Fascist Example
Adolf Hitler is the quintessential example of a fascist leader and I will be using him as a comparison throughout this article as I talk about President elect Trump. For context, Hitler was elected in 1932, promising to improve Germany’s economy that was devastated by WWI’s reparations. People who were suffering from poverty and starvation were drawn to his promise of change. He used hate and violence to acquire power and quickly changed laws while making policies to support his plans for extreme nationalism and complete dictatorship. Hitler gained momentum because he convinced the nation that they were victims; and were born from a great heritage with the promise that he would lead them back to a great German state.
Fascism Definition
Fascism is known as an extreme right-wing position on the political spectrum. To understand fascism, it is essential to examine both its political and subjective dimensions. Political fascism targets law, the economy and behaviour. A fascist leader believes that their chosen race is inherently superior and anyone who disagrees with this ideology is deemed an enemy of the state. Fascist individuals possess a strong, narrow belief, so those who don’t agree are considered threatening. Subjectivity refers to the psychosocial aspects of the individual and it encompasses how social conditions and the internalization of fascist values shape a person’s worldview and behaviour. One is not inherently a fascist, it must be learned from their environment. It’s one of many reasons why fascist individuals truly believe in their views, it is taught and reinforced.
Fascism is historically bound and is shaped by the social, political and economic climate of the past century. Benito Mussolini, Prime Minister of Italy, is regarded as one of the founders of fascism. He won power in 1922 with a campaign to revive the Italian nation post the great war to its ancient Roman glory. He wished to expand territory, which was only later surpassed by Hitler’s Lebensraum. Hitler’s rise to power was fuelled by Germany’s loss in theFirst World War, and created a welcoming environment for hate-fuelled propaganda. This propaganda gave way for Hitler to be appointed chancellor, which allowed him to create a police state to carry out his oppressive plans, introduce a bill that gave himself the power to decree laws without submitting them to parliament and create a eugenics program that undermined the genocide the Nazis were committing.
In 2016, the United States would develop a different social and political environment to attract a return of fascism. This is not the historical European fascism but a new American fascism.
President Donald Trump
President-elect Donald Trump has made various public comments that echo fascist ideologies, such as vowing to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S history, cutting federal funding to schools teaching critical race theory, cutting climate regulations, halting the support to Ukraine and banning abortion and women’s contraception. Similar to Hitler, President Trump was voted into government with the promise of bettering the economy and making “America Great Again.” Statements like these thrive for a fascist leader because they use propaganda to gain popularity, similar to Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” autobiography that gave him notoriety and momentum. In different historical contexts, both Hitler, Mussolini and Trump have cultural ideologies founded in preserving the past. Hitler wanted Jewish and non-Aryans out of Germany, Mussolini wanted to kill the majority of Ethiopians to make room for Italian settlement and President Trump wants restricted immigration and the deportation of all undocumented individuals out of America. The first two were precursors to violence and the third appears similar. President Trump portrays himself as a victim to non-white and non-masculine communities and creates a narrative that these are threats to America. He believes women to be lesser than men, that LGBTQ+ individuals should not have equal rights, immigrants as violent offenders and Christan values being paramount to other faiths. These brief examples highlight how the next President of the United States is a Nationalist and that his policies too closely resemble the principles of facism.
CBC’s interviews about President Trump
How Fascism works
Fascism works by telling people you can make their lives better by glorifying the past, winning popularity, remaking policies to garner more power, then exercising that power for a personal agenda. During this time, the fascist agenda was power over the people and conquering land. American fascism will be the agenda of greed and personal gain.
One key element that enables fascism to thrive is the politics of “Us vs Them.” This concept involves those in power positioning themselves as the greatest victims, fostering a sense of unity among their group while providing a shared rationale for the opposing groups they fear. For example, Germans considered themselves a victim to the Jewish people because Hitler believed they were the reason for losing the war. President Trump feels white people are a victim to immigration so as a result, he wants to build a wall. Donald Trump feels men are a victim to women so he wants to make abortion illegal. He feels the American people are a victim toward trans individuals so he wants to ban affirming care. This victimhood is propaganda. Fascist policies allow for the people in charge to feel superior to those they are opressing.
Another example of how fascism thrives is through anti-intellectualism, where uneducated individuals are seen as superior to the general population. To garner support for their power, fascists often seek to appeal to educated elites. This is what propaganda is and fascism relies on the dissemination of information to influence public opinion. Hitler said that the best use of propaganda was on the least-educated and he was constantly aware of this anti-intellectualism because the population was so desperate for a proper quality of living that if he posed his educational ideas, the population would see him as a leader. In relation, President Donald Trump has openly expressed his admiration for the less educated, stating, “I love the poorly educated” and “the non-educated, those are my base.” Fascism flourishes into power by undermining the truth. President Trump uses this when he says “build a wall” to keep immigrants out. He uses this propaganda by claiming that immigrants pose a “national security crisis,” claiming “Nearly 4,000 suspected terrorists have been apprehended at the southern border.” This claim is not true, as data collected by NBC news recorded that only six immigrants in 2018 tried to cross the border and were quickly stopped.
What does a Fascist America mean for Canada?
In Canada, we can not stop paying attention to what’s going on in America as it also affects us.
President Trump’s cross-border tariffs could become a new source of revenue for the U.S government, however, with a 10% tariff on all U.S imports, the U.S will likely reduce its reliance on Canadian goods, potentially forcing Canada to lower labor costs. Canadian exports to the U.S, which represent 78% of Canada’s GDP (around $500 billion in 2023), could face significant economic challenges due to these tariffs.
This article highlights only a few examples of how fascism thrives. As a society, we need to stay educated and updated on the news to not fall victim to fascist propaganda.