinoceroses. The current political trend toward “post-truth,”...
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Chapter 15: Contribute to good causes.
...“civil society,” and they help people trust and learn from others. Like 20th-century communists and fascists, contemporary authoritarian governments oppose such organizations because they are a way for people to preserve...
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Epilogue: History and Liberty
...the politics of inevitability, the politics of eternity entrances people and threatens to establish “ fascist oligarchy ” in the United States. When people can no longer believe in the politics of...
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