Examining the historical roots and modern manifestations of fascism in today’s political landscape
By Sydney Armstrong
Fascism left a horrific mark on our history in the 20th century; are we seeing its return?
The rise of fascism involves historical events and political dynamics, creating a dangerous political atmosphere. In this article, we will explore the historical context and the manifestations of fascism in America.
Fascism is an authoritarian far-right political ideology. It emerged in the 20th century in many parts of Europe. It is characterized by its dictatorial power, suppression of dissent, extreme militaristic nationalism, and the rule of the elites. Fascists are individuals who believe national strength is the only thing that makes their country great.
Fascists have the general belief that the established government parties are incapable of improving the country’s national situation. For a fascist faction to gain power, they need more than a strong national identity and dissatisfaction with the public. They need a catalyst to convince populations to side with their fringe movement.
Jason Szilagyi is a historian who teaches history at Delta and several other Michigan colleges. He shared his knowledge about the history of fascism and concerns about recent conditions in the United States that could support an oligarchy.
Professor Szilagyi explains, “There’s an overwhelming push by an oligarch or fascist party to overwhelm the public so that they are bombarded by so much that they become numb. They want you out of the political sphere.”
Hitler used propaganda and violence as his catalyst to persuade the public to support his political ideology. Hosting grand speeches, Hitler presented himself as a powerful figure who would make Germany a great nation. By placing the blame on Jews, liberals, and internationalists he created an enemy for the public to focus on while he worked on a government takeover.
The same can now be said for America. Since the inauguration, Donald Trump has bombarded American citizens by signing a barrage of executive orders—many being challenged in court for pushing the limits on executive power. When the public is overwhelmed, they tend to look away and disregard the details of each order. This is a tactic used to stall public dissent while laws and systems are rapidly changed. Then, when it’s too late and things are set in motion, there is nothing the public can do about it.
“What ends up happening are these echo chambers where the propaganda that’s being used by the oligarchs and their parties—it reinforces already existing fears, prejudices, and any attempt at actually addressing an issue,” says Professor Szilagyi.
The fight has always been between the Left and the Right or the lower class and the upper class. In reality, it’s all of us against government corruption. If we all came together collectively, imagine the system we could create that would directly benefit all Americans.
Politicians, government officials, and the ultra-wealthy do not want that. And they know exactly how to keep us at each other’s throats. Why do you think mass amounts of propaganda and misinformation are constantly spread on the internet? Why would they change a system that benefits them so well?
“There has been a degree of deregulation of political parties (and) dark money,” Szilagyi said about the United States. “It almost feels like we are slipping towards an oligarchy.”
He explained that this is a fairly recent development; we are not quite there, but the signs are cause for concern.
The deregulation caught fire when the Supreme Court ruled in the United Citizens v. FEC (2012) that big corporations could supply unlimited funding to political groups. Since then we have seen a disruption in citizens’ power in our democracy.
As of late, President Trump has positioned the wealthiest man in the world, Elon Musk, as his senior advisor.
In Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, Musk was the largest campaign donor, donating a whopping $277 million to Trump’s campaign. Soon after Trump’s election win, he announced Musk as the co-leader of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Let me ask you a question: If you were hiring for a federal leadership position and received a resume that displayed no experience in government efficiency, federal work, diplomacy, or other relevant positions, would you hire that person to lead a federal department? No, you wouldn’t.
“A massive wealth gap that we’re having fuels this type of push for an oligarchy. Those who are incredibly wealthy are buying politicians to push their political agendas,” Szilagyi explains, “They go through the process of discrediting liberalism, saying that it is ineffective and corrupt.”
And this is exactly what the Musk-Trump administration has been doing.
Through DOGE, Musk now has access to every U.S. citizen’s social security beneficiary. Do you really want your retirement and personal information in the hands of someone who fired thousands of federal workers, paused health research efforts, and performed the so-called “Roman salute” in front of millions? It goes to show how easily our government succumbs to the influence of the wealthy.
Fascism leads to the profound harm of human rights, democratic institutions, war, and social injustices. In the case of Germany, Adolf Hitler’s fascist movement directly led to the death of millions through acts of war, genocide, repression, and suffering.
In the case of America, Donald Trump has corrupted our democratic process, spread hate and distrust toward underrepresented groups, and derailed the checks and balances that keep our government from becoming a dictatorship. Who’s to say what will come next? How easily the democracy we fought so hard for crumbles when a self-proclaimed king takes the stand.
