Authoritarianism & Fascism: How to Ruin a Country in Record Time | The Immortal Gazette
Alice sat perched on the edge of a grand, velvet throne—because of course she had a throne—sipping tea like she was waiting for someone to say something stupid so she could tear them apart. Loki lounged against the fireplace, swirling a glass of deep-red wine, while Rumplestiltskin stood stiffly, clearly already done with this conversation.
“So,” Alice began with a sharp grin, “today we’re discussing authoritarianism and fascism—otherwise known as how history keeps repeating itself because people refuse to read a single book.”
Loki smirked. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”
Step One: What Even Is Authoritarianism?
Alice twirled a finger in the air. “Authoritarianism is when a government—or a single leader—demands absolute control, cracks down on any opposition, and tells people, ‘Shhh, don’t think too hard, just obey.’”
Rumple scoffed. “Some structure is necessary.”
Loki raised a brow. “Sure, but there’s a difference between order and crushing people under your boot.”
Alice nodded. “And speaking of boots—let’s talk fascism, the most dramatic and destructive form of authoritarianism. It’s all about ultra-nationalism, extreme control, suppressing anyone who disagrees, and—oh yes—usually blaming minorities, intellectuals, and ‘outsiders’ for everything.”
Step Two: Examples from History Because We’re Educated Like That
Example One: Nazi Germany (1933–1945)
Alice rolled her eyes. “Let’s start with the classic case—Hitler’s Germany. He promised to ‘restore’ the nation, scapegoated entire groups of people, destroyed democracy, and before you knew it—boom, World War II and actual genocide.”
Rumple muttered, “He was elected.”
Loki sighed. “And then he dismantled democracy and made sure no one could vote him out. Classic move.”
Alice tapped her chin. “And let’s not forget—fascists love rewriting history to make themselves look like saviors instead of, you know, mass-murdering dictators.”
Example Two: Mussolini’s Italy (1922–1943)
Alice smirked. “Ah, Mussolini—the guy who invented the term fascism and somehow convinced people it was a great idea.”
Loki grinned. “Spoiler: It wasn’t.”
Alice continued, “Mussolini took over Italy, promised to make it strong, got rid of opposition, controlled the press, and basically ran the place like a mafia boss. And just like every authoritarian, he overreached, made terrible military decisions, and ended up hanging upside down when people had enough.”
Rumple cringed. “That’s… unpleasant.”
Alice shrugged. “So is fascism.”
Example Three: Spain Under Franco (1939–1975)
Loki chuckled. “Franco played the long game. While Hitler and Mussolini crashed and burned, Franco kept Spain under a dictatorship for decades—censoring speech, imprisoning dissenters, and ruling with an iron grip.”
Alice nodded. “And fun fact—Spain stayed a dictatorship way past World War II because the Cold War made Western nations tolerate him. Gotta love convenient politics.”
Step Three: Why Do People Keep Falling for This?
Alice crossed her arms. “So why does this happen? Why do people willingly walk into authoritarian nightmares?”
Loki grinned. “Fear. Chaos. Economic collapse. That’s the recipe. People want order, and some power-hungry lunatic always shows up promising to ‘fix everything’—for a price.”
Rumple huffed. “And what’s the price?”
Alice smirked. “Oh, just your freedom, your rights, and probably your life expectancy.”
Final Verdict? Don’t Fall for Fascism
Loki leaned in. “The thing about authoritarianism? It always looks tempting at first. ‘Strong leaders.’ ‘National pride.’ ‘Fixing the country.’ But then—”
Alice snapped her fingers. “Boom. No rights. No freedom. No way out.”
Rumple sighed. “So what’s the takeaway?”
Alice leaned back with a wicked grin. “If someone starts ranting about 'taking back our country' while demonizing entire groups of people, shutting down the press, and demanding absolute loyalty—run.”
Loki smirked. “Or, you know, stop them before they get that far.”
Rumple shook his head. “You two are exhausting.”
Alice raised her cup of tea. “And yet, completely right.”
🖋️✨📜🖤
