Alberta West News: The Cyclical Nature of Fascism

Fascism is not simply a historical aberration confined to the interwar period of the 20th century—it represents a recurring phenomenon deeply embedded in the structural dynamics of capitalism itself. Understanding fascism as cyclical requires examining both the material conditions that enable its emergence and the patterns through which it repeatedly resurfaces across different historical epochs.marxistsociology+1

The Economic Foundations of Fascist Cycles

At its core, fascism emerges as a response to systemic crises within capitalism, particularly during the depressive phases of economic cycles. When liberal democratic institutions fail to adequately manage economic collapse, unemployment, inflation, and social dislocation, space opens for fascist movements to present themselves as revolutionary solutions. This pattern has manifested repeatedly: in the aftermath of World War I and the Great Depression during the 1920s-1930s, following economic crises in the 1970s-1980s, and again during the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath.marxists+5

The relationship between capitalism and fascism is not coincidental. Fascism functions as a specific form of capitalist class rule that emerges when the bourgeoisie can no longer maintain power through democratic means. It represents what Marxist theorists call "capitalism in decay"—a desperate measure by dying factions of capital to preserve their power through alliances with citizen male working classes, united by shared masculinity and ethno-national identity.historicalmaterialism+4

Three Waves of Historical Fascism

Scholarly analysis identifies three distinct waves of fascism, each adapted to its specific historical moment while maintaining core structural characteristics:marxistsociology

Classical Fascism (1922-1945) emerged in the aftermath of World War I, characterized by the devastation of traditional social orders, hyperinflation, mass unemployment, and profound national humiliation. In Italy, the "Biennio Rosso" (Two Red Years) of 1919-1920 saw workers seizing factories and threatening socialist revolution, prompting capitalists to support Mussolini's violent counter-revolutionary movement. Similarly in Germany, the Treaty of Versailles humiliation, Weimar Republic instability, and fear of Bolshevism created conditions for Nazi ascendancy.news.berkeley+3

Postcolonial Fascism (1968-1989) emerged during decolonization and the crisis of the post-war order, manifesting in various forms across the Global South and portions of Europe.marxistsociology

Postmodern Fascism (2010s-present) represents the contemporary iteration, arising from the ideological collapse of neoliberalism following the 2008 financial crisis. This wave exhibits distinctive features: it operates within ostensibly democratic frameworks, leverages digital technology and social media for recruitment and mobilization, and employs deliberately incoherent rhetoric that allows adherents to disavow classical fascist associations.ijip+2

The Stages of Fascist Development

Historian Robert Paxton's influential five-stage model demonstrates that fascism is a process, not an event, which helps explain both its cyclical nature and why it often goes unrecognized until well-established:wikipedia+1youtube

Intellectual exploration: Disillusionment with liberal democracy manifests in discussions of lost national vigor and cultural decline
Rooting: Fascist movements become legitimate political players, aided by deadlock and polarization
Arrival to power: Conservatives seeking to control leftist opposition invite fascists to share power
Exercise of power: Fascist leaders control the state while balancing traditional elites and institutions
Radicalization or entropy: The movement either becomes increasingly radical (Nazi Germany) or decays into traditional authoritarianism (Fascist Italy)

Critically, most fascist movements fail before completing all stages, but this does not make them less fascistic—it simply means they were defeated or constrained before achieving full power.youtubewikipedia

Globalization Cycles and Fascist Resurgence

World-historical patterns reveal that fascism follows cycles of globalization and deglobalization. During periods of rapid globalization, certain populations experience economic displacement, cultural disruption, and loss of status. When these pressures combine with economic crisis, they create fertile ground for fascist movements that promise national rejuvenation, ethnic purity, and restoration of a mythical past.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih+4

The current wave of neofascism correlates with backlash against neoliberal globalization, manifesting in movements across the United States, Europe, India, Russia, Brazil, and elsewhere. Immigration—an attribute of globalization—combined with rising unemployment among youth populations has fueled protectionist sentiments and xenophobic tendencies, creating desire to return to a romanticized pre-globalist past.read.dukeupress+3

The Social Psychology of Fascist Appeal

Fascism's cyclical return is also explained by persistent psychological and social conditions. Research from Wilhelm Reich, Erich Fromm, and the Frankfurt School demonstrates that authoritarian personality structures—formed through patriarchal family socialization involving severe punishment—create individuals susceptible to fascist ideology. These personality types seek escape from feelings of powerlessness and anxiety by submitting to strong authority while directing aggression toward scapegoated outgroups.jacobin+2

Contemporary fascism particularly targets young adults and teenagers who feel alienated from mainstream society, offering them belonging through quasi-familial group structures and a sense of participation in a larger cause. The rise of internet-based communications has dramatically enhanced fascist recruitment capabilities, allowing manipulation of insecure individuals through confirmation bias and curated online environments.keene+1

Why Fascism Keeps Returning

Several structural factors explain fascism's recurring nature:

Capitalist Crisis Cycles: Capitalism inherently generates periodic crises of overproduction, unemployment, and inequality. Each crisis creates conditions where fascism can present itself as a solution, particularly when liberal institutions prove incapable of addressing working-class grievances.reddit+3

The Commodity Form: Fascism's relationship to the commodity form—the fundamental unit of capitalist social relations—explains its capacity for periodic return. The social objectification of humans under capitalism creates conditions of self-estrangement that fascism exploits while redirecting class anger toward racialized, gendered, or national others.radicalphilosophy

Incomplete Defeat: Unlike some political movements, fascism was never fully eradicated after World War II. It persisted in colonial contexts, police structures, and authoritarian regimes worldwide. As philosopher Michel Foucault noted, fascism exists "in us all, in our heads and in our everyday behaviour, the fascism that causes us to love power, to desire the very thing that dominates and exploits us".radicalphilosophy

Memory and Forgetting: Each generation must rediscover anti-fascist lessons. As the memory of World War II fades, societies become vulnerable to fascist appeals packaged in contemporary language. The deep linguistic roots of fascist thought—traced back centuries before Mussolini—suggest these ideas represent a persistent dark current in human civilization rather than a discrete 20th-century phenomenon.economicsfromthetopdown+1

Contemporary Manifestations and Differences

Twenty-first century fascism differs from its classical predecessor in important ways while maintaining core elements. Modern fascism involves the fusion of transnational capital with reactionary state power, rather than national capital as in the 1930s. It often operates as "preemptive" violence against potentially resistant populations rather than crushing existing powerful labor movements. Contemporary fascist leaders frequently work within democratic systems initially, using populist rhetoric to capture state power before dismantling democratic constraints incrementally through "salami tactics".ritimo+3

The perverse use of democratic institutions to maintain authoritarianism has become increasingly common. Nearly all contemporary authoritarian regimes hold elections, but with unlevel playing fields ensuring predetermined outcomes. This allows neofascist movements to claim democratic legitimacy while systematically eroding actual political freedoms.britannica+2

Breaking the Cycle: Lessons from History

Historical analysis reveals that fascism has been successfully defeated, offering crucial lessons for breaking the cycle:youtubesnyder.substack+1

Coalition Building: When center-left and left forces united with anti-fascist conservatives and liberals, they successfully opposed fascism. When these groups fought each other, fascism won. The Spanish Civil War, resistance movements in World War II, and Scandinavian responses to fascist threats demonstrate the power of broad anti-fascist coalitions.wikipedia+2youtube

Early Recognition and Action: Fascism must be confronted before it consolidates power. Once fascist movements complete all five stages of development, defeating them requires extraordinary sacrifice. Citizens must "not obey in advance"—refusing to normalize fascist rhetoric and actions even when they seem inevitable.snyder.substack+1youtube

Economic Justice: Addressing the material conditions that enable fascist appeal—inequality, unemployment, economic insecurity—is essential. Swedish and Norwegian left movements succeeded by projecting clear visions of economies serving the common good while avoiding violent confrontation with fascist provocateurs.resilience+1

Institutional Protections: Separation of powers, independent judiciaries, ethical requirements for politicians, strong labor unions, and an educated populace capable of critical thinking all create resilience against fascist takeover. However, institutions alone are insufficient without popular mobilization to defend them.indianapolisrecorder+2

Democratic Business Leadership: Business elites must recognize that supporting fascism ultimately destroys the stable conditions necessary for commerce. In 1930s Germany, business leaders' support for Hitler as a tool against labor unions proved catastrophically shortsighted.snyder.substack

Conclusion

The cyclical nature of fascism stems from its functional role within capitalism's inherent contradictions. Each wave of economic crisis, social dislocation, and institutional failure creates conditions where fascist movements can emerge, promising national rebirth through authoritarian unity while scapegoating vulnerable populations. Understanding these patterns is not deterministic pessimism but rather recognition that vigilance, coalition-building, and addressing root economic inequalities are perpetual necessities for democratic societies.

Fascism is not an inevitable destiny but a recurring possibility that each generation must actively resist. As the conditions of the early 21st century increasingly mirror those of previous fascist eras—economic inequality, climate crisis, mass displacement, and failing democratic institutions—the lessons of history become not merely academic but urgently practical. The cycle can be broken, but only through conscious, organized, and sustained anti-fascist commitment across the political spectrum.monthlyreview+2

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Thursday, October 23, 2025

The Cyclical Nature of Fascism