Fascism Eventually Destroys EVERYTHING – Even Itself
It’s my assertion that Authoritarian and fascist movements always follow a repeating progression, so to see if this concept bears out let’s examine five real-world examples: Russia, Turkey, Argentina, Italy, and Germany. Keep in mind that fascism is a relatively new concept, so we can’t study it for like the last 5,000 years. We can however take a look at prominent examples.
In addition to the five we’re going to pick on, others that had partial or short-lived fascist governments or movements include:
- Portugal (under António de Oliveira Salazar, “Estado Novo” – )
- Greece (under Ioannis Metaxas – who “…governed “governed constitutionally for the first four months of his tenure, and thereafter as the strongman leader…”)
- Spain (under Francisco Franco – who created a clerical-military dictatorship that executed tens of thousands, crushed regional identity, and left Spain isolated and impoverished for decades.)
- Romania (Ion Antonescu – allied with Nazi Germany, imposed brutal anti-Semitic laws, and helped murder hundreds of thousands of Jews and Roma before being overthrown in 1944.)
- Croatia (Ante Pavelić – whose puppet state under Hitler and Mussolini waged genocidal campaigns against Serbs, Jews, and Roma, collapsing with Axis defeat in 1945.)
- Albania (Shefqet Vërlaci – who ruled as a colonial puppet; repression, forced Italianization, and wartime devastation that led to communist takeover by 1944.)
But if you have a keen eye, you’ll notice that many of those really only rose to power through Germany anyway, which is why we’ll concentrate on Germany as representative in our real demonstration to follow.
The Common Progression
So, here’s what I’m proposing always occurs. After I lay this out, we’ll move on to seeing if we can apply this logic to each Fascist regime.
- Savior rhetoric – A leader emerges from crisis claiming only they can restore order.
- Capture of narrative – Independent voices, media, and civil society are suppressed.
- Elite co-optation – Business and political elites are brought into the regime’s orbit, and rewarded for loyalty.
- Rule manipulation – Constitutions, courts, and laws are rewritten to legalize power.
- Repression – Dissent becomes criminal; loyalty becomes mandatory.
- External aggression or economic rot – War or economic collapse follows as the system devours itself.
There you have it. Let’s see if the argument holds true.
Russia (Putin, 1999 – present)
- Savior framing during crisis – In 1999-2000, amid apartment bombings and the Second Chechen War, Vladimir Putin cast himself as the restorer of order. His slogan, “dictatorship of law,” promised national unity through strength. Russians, exhausted from the post-Soviet collapse (GDP down ~50% since 1992), welcomed the illusion of stability.
- Capturing the narrative – In 2000-2001, the government forced the takeover of NTV, Russia’s main independent television network, by the state-controlled Gazprom-Media. By 2012, the “foreign agent” law began labeling independent NGOs and outlets as suspect. By 2022, Russia criminalized “fake news” about the military, carrying 15-year prison sentences. All major broadcasters now serve as government propaganda organs.
- Elite co-optation and purges – On July 28, 2000, Putin summoned 21 oligarchs to the Kremlin, offering an explicit bargain: keep your wealth, but stay out of politics. Those who refused were crushed: Boris Berezovsky and Vladimir Gusinsky were exiled; Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia’s richest man, was arrested in 2003, and his oil giant Yukos dismantled. Its assets were absorbed by Rosneft, controlled by state loyalists.
- Manipulating rules – After large 2011-2012 protests over rigged elections, authorities prosecuted demonstrators and restricted NGOs. The 2020 constitutional amendments reset Putin’s term limits, allowing him to remain in power until 2036. In 2024, Russia barred OSCE election observers altogether.
- Repression and imprisonment – Alexei Navalny, Putin’s most visible critic, was poisoned in 2020, imprisoned upon his return, and died in custody in 2024. Thousands of activists and journalists have been prosecuted under “foreign agent” and “discrediting the army” laws.
- External aggression and decay – The annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 consolidated domestic power but triggered sanctions, brain drain, and long-term stagnation. Russia’s economy, once buoyed by oil rents, has been hollowed out by corruption and isolation.
Turkey (Erdoğan, 2003 – present)
- Savior narrative after financial collapse – Following the 2001 financial meltdown, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s AK Party won the 2002 election promising reform and “clean government.” Turkey enjoyed early stability thanks to IMF-backed recovery measures.
- Early success and elite alignment – From 2002 to 2007, GDP growth averaged over 7%. Erdoğan curried favor with business elites while weakening the secular military’s political power through high-profile corruption and coup trials (Ergenekon, Sledgehammer).
- Narrative control – By 2013, most major newspapers and television stations had been taken over by pro-government conglomerates. Journalists were arrested on spurious terrorism charges; Turkey became the world’s top jailer of journalists.
- Rule manipulation and purges – After the failed 2016 coup attempt, more than 150,000 civil servants were fired, 50,000 imprisoned, and NGOs, universities, and media outlets closed. A 2017 constitutional referendum narrowly passed, replacing Turkey’s parliamentary system with an executive presidency. International observers declared the vote neither free nor fair.
- Repression and economic decline – With opposition leaders jailed and institutions politicized, Erdoğan subordinated the central bank, triggering hyperinflation that peaked above 60%. Foreign investment fled, and the lira collapsed repeatedly.
- Outcome – The leader who promised prosperity and democracy delivered authoritarianism and economic instability – classic hallmarks of late-stage personal rule.
Argentina (Videla, 1976 – 1983)
- Savior narrative after chaos – Amid rampant inflation and political violence, the 1976 coup promised to “reorganize” the nation. Generals framed repression as a war for national survival.
- Repression and disappearance – The “Dirty War” saw around 30,000 people abducted, tortured, or killed. Independent media were silenced, and universities purged of “subversives.”
- Economic optics – Economy Minister José Martínez de Hoz liberalized capital markets, attracting foreign inflows and temporarily lowering inflation. But real wages fell 40%, and deindustrialization accelerated.
- Debt spiral and decline – External debt rose from $7.9 billion in 1975 to $45 billion by 1981. The peso was overvalued, industrial output fell 20%, and unemployment soared.
- Militarized distraction – In 1982, facing mass unrest, the junta invaded the Falkland Islands to restore national pride. Defeat to Britain destroyed its legitimacy.
- Collapse – By 1983, the economy was wrecked, and military trials exposed systemic torture. The junta’s arc – order, repression, debt, and war – mirrors fascism’s predictable descent.
Italy (Mussolini, 1922 – 1943)
- Savior narrative after post-WWI chaos – 1919-1922: Strikes, socialist uprisings, inflation, and humiliation after Versailles. Mussolini promises to restore order, dignity, and national pride – the “man who can save Italy.”
- Violence to power – 1921-1922: Blackshirt militias terrorize opponents. The March on Rome (Oct 1922) coerces King Victor Emmanuel III into appointing Mussolini prime minister.
- Legal manipulation of democracy – 1923 Acerbo Law: largest party automatically wins two-thirds of seats. 1924 Matteotti murder eliminates parliamentary challenge. 1925-1926 “Exceptional Laws” ban all opposition, dissolve free unions, and criminalize dissent.
- Elite co-optation and corporatist control – Industrialists, bankers, and the Vatican initially benefit: labor suppressed, Lateran Treaty (1929) normalizes relations with the Church. Soon, corporatism ossifies into state domination; private autonomy disappears.
- Repression and militarization – The OVRA secret police (1927) surveils citizens; anti-Semitic laws (1938) expand ideological control. Youth indoctrination and censorship saturate society; obedience replaces faith or individuality.
- External aggression and collapse – 1935 Ethiopia invasion, 1939 Albania, and alliance with Hitler bring war and ruin. By 1943, military failure and domestic exhaustion topple the regime; Mussolini is deposed.
Germany (Hitler, 1933–1945)
- Savior narrative during depression – The Great Depression devastated Weimar Germany – 6 million unemployed. Adolf Hitler promised to restore “work and bread” and make Germany “great again.”
- Legal destruction of democracy – After the Reichstag Fire (February 1933), civil liberties were suspended. The Enabling Act (March 1933) gave Hitler authority to legislate without parliament. Within a year, opposition parties and unions were banned.
- Elimination of rivals – The June 1934 “Night of the Long Knives” purged rivals within the Nazi movement. Later, senior generals and bureaucrats were replaced by loyalists.
- Propaganda and conformity – Joseph Goebbels’ Propaganda Ministry monopolized radio, film, and press. Dissent became treason; censorship and surveillance became total.
- Economic illusion – Rearmament and public works reduced unemployment to near zero, but the recovery was debt-financed and unsustainable. By 1939, one-third of spending went to the military.
- War and destruction – By 1945, Germany lay in ruins, its cities destroyed and tens of millions dead – final proof that fascism’s promise of renewal always ends in ruin.
And in Chart Format
Again, to prove the point that you can basically see the progression once fascism takes hold, here’s the side by side comparison of what actually happened.
| Stage | Russia | Turkey | Argentina | Italy | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Savior after crisis | 1999–2000 “dictatorship of law” | 2001 crash recovery | 1976 coup “Reorganization” | 1919–22 unrest “Order” | 1929–32 Depression “Work & Bread” |
| Narrative control | Media takeovers, censorship | Media arrests, ownership capture | Press intimidation | Press bans, OVRA | Goebbels’ propaganda |
| Elite co-optation | Oligarch pact, Yukos seizure | Business alliances | Financial liberalization | Industrialists aligned | Krupp, IG Farben alliances |
| Rule manipulation | 2020 term reset | 2017 executive presidency | Junta decrees | Acerbo & Exceptional Laws | Enabling Act |
| Repression | Navalny, NGOs crushed | Purges, imprisonments | Dirty War disappearances | Secret police | Gestapo & SS terror |
| War/rot outcome | Ukraine war, sanctions | Inflation, isolation | Falklands defeat | WWII collapse | WWII devastation |
Who Wouldn’t Agree?
I’m not sure who, with any sort of even minimal history education – or with access to limitless sources and AIs on the Internet to vet these claims – would want to argue that anything other than absolute terror and destruction comes from the progression of fascism. I further would put forth the claim that absolutely NOONE would want to live under a fascist regime, unless they controlled it.
Even then, they’d be morons – because the ones on this list were arguably the most powerful in history, and shit does NOT end well for them. We have to wait and see what will eventually become of Putin and Erdogan…
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