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The Shapeshifter
Understanding fascism’s adaptive nature and many guises
Throughout human history, authoritarian movements have rarely faded quietly into obscurity. Instead, they demonstrate remarkable resilience, adapting their rhetoric while maintaining their core tenets and ideologies.
Today we’ll take a look at how fascist, authoritarian, and ethno-nationalist movements throughout history have survived seemingly lethal setbacks, often returning with renewed vigor and sophistication, and consider what effective resistance might look like in a world where such movements continuously seek to evolve rather than disappear, even once their charismatic leader passes away or is otherwise desposed from office.
The Adaptive Nature of Fascist Movements
History teaches us a sobering lesson about authoritarian movements: they don’t simply dissolve from exposure, electoral defeat, or their internal contradictions. Rather, they demonstrate a remarkable capacity for adaptation, patient regrouping, and strategic rebranding.
As historian Timothy Snyder, author of “On Tyranny,” observes: “Post-truth is pre-fascism, and Trump has been our post-truth President. When we give up on truth, we concede power to those with the wealth and charisma to create spectacle in its place.” This…
