Fascism in America

The term fascism is loosely bandied about. When most people think of it the images that come to mind are of stormtroopers and Hitler ranting and raving. It is often automatically assumed that fascism developed in Europe in the 1920s. But it had its origins earlier in the United States. The United States was built on genocidal attacks on Indigenous people, white supremacy and enslaved Black people. Actually, Hitler and the Nazis were greatly impressed and inspired by American fascism. Though the term was not used the United States had developed a sophisticated system of aggressive nationalism, racism and oppression, in other words: fascism. It lingers in the shadows and reappears, as is evident today. Oath Keepers, Proud Boys and other groups are fascist.  They fear social equality as a threat to patriarchal, white supremacist domination.

Speaker: Omer Aziz

Omer Aziz is a writer journalist, lawyer and former foreign policy advisor in the administration of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He has clerked for the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and many other publications. He is the author of Brown Boy.


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