Old Darkness in New Light: Fascist Tactics in Today’s America
Introducing a series that traces the early patterns of authoritarianism as they reemerge in contemporary American life.
Fascism is often imagined as a singular event — a dictator rising, a war declared, a clear before and after. But historians know it rarely happens all at once.
It begins with smaller fractures: knowledge suppressed, rights eroded, enemies invented, cruelty celebrated. It happens step by step, until the ground beneath us has shifted entirely.
Today, we are seeing those early patterns resurface. Censorship of medical and historical texts, attacks on transgender healthcare, loyalty demanded over law, and the normalization of political violence are not isolated acts. They are part of a long-documented playbook for dismantling democratic societies.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll explore how these tactics — drawn from historic fascist regimes — are being revived in the American political landscape today. Follow along:
Erasing Minds: The Fascist War on Education and Inclusive History
Cultivating Fear: Surveillance, Tip Lines and the Policing of Identity
Manufacturing Loyalty: The Cult of the Leader over the Rule of Law
The Press Under Fire: Demonizing Media and Controlling Narratives
Scapegoats and “The Other”: How Fascists Invent Enemies Within
Protecting “Purity”: Reproductive Control, Anti-Trans Laws and Eugenics Echoes
Crushing Dissent: Attacks on Workers, Artists and Organizers
The Child as Shield: Weaponizing ‘Family Values’ and Moral Panic
Arming the Nation: Militarized Patriotism and the Cult of Violence
Fantasies of Greatness: The Dangerous Myth of a Lost Golden Age
Seeds of Paranoia: How Conspiracy Theories Pave the Road to Tyranny
Rising Against the Darkness: Lessons in Resistance
Because authoritarianism does not arrive with trumpets — it grows in the cracks we choose not to see. Look closely and act boldly.
Essential Reading:
How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them by Jason Stanley
A clear, accessible exploration of how fascist movements rise by exploiting division, fear and myths of greatness.
Eco’s short but influential essay identifies 14 core features of fascism that transcend specific historical regimes.
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder
A powerful guide offering practical advice drawn from the study of past authoritarian movements — and how to resist them.
