“How did people in the past defeat fascism? does anyone know”
“Is this question okay to ask these days? or is it illegal”
— @thegodpodcast.com, Bluesky
These two questions, posted to Bluesky by a popular U.S.-based account with over half a million followers, should never have felt controversial. But they’ve struck a chord – and a nerve – for good reason.
In a country where political instability has become the norm, where institutions are being openly undermined, and where the second Trump presidency has begun unleashing authoritarian chaos, it suddenly feels dangerous to ask basic questions about resistance.
Let that sink in:
Asking how fascism was defeated now feels illegal.
Fascism doesn’t begin with jackboots. It begins with forgetting. It thrives when people doubt their right to resist – or even to ask how resistance once worked.
But we do know how fascism was defeated in the past.
It was defeated:
Fascism fears memory because memory leads to strategy. And strategy – when paired with solidarity – defeats tyranny.
It’s May 2025, and Americans are right to feel uneasy.
This is not normal.
And when someone asks, “Is it still legal to talk about defeating fascism?” – that question isn’t naïve.
It’s a distress flare.
“You are more powerful than your gun.” – LaRae Meadows, Bluesky
Here’s how fascism has always been defeated – and how it still can be, peacefully:
1. Know history
Fascists exploit ignorance. Read banned books. Share inconvenient truths.
2. Build solidarity
They divide. We unite – across race, class, gender, and belief.
3. Protect institutions
Flawed institutions can be shields. Defend what you can – and reform the rest.
4. Refuse silence
Speak out while you still can. Silence is complicity.
5. Act locally
School boards, councils, unions, housing – fascism grows where democracy withers.
6. Use the vote
It’s not perfect, but it’s still a frontline. Authoritarians fear participation.
7. Resist normalisation
You don’t have to accept the absurd as inevitable. Satire, protest, disruption — they work.
“When asking how fascism was defeated becomes a question of legality… you’re already losing to it.”
But history reminds us:
We’ve beaten this before.
We can do it again.
It starts by refusing to forget – and refusing to be afraid of asking.
Liked this? Share it. Print it. Repost it. Speak it out loud.
Because fascism doesn’t fear force –
It fears memory.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Though I do not live in the USA, like many others, I could not remain silent and also responded to the question in this post. I recommend getting onto Bluesky and reading them.
How did people in the past defeat fascism? does anyone know
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View Comments
Fascism will never be defeated, it may be subdued and lie dormant for a while, but then the likes of Trump will appear and resorect it.
I write from Australia. I have spent much time explaining to Australians that our major parties have sold us out to the UN Agenda 2030 , blueprint for one world globalism. Australians tend to whine and point the finger but not many have enough interest to vote responsibly. The last federal election in October 2024 Australians voted in a globalist government and gave a globalist party the balance of power in the Senate. They couldn't even recognise it is dangerous to hand the majors control in the Senate.
We have tried to warn voters. They clearly don't give a stuff. Now we are governed by globalists for 3 more years. After WW2 and the depression Hitler was voted in with 18% of the vote. He abolished all opposition parties and did good things for the German families. Then he enlisted the German people to implement his plan to destroy the Jews. He was a type of Antichrist voted in by the people.
6 million Jews which including 1 million Jewish children died at the hands of Nazis. Millions of soldiers and civilians also died. Economies of nations destroyed. The cost was too high.
Australians have shown themselves to be uninformed of a most diabolical political agenda. They look like they will have to learn the hard way. It is heartbreaking for our children and grandchildren.
Bev, Hitler was elected following WW1, not WW2,, be that as it may, the fact is he was ELECTED. I have often wondered why those of the Jewish faith have had so many enemies over so many years and am still searching for an answer!!
Bev, it was more than 6 million Jews killed during the holocaust, it was closer to 12 million people, all who had been marginalised in one way or another.
Homosexuals were murdered.
Gypsies were murdered.
Pacifists such as Jehovahs Witnesses were murdered.
Fascism divides, marginalising any group which is not supportive or can be used as a means of protecting their self definition of being better than others.
To limit the holocaust as just an assault on Jews minimises the dangers inherent in the claims of superiority of the fascist.
Thank you for your thoughtful response. It’s clear you’re deeply concerned about Australia’s direction and passionate about protecting democratic freedoms — and that’s something I respect.
That said, I want to clarify the purpose of the article: it isn’t endorsing any political party or global framework, nor is it about the UN, Agenda 2030, or global governance. It’s about something more immediate and universal — the alarming idea that people are beginning to feel afraid to even ask how fascism was defeated. That fear alone is worth pausing on.
History teaches us that authoritarianism thrives when people become too disillusioned or distracted to participate in democracy. The article encourages grounded, peaceful civic action: learning history, voting, standing up for civil liberties, and resisting disinformation — not out of panic, but out of care for our communities and future generations.
While we may see the world through different lenses, I believe we share a concern for truth, freedom, and the wellbeing of our children and grandchildren. That’s a conversation worth having — based on facts, not fear.
Thanks again for contributing to it.
Beautifully said, Bert. Thank you for reminding us that the Holocaust was not only a genocide against the Jewish people — though that alone is an unimaginable tragedy — but also part of a broader fascist project of dehumanising anyone who didn’t fit within its brutal hierarchy of “purity” and power.
Your point about marginalisation is exactly what the article aimed to highlight: fascism doesn’t begin with violence — it begins by turning neighbours into “others,” by normalising fear, and by eroding the space for empathy and dissent.
When people are afraid to ask how fascism was defeated, we’re already seeing cracks in the cultural memory that protects us.
Thanks again for bringing the bigger picture into focus.
Indeed, thanks for all the thoughtful and insightful comments. I really enjoy reading them.