We know how Fascism works, why are we struggling to fight it?

A review of How Fascism Works, by Jason Stanley

I ran our second anti-fascist bookclub, Hotties Hate Fascism, last night. It was a brilliant two hour discussion with clever, interesting people from all over the world. (If you want to join the next one, now is a great time as we are selecting our book - come join us on Discord here)

Our pick for this month was How Fascism Works, by Jason Stanley.

The book was published in 2018, halfway through Trump’s first term, by Jason Stanley, who was Professor of Philosophy at Yale at the time. He recently, along with several other colleagues in the same field, moved to the University of Toronto based on what he described as ‘the deteriorating political situation in the United States’

Stanley gives us an incredibly clear description of the core mechanisms of Fascism: The Mythic Past, Propaganda, Anti-intellectualism, Unreality, Hierarchy, Victimhood, Law & Order, Sexual Anxiety, Sodom & Gomorrah and Arbeit Mach Frei.

Some of the themes were very familiar from On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder, but for me there were 3 things that really clicked:

1. The labelling of certain groups of people as ‘illegal’ simply because they exist

A healthy democratic state is governed by laws that treat all citizens equally and justly, supported by bonds of mutual respect…. Fascist law-and-order rhetoric is explicitly meant to divide citizens into two classes: those of the chosen nation, who are lawful by nature, and those who are not, who are inherently lawless.

In fascist politics, women who do not fit traditional gender roles, non-whites, homosexuals, immigrants, “decadent cosmopolitans”, those who do not have the dominant religion, are in their very existence violations of law and order.

When I read this, it was an absolute light bulb moment for me. It so clearly explained how people like Donald Trump or Nigel Farage can continually commit illegal acts and yet see themselves as ‘lawful’. Their belief system is such that they consider themselves to be inherently lawful; that they cannot be a criminal even if the things they choose to do are illegal. Conversely, by simply existing as someone who is black or brown, or a woman who perhaps doesn’t want to confirm to gender roles, or if you’re gay or trans, you are illegal. Everything you do, including just living your life, steps outside of what is right and into what is criminal.

The dehumanisation that goes hand in hand with this designation of certain groups as ‘criminal’ is what makes it so easy for fascist movements to kidnap and detain immigrants - or people who look like immigrants - or attack the freedoms of the LGBTQIA community. It does not cause them distress, because they have designated them as ‘criminal’ and therefore not fully human.

2. The importance of Unions in the fight against fascism

Labor unions create mutual bonds along lines of class rather than those of race or religion. That is the fundamental reason why labour unions are such a target in fascist ideology.

Fascist politics is most effective under conditions of stark economic inequality. Research shows that a proliferation of labor unions is the best antidote to the development of such conditions….

Because fascism thrives under conditions of economic uncertainty, where fear and resentment can be mobilised to set citizens against one another, labour unions guard against fascist politics gaining a foothold

This explains why Trump and the Oli-Bros have been so happy to drive the US economy into the ground. They don’t want lower grocery prices and small businesses thriving - they need the population in a desperate state, they need the greatest level of economic inequality the world has ever seen. That is the foundation on which they will build their empire.

3. The fundamental belief that unless you are productive, you have no right to exist

This lesson brings a few strands together - the belief that if you are poor, you are lazy. The belief that if you are one of the ‘criminal’ groups, you are a parasite. The belief that if you are disabled, you don’t deserve to live. The belief that if your job is in anyway intellectual, or linked to ‘cosmopolitan’ or city-life, you are unworthy.

This aspect of fascist ideology explains the National Socialist attitude towards the disabled, described as lebensunwertes Leben - life unworthy of life. Disabled citizens were regarding as lacking in value, because value in National Socialist ideology arose from the value of one’s contributions to society through work. In Nazi ideology, those who depended on the state for their survival lacked value of any kind.

Groups are ordered, in fascism, by their capacity to achieve, to rise above others, in labour and war.

What is particularly cruel is how these beliefs lead to policies that make these beliefs true - when you cut education, social safety nets, the programmes that help people back into work, you create the conditions for unemployment, sickness and criminal behaviour.

This isn’t just a Trump problem, or just a US problem. In the US, this narrative has been in play for a long time. 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Paul Ryan ‘repeatedly spoke of American society being divided into ‘makers’ and ‘takers’’, with a very clear view on the skin colour and class of the ‘takers’. In the UK, our current Labour government looking to strip a benefit designed to help disabled people into work, whilst claiming it just wants to encourage those same people to work (no, it doesn’t make sense at all). But again, dehumanisation goes hand in hand with these sentiments - it’s very easy to ignore the mistreatment and oppression of people who you believe to be dangerous, lazy and parasitic.

Final thoughts

I will admit to a constant feeling of frustration, and at times sadness, throughout the book. I can’t believe how clearly we both understand what is happening and also seem to be unable to meaningfully counteract it. In fairness to the author, the book never promised to be a manual of what to do to fight fascism, simple to describe the mechanisms of how it works. Several of the chapters offered me a new insight and perspective on some of these mechanisms, which has helped me evolve some of my thinking too.

For August’s bookclub I’m hunting for a book that outlines action — concrete strategies we can test in our own streets, workplaces, and feeds. Drop your suggestions in the Discord if you know of a book that does that.

Let’s make the next session as action‑packed as it is enlightening.