Ten Signs of Fascism. America has all of them
Historian Rutger Bregman discusses why some scholars, including Robert Paxton, now believe that elements of fascism are present in contemporary American politics. He argues that the January 6th Capitol riot marked a turning point in how experts view movements within the U.S., with increasing willingness to use the term 'fascism.' Bregman emphasizes the importance of recognizing warning signs without trivializing historical atrocities.
- ▪Historian Robert Paxton, once cautious about using the term 'fascism,' changed his stance after the January 6th Capitol riot.
- ▪Paxton compared the events of January 6th to historical fascist movements, such as Mussolini’s march on Rome and the 1934 fascist riot in France.
- ▪Bregman uses the concept of 'family resemblances' from philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein to explain how fascism can be identified through shared characteristics rather than a strict definition.
- ▪Leading historians are increasingly applying the fascist label to current U.S. political developments due to observable patterns of behavior and ideology.
- ▪Bregman stresses that calling something fascist is not an exaggeration but a necessary step to confront democratic erosion accurately.
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10 Signs of Fascism. America has all of them.Why historians are now using the f-word to describe what’s happening in America. Rutger BregmanMay 17, 2026428ShareSome of you may have seen this already, but for those who haven’t: after years of thinking about it, I’ve finally started a YouTube channel!This is something I’d wanted to do for a long time, but somehow never got around to. It always seemed too much work and too far outside what I knew how to do. But then I found myself surrounded by some brilliant colleagues at The School for Moral Ambition who showed me that it’s actually very doable. And of course, the costs of producing good video have come down a lot in the past few years.This Substack is reader-supported.
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