I've been reading Joachim Fest's biography "Hitler", and it was just this morning I read something that illuminates what's unique about fascism. Defining fascism is difficult in part because so many labels can apply to it. Fascism is certainly anti-democratic, and authoritarian, and centers (and unifies) society and politics through the cult of personality.

But those labels can be applied to societies that are seemingly polar opposites of the familiar European fascism. The Soviet Union under Stalin, China under Mao, had every one of those qualities too. But nobody would ever call them fascist. And I'm dubious that you could call Napoleon a fascist, without going back through all of history to Alexander, to redefine the conqueror as a fascist. Caesar manipulated the popular will too...I think the academic definition is so overly broad that it's unworkable (though not unilluminating).

I think what's unique about fascism is that it's a reaction against an existing democratic-republic political order, and a liberal social order. There's disenchantment with the elected "ruling elites", and a primal desire to just smash things. Which is basically what Trump voters meant when they said they expected Trump to "shake things up".

I can't offer an extended blockquote, because the Kindle reader blocks fair-use copy-n-paste. But the gist of what Fest wrote was that there were many newly-minted democracies in Europe established after the first World War, especially in Eastern Europe (I think it was something on the order of 22), but by 1939 there were only nine democracies left. There was a general backlash against political and social liberalism, and a longing for a return to the comfort of remembered authoritarianism, in countries too new for liberalism to have established a firm footing. In essence, democracy and liberalism were strangled in the cradle by the fascist reaction.

I think adding the element of reaction helps focus our understanding of what we're seeing today. It's not just America, once again it's European democracies too that are under siege from the fascist reaction. The interesting question now is whether we can learn from history--will the powers-that-be recognize their own failure and embrace (and coopt) populist demands for reform, or will they play into the hands of today's fascists by denying and resisting the problems we genuinely face?

One name for the foolish defence of the status quo is "neoliberalism", and it seems that once again the two paths in the fork in the road ahead are labeled "fascism" and "socialism". I think this a pivot moment, when the backlash against Trump and the regression he's enabled looks very much like a reinvigorated and rededicated liberal social movement. Don't assume there isn't a sharp correction coming for the sharp lurch right into the ditch.

We've been reminded of what we value, and how much we'll miss the modern world when it's gone. Thanks, Trump!