After the murder of millions of civilians in WWII, the world looked around and wondered, “How the hell did that happen?” Fascism played a large role, but has been difficult to define. We usually associate “fascism” with WWII-era Germany, Italy, and Spain. These nations certainly had a lot in common, but fascism is a varied system, one that can absorb and combine contradictory beliefs and practices.
The attempt to understand fascism led to studies such as the famous “Milgram Experiments” and books such as “The Authoritarian Personality”. Hannah Arendt described “the banality of evil”: we are all, she argued, capable of the same genocidal acts as Nazi leaders, and will find ways to relieve our own sense of guilt by “following orders”. But none of this defines fascism.
I am fond of Umberto Eco’s description of “Ur Fascism”, which makes the case for some common themes in fascist movements. Donald Trump certainly meets Eco’s criteria. But in trying to define fascism, we are missing the point.
None of these explanations is completely satisfactory. Fascists don’t emerge from the ground like cicadas, filling the air with noise at prime numbered intervals of years. Fascism can be seen as a combination of people looking for a leader, and a leader stepping up to meet their fantasies.
“'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'
Fascism is a Humpty Dumpty word. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t useful, as it does help label a movement as something potentially violent, dangerous, and based on hate.
Politics is ugly, says the truism. But Donald Trump’s approach has been much more than ugly. He has encouraged xenophobia, hate, violence. He has cut the press out of his rallies when he doesn’t like them. He encourages his followers to “remove” protesters.
Trump is a megalomaniacal, power-hungry proto-fascist. He doesn’t have brown shirts yet (at least not outside his rallies) but he has scorned the U.S. Constitution, mocking the courts, the legislature, and the executive. The very document he may swear to uphold next January means nothing to him.
Like fascists of the past, other party leaders try to placate him, but all he does is take. Paul Ryan is his Chamberlain, and the GOP his Sudetenland. If we keep giving, he will keep taking, until it’s too late to stop him.
The only hope we have of saving American democracy is to unite across party lines and say “enough”. We don’t need to humor his bigoted supporters who feel butt-hurt by demographic changes. Once the head is cut off the beast, they will go back to their bars and complain about all the wetbacks and n-words. They might even go back to coding their language.
Religious leaders, political leaders from all parties, and all of us must drive Trump and his supporters back into the ground, and be ready for the next fascist who tries to fool us. We cannot let our guard down for even a moment.