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The Authoritarian’s Guide to Fascism
“A timeless strategy for seizing and holding power”
Exploit Economic Vulnerabilities
Ensure the cost of living rises faster than wages. Keep the majority in a state of constant financial strain. A population too busy struggling to survive has little time or energy to resist.
Sow Division and Chaos
Use fear to turn people against each other. Promote narratives of internal threats and external enemies. A divided society looks to a strong leader for protection and stability.
Undermine Public Trust
Foster suspicion of public institutions. Frame systems designed to serve the people—such as healthcare, infrastructure, and disaster relief—as wasteful or corrupt. Offer no alternatives, just a steady stream of doubt.
Suppress Knowledge
Devalue education and critical thinking. Promote simple narratives over nuanced understanding. A poorly informed populace is more likely to accept simplistic solutions and unquestioningly follow authority.
Control the Narrative
Reduce the flow of information. Discredit independent journalism and amplify loyal voices. When only one version of the truth is heard, people will stop questioning its validity.
Target Dissidents
Criminalize opposition under the guise of maintaining order. Label critics as enemies of progress, morality, or security. A fearful populace will applaud the removal of “troublemakers.”
Exploit Patriotism
Redefine loyalty to the country as loyalty to its leader. Blur the lines between the state and your regime. National pride can justify even the most repressive measures.
Erode Oversight
Gradually weaken or dismantle checks on your authority. Ensure the judiciary, legislative bodies, and enforcement agencies owe their loyalty to you, not to abstract ideals like justice or democracy.
Encourage Helplessness
Normalize the idea that change is impossible without you. Promote fatalism so people see no point in resistance. Apathy is your greatest ally.
Reward Loyalty, Punish Dissent
Create a system where those who support you thrive while dissenters face ruin. Over time, people will learn that survival depends on their obedience.
If you’re too blind to see it, you’re the problem. I will not bow nor kiss the ring.
I can only hope that I am wrong, or that I wake up.