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A massive Nazi rally in Nuremberg in the 1930s, showing thousands of soldiers and SS officers in formation during Hitler’s rise to authoritarian power.
Politics

Why Authoritarianism Is So Dangerous: History’s Deadly Pattern

History makes one truth painfully clear; authoritarianism always ends in violence. Across continents and centuries, from Europe to Asia, Africa to the Middle East, dictatorships, fascist movements, and extremist ideologies have left behind wars, genocides, and generations of trauma.

As Senator John McCain once said: “Authoritarianism is the refuge of those who cannot win in the marketplace of ideas.” His words still echo today, a reminder that the erosion of democracy always leads to destruction.

The danger doesn’t lie only in the strongman at the top. It begins with propaganda, censorship, and scapegoating. It grows when leaders fuse politics with religion, promise security at the cost of freedom, or demand blind loyalty above all else. And time after time, these warning signs have escalated into atrocities.

Understanding why authoritarianism is dangerous isn’t just an academic exercise. It’s a lesson for today. Because history shows us exactly what happens when authoritarian leaders rise unchecked. You get mass graves, destroyed communities, lost individual freedoms, destroyed democracy, and, oftentimes, economic collapse.

This post explains why authoritarianism always leads to violence, drawing on historical examples like Nazi Germany, Stalin’s USSR, and modern conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and Myanmar. It connects those patterns to current American politics, showing how militarization, propaganda, and religious nationalism threaten democracy and millions of lives today.

Black and white image of Adolf Hitler addressing a massive rally, symbolizing how fascist propaganda and mass obedience fueled authoritarian power in Nazi Germany.

Historical Examples: The History of Authoritarianism And Violence

To understand why authoritarianism is dangerous, history provides the clearest evidence.

Hitler’s Nazi Germany (1933–1945)

  • Leader: Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.
  • Rise to Power: Democratically elected, then consolidated control through propaganda, dismantling democracy, and scapegoating Jews. Note that it is Hitler’s playbook that the Trump and the Republican Party regime keep mirroring.
  • Ideology: Fascism, Aryan racial supremacy, and totalitarian control.
  • Escalation: From discriminatory laws and propaganda to concentration camps, genocide, and global war.
  • Lives Lost: Around 6 million Jews, plus millions of Roma, disabled people, LGBTQ people, and political dissidents.

Mussolini’s Fascist Italy (1922–1945)

  • Leader: Benito Mussolini and the National Fascist Party.
  • Rise to Power: Gained popularity after WWI through nationalism and paramilitary violence by exploiting post–World War I economic collapse and political unrest. Seized power through the March on Rome, then dismantled democratic institutions. Used paramilitary violence through the “Blackshirts,” marched on Rome, and pressured the king to appoint him prime minister before dismantling democracy.
  • Ideology: Fascism, ultranationalism, authoritarian dictatorship.
  • Escalation: Suppression of political opponents, censorship, ethnic persecution, used state terror, imperial conquests in Africa (invaded Ethiopia), aligned with Hitler, and helped enforce racial laws and wartime brutality across Europe, participated in the Holocaust.
  • Lives Lost: Tens of thousands in domestic repression; hundreds of thousands due to Italian military campaigns and colonial atrocities in Ethiopia and Libya.

Stalin’s Soviet Union (1930s)

  • Leader: Joseph Stalin.
  • Rise to Power: Rose through the Communist Party, then eliminated rivals and ruled as a dictator.
  • Ideology: Totalitarian communism, centralization of power.
  • Escalation: Forced collectivization, political purges, and deliberate famine (Holodomor) in Ukraine.
  • Lives Lost: Estimated 3–7 million during Holodomor, tens of millions more through purges and labor camps.

Khmer Rouge, Cambodia (1975–1979)

  • Leader: Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.
  • Rise to Power: Military victory during civil war.
  • Ideology: Agrarian communism and “purification” of society.
  • Escalation: Forced evacuations, starvation in labor camps, executions of intellectuals and minorities.
  • Lives Lost: 1.5–2 million people.
Silhouette of three armed soldiers standing alert on a battlefield at dawn, representing how authoritarian regimes turn militaries into instruments of control and violence.

Authoritarian Regimes: Modern-Day Wars And Genocides

Authoritarian patterns don’t disappear — they evolve. From Hitler’s Germany to Putin’s Russia, the playbook is alarmingly consistent: control information, weaponize fear, and destroy dissent.

Bosnia and Srebrenica (1992–1995)

  • Leaders: Slobodan Milošević (Serbia), Radovan Karadžić (Bosnian Serbs).
  • Rise to Power: Elected nationalist leaders after Yugoslavia’s collapse.
  • Ideology: Ethnonationalism and Serb supremacy.
  • Escalation: Propaganda, “ethnic cleansing,” and systematic massacres like Srebrenica.
  • Lives Lost: According to UN estimates, over 100,000 during the war, including 8,000+ men and boys at Srebrenica.

Sudan and Darfur (2003–Today)

  • Leaders: Omar al-Bashir’s government, Janjaweed militias, later RSF and SAF factions.
  • Rise to Power: Al-Bashir seized power in a 1989 coup, ruling as dictator.
  • Ideology: Arab supremacy and authoritarian rule.
  • Escalation: Mass displacement, rape, and slaughter of non-Arab ethnic groups.
  • Lives Lost: According to UN estimates, there were around 300,000 in the early 2000s; thousands more in the current fighting.

North Korea (1948–Today)

Leader: The Kim dynasty (Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Il, Kim Jong-Un) and the Workers’ Party of Korea.
Rise to Power: Soviet-backed establishment of a one-party state after WWII. Power passed through hereditary succession.
Ideology: Totalitarian dictatorship, hereditary cult leadership, militarism, extreme isolationism, and state-enforced nationalism.
Escalation: Mass political prison camps, executions, torture, starvation, forced labor, and aggressive military buildup.
Lives Lost: Estimated 1–3 million during the 1990s famine alone; unknown numbers executed or killed in prison camps over decades.

Authoritarian Regimes: Current Wars And Genocides

Russia’s War In Ukraine (2014–Today)

  • Leader: Vladimir Putin.
  • Rise to Power: Former KGB, consolidated power as president/prime minister through rigged elections and repression.
  • Ideology: Authoritarian nationalism, imperial expansion, anti-Western propaganda.
  • Escalation: Annexation of Crimea, invasion of Ukraine, civilian massacres, mass displacement.
  • Lives Lost: Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Hungary Under Viktor Orbán (2010–Today)

  • Leader: Viktor Orbán and the Fidesz Party.
  • Rise to Power: Originally elected in a democratic system, then systematically captured the courts, media, and electoral processes to entrench one-party rule.
  • Ideology: Authoritarian right-wing nationalism, anti-immigrant politics, Christian nationalism, “illiberal democracy.”
  • Escalation: Dismantling judicial independence, rewriting the constitution, collapsing press freedom, targeting LGBTQ+ rights, suppressing academic institutions, and aligning with other authoritarian actors.
  • Lives Lost: Not a mass-killing regime, but severe democratic backsliding, minority persecution, and human rights violations that mirror early-stage authoritarian consolidation.

Myanmar (2017–Today)

  • Leader: Military junta.
  • Rise to Power: Military coup in 2021, continuation of long-standing military dominance.
  • Ideology: Ethnonationalism and authoritarian rule.
  • Escalation: Massacres, village burnings, forced displacement of Rohingya Muslims.
  • Lives Lost: According to UN estimates, thousands killed; over 700,000 displaced.

Xinjiang, China (2017–Today)

  • Leader: Xi Jinping and the CCP.
  • Rise to Power: Communist Party dictatorship.
  • Ideology: Communist authoritarianism, cultural homogenization.
  • Escalation: Mass detention camps, forced sterilization, coerced labor.
  • Lives Lost: Independent human rights organizations report that Exact death toll is unknown; millions have been subjected to persecution.

Gaza (2023–Today)

  • Leader: Benjamin Netanyahu’s government with far-right coalition partners.
  • Rise to Power: Democratically elected but reliant on extremist factions.
  • Ideology: Religious nationalism, settler colonialism, authoritarian security policy.
  • Escalation: Siege, indiscriminate bombings, mass starvation tactics.
  • Lives Lost: Independent human rights organizations report that over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, tens of thousands wounded, and entire communities displaced.
Simple graphic illustration of a cross surrounded by flames, symbolizing religious extremism, KKK and the dangers of dominionist movements.

White Supremacy And Ethnonationalism

South Africa’s Apartheid (1948–1994)

  • Leaders: National Party governments.
  • Rise to Power: Democratically elected by the white minority.
  • Ideology: White supremacy and segregation.
  • Escalation: Oppression through apartheid laws, imprisonment, and state violence.
  • Lives Lost: Thousands killed during uprisings, massacres, and political violence.

Rhodesia (1965–1979)

  • Leader: Ian Smith’s white minority government.
  • Rise to Power: Unilateral declaration of independence to preserve minority rule.
  • Ideology: White supremacy and colonial control.
  • Escalation: Civil war against majority-rule liberation movements.
  • Lives Lost: Tens of thousands in the Bush War.

White supremacist movements worldwide have fueled hate crimes and domestic terrorism — including within the United States.

Crowd of people raising hands, some holding Bibles, symbolizing evangelical worship, Christian indoctrination and right-wing political mobilization.

Religious Extremism And Christian Nationalism

Franco’s Spain (1936–75)

  • Leader: Francisco Franco.
  • Rise to Power: Military coup and civil war victory.
  • Ideology: Catholic authoritarianism, ultranationalism.
  • Escalation: Political executions, censorship, religious indoctrination.
  • Lives Lost: Hundreds of thousands during the civil war and repression.

Balkans (1990s)

  • Leaders: Religious leaders and nationalist politicians across Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia.
  • Rise to Power: Collapse of Yugoslavia, leaders tied nationalism to religious identity.
  • Ideology: Orthodox, Catholic, and Muslim identities weaponized for power.
  • Escalation: Ethnic cleansing, massacres, forced displacement.
  • Lives Lost: Over 100,000.

ISIS (2014–2017)

  • Leader: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
  • Rise to Power: Rose during the chaos of the Iraq and Syrian wars.
  • Ideology: Radical Islamist extremism, caliphate building.
  • Escalation: Genocide against Yazidis, mass executions, enslavement of women.
  • Lives Lost: Tens of thousands killed, thousands enslaved.

“Authoritarianism is the predictable end of populism unchecked.”

Mitt Romney

Cracked grayscale world map symbolizing how authoritarian ideologies across history have fractured nations and destabilized global freedom.

Quick Snapshot: What These Ideologies Actually Are

Millions of people globally get a lot of ideologies confused, and right-wing extremists rely on that ignorance, so here is a quick run-down.

Fascism

Far-right, right-wing authoritarian ideology that is defined by dictatorship, nationalism, suppression of opposition, and often racial supremacy. Fascist leaders include Hitler, Mussolini and Trump and some members of today’s Republican party.

Aryan Racial Supremacy (Nazism)

Far-right racial ideology promoting “white purity,” targeting Jews, Roma, disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, and many others for extermination. This is White Supremacy. In America, it’s the KKK that rebranded itself and its ideology as Christian Nationalism. Globally, we are seeing a rise in white supremacist group, and white nationalist rhetoric. This is things like the ‘great replacement’ theory.

Ethnonationalism

Right-wing extreme nationalism tied to racial, ethnic, or religious identity. Generally, it’s a core component of both right-wing and far-right ideologies. It’s a central element of modern-day right-wing populism and radical right-wing parties across the globe. It is at the heart of Christian Nationalism. Some other examples of this are Bosnia/Srebrenica, Myanmar’s Rohingya genocide.

Authoritarian Nationalism / Imperial Expansion

Right-wing revanchism (a policy of seeking to retaliate) using nationalism, militarism, propaganda, and territorial conquest. This is also imperial expansion where authoritarian leaders will talk about wanting or needing to invade other countries. All present in today’s Trump regime and the Republican party, as well as Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and threats towards Europe to rebuild the USSR.

Catholic Authoritarianism / Ultranationalism

Right-wing dictatorship combining nationalism, religious control, censorship, and political repression. An example of this is Franco in Spain.

Religious Nationalism / Settler Colonialism

Far-right extreme religious identity and nationalism fused with state power, paired with territorial expansion and population displacement. This is what we are witnessing with Netanyahu’s genocide in Gaza.

The Left-Wing Authoritarian Ideologies

Although the majority of authoritarian ideologies are right-wing, there can also be extremism on the left that we have seen in history. It is just far less common.

Totalitarian Communism

Far-left authoritarianism with absolute state control, suppression of dissent, forced collectivization, and mass purges. Collectivization is the policy of organizing all industry, agriculture etc under one single state controlled entity or community; for example all private farms combined into a large collective farm (versus right-wing is capitalism – all farms stay private). In history this is Stalin/USSR.

Communist Authoritarianism

Far-left authoritarianism with usual elements of authoritarian rule like one-party rule, extensive censorship, surveillance, cultural homogenization, mass detention plus the forced collectivization. This is Xi/China.

Agrarian Communism

Far-left extremist movement forcing society into rural peasant life; political purges and genocide. This is Pol Pot/Khmer Rouge.

“We’ve seen authoritarian regimes on the rise. We’ve seen nationalism distorted into nativism. We’ve seen our discourse degraded by casual cruelty.”

President George W. Bush 

A bible and a simple wooden cross lay on an American flag symbolising Christian nationalism in America.

America’s Authoritarian Warning Signs Today

In just under 12 months, America has rapidly been backsliding into not just authoritarianism, but totalitarianism. History doesn’t ever repeat itself exactly but it does often rhyme. In this case, the pattern is unmistakably familiar.

Every authoritarian rise begins in the exact same way: scapegoating, propaganda, attacks on democratic institutions, and the steady normalization of cruelty. When people ask why history matters, this is the reason, because the same playbook is being used in America right now. America is not sliding toward these signs — it’s already happening in real time.

The 14 Signs Of Fascism: How Trump And The Republican Party Match Them

Political scientists and historians often point to a core set of behaviours that define fascist movements. The list does vary slightly depending on the scholar, but together they form a pretty clear framework that is used to analyze extremist regimes throughout the 20th century. These are the most commonly accepted signs of fascism, and how Trump and the modern GOP map onto them:

1. Powerful And Permanent Nationalism

Patriotic obsession, slogans, flags-as-identity.

Trump/GOP:

2. Disdain For Human Rights

Targeting minorities, immigrants, political opponents.

Trump/GOP:

  • The mass deportations; inhumane conditions of ICE detention centres, disappearing Immigrants to CECOT and loved ones not told
  • Two thirds of immigrants who were at Aligator Alcatraz are missing, violence against immigrants and protestors,
  • No due process to immigrants before kidnapped to detention centres
  • Children being taken (and zip-tied) from parents.
  • Also stripping rights away from LGBTQ+ Americans and criminalizing abortion
  • Rewriting history about slavery and civil rights
  • Rhetoric attacking women’s rights .

3. Scapegoating And Creating Enemies

A minority group blamed for national decline.

Trump/GOP:

  • Attacks on immigrants, trans people, “globalists,” journalists “fake news”, “radical left.”
  • NSPM-7 – labels anyone antifascist “Antifa” or with “anti-Christian,” “anti-American,” (against Trump) and “anti-capitalism” opinions as a terrorist.
  • Project Esther

Learn more about Antifa in my post Antifa Explained: Extremism, Myths, And Violence In America

4. Supremacy Of The Military Or Paramilitary

Glorification of force, using militias and military imagery.

Trump/GOP:

  • The deployments of the National Guard in California, Portland, Chicago and Washington DC. Vowing to deploy the marines in every state. Rhetoric in speech to military leaders about using American states as a “training ground” for the military. Creating alliances with militias including the pardons of J6ers.
  • The purges in the Pentagon.
  • Blowing up 33 boats killing at least 115; no evidence provided that any of the people killed were trafficking drugs.
  • Escalation of military action against Venezuela for oil leading to invasion and kidnapping of Maduro.
  • Escalating threats against Cuba, Greenland (“we need Greenland”), Canada (51st State), Mexico and other Sovereign Countries.
  • America’s 2025 National Security Strategy; alignment with far-right governments and the language of tyranny against allies.

Learn more about how Trump and the Republican Party is changing the Pentagon and American military in my post on Pete Hegseth And The Christian Takeover Of The Pentagon

5. Control Of Mass Media

Attacking the press, spreading propaganda.

Trump/GOP:

  • Suing media outlets, plans to seize media through FCC/FCC-equivalent policy
  • Jimmy Kimmel taken off air
  • Stephen Colbert not renewed
  • Threats to shut down outlets
  • Purging civil servants
  • Right-wing ownership of almost all mainstream media
  • Attempt to control Pentagon reporting.
  • Suing the BBC
  • Project Esther
  • CBS 0 Minutes

Check out my post on the right-wing takeover of the media, and how Trump has attacked journalists in The Information War: Lies, Algorithms, and How Disinformation Undermines Democracy.

Fight back against Propaganda, and stay on top of what is really happening by following independent media and subject matter experts

6. Obsession With National Security

Opponents painted as internal enemies.

Trump/GOP:

  • DHS used against protestors
  • Immigrants framed as “invading forces.”
  • NSPM-7 saying that anyone who is antifascist “Antifa” or with “anti-Christian,” “anti-American,” (against Trump) and “anti-capitalism” opinions is a threat to the Country.
Black silhouette of a church cross highlighting the role of Christian symbolism in the evolution of white supremacy into Christian Nationalism.

7. Religion Fused With Government

State-aligned religious identity used to justify policies.

Trump/GOP:

  • Project 2025 (Conservative Christian Nationalist agenda)
  • Known Christian Nationalists in Trump’s administration (including JD Vance, Pete Hegseth, Stephen Miller, Russell Vought)
  • Christian Nationalists are spiritual advisors for Trump
  • Christian Nationalists in House and Senate
  • Christian policies at the Pentagon
  • Abortion bans
  • Biblical law over civil rights
  • NPSM-7 lists being “anti-Christian” as a threat to America
  • Christian studies in schools
  • Book bans.

Learn more about Why Christians Think They Should Rule America, and how we are witnessing a Christian takeover of the Pentagon by Pete Hegseth And Donald Trump in my post on Pete Hegseth And The Christian Takeover Of The Pentagon.

Get essential reading lists including banned books in my post Countering Banned Books In America: Essential Reads On Racism, Religion & Democracy

8. Corporate Power Protected

Elites protected in exchange for political loyalty.

Trump/GOP:

  • Heavy billionaire influence
  • Cabinet of Billionaires
  • Deregulation
  • Immunity for political donors
  • Huge tax cut for billionaires.
Black-and-white image of a graduation cap with tassel, representing Christian Republicans attacks on education.

9. Disdain For Intellectuals, Experts, Education

Attacks on knowledge, universities, scientists.

Trump/GOP:

  • Banning books
  • Rewriting history
  • Gutting DEI
  • Climate denial
  • Trump offers top universities funds if they boost conservative ideas
  • Dismantling department of education
  • Large staff and budget cuts for the CDC.

10. Obsession With Law And Order

Except, of course, for the leader himself.

Trump/GOP:

  • Militarized policing
  • Violent rhetoric
  • Claims he is above prosecution
  • Claiming that blue states are war zones with no evidence
Black-and-white close-up of a ballot being cast with the word “Republican” printed on it, representing Republican election rigging tactics.

11. Fraudulent Elections / Eroding Democracy

Claiming elections are illegitimate unless they win.

Trump/GOP:

  • 2020 election denial
  • Voter suppression tactics
  • Installing loyalist state officials
  • Demanding red states gerrymander their maps.

Learn more about the 2024 US Election: How Elon Musk & Republicans Stole It In Plain Sight

12. Controlled Or Manipulated Courts

Stacking judiciary to eliminate checks on power.

Trump/GOP:

  • Extremist Supreme Court – the 6 Conservative Justices and the Emergency Docket known as the Shadow Docket
  • Early in 2025, Trump started campaign of attacks and deals against major law firms including Covington & Burling, Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, and Susman Godfrey. This included the suspension of security clearances held by lawyers at these firms, barring attorney’s from federal buildings, cancelling federal contracts and threatening lawyers with disciplinary action such as encouraging the Attorney General to seek sanctions against firms who engaged in “frivolous” litigation against the U.S. government.
  • Trump immunity ruling

13. Suppression Of Unions And Workers

Breaking labor protections to consolidate elite power.

Trump/GOP:

  • Attacks on unions, worker protections and strikes

14. Propaganda Of A Mythic Past

The promise of returning to a “greater” past that never existed.

Trump/GOP:

Grey scaled photo of an American flag that waves prominently between tall urban buildings in downtown New York City symbolising patriotism.

Why These Historical Patterns Matter For America Right Now

This isn’t abstract history. This is the roadmap that authoritarian movements use every time. The reason historians, genocide scholars, and national security experts are sounding alarms is because the United States is currently exhibiting nearly every early-stage indicator of authoritarian collapse.

Since January 2025 To Today, We Have Seen:

  • Significant purges of both the civil service and military
  • Elimination of Government departments like the Department of Education
  • A very visible alignment with Christian Nationalist Leaders
  • Mass detention camps with inhumane conditions
  • Violence towards protestors and journalists including Pastors.
  • Normalization of white supremacist ideology at all levels of Government as well as mainstream media and social media
  • Severe minority scapegoating
  • Retribution against perceived enemies starting with indictments of James Comey and Letitia James plus investigations and threats against others including Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell and Jack smith.
  • Destruction of press freedom
  • Expanding political violence
  • Ongoing direct attacks on the judiciary, and multiple instances of disregarding rulings
  • Escalating extremist propaganda on Government sites and social media channels including posters that copy Nazi Germany posters.
  • Erosion of democratic checks
  • National Guard deployments in multiple states, and 700 marines deployed in California
  • Escalating threats against allies including Greenland, Canada and Europe while very publicly siding with far-right authoritarian governments including Putin who invaded Ukraine and Netenyahu’s genocide in Gaza.
  • Declaring that being anti-fascism, anti-Trump, anti-Christian, anti-Israel, anti-MAGA is domestic terrorism.

And so much more. If I listed it all it would be a very long list. These are not isolated incidents. They are the pattern.

Black and white image of Adolf Hitler addressing a massive rally, symbolizing how fascist propaganda and mass obedience fueled authoritarian power in Nazi Germany.

Authoritarian Regimes Always Lead To Large-Scale Violence Against Innocent People

The evidence is overwhelming. Wherever authoritarianism takes hold, whether dressed as fascism, theocracy, religious extremism, or white supremacy, violence follows. Authoritarian leaders always promise safety, strength, and National renewal. But what they deliver is repression, persecution, war, and genocide. For Americans, the warning is clear: when rhetoric turns to militarization, democracy and the American people are in grave danger.

The history of authoritarianism and violence is not a distant story. It is the same story being written again today. Authoritarian leaders always promise safety, strength, or national renewal, but what they deliver is war, persecution, and usually genocide.

For Americans, the lesson is clear. Authoritarian movements don’t stop with rhetoric. They escalate. They silence critics, target minority groups like immigrants, marginalized groups, and LGBTQ+, and use violence to secure power. If we ignore history, we risk repeating it. And if we want a future free of wars and genocides caused by authoritarian regimes, we must recognize the pattern — and refuse to walk the same path.

Understanding why authoritarianism is dangerous isn’t just about history — it’s about survival.

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Gemma Lawrence is a British expat, solo female travel blogger, and the creator of This Brit’s Life — a travel and lifestyle blog that helps women explore the world confidently, live abroad independently, and stay informed about global issues.
Born and raised in England, Gemma has been living in British Columbia, Canada since 2016 and has been traveling solo for over a decade. With a background in journalism and over ten years of experience in digital marketing and communications — including leadership roles with the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC/BC) — she brings both storytelling and strategy to her writing.
Through her posts, Gemma shares practical solo travel advice, expat insights, and confidence-building resources, while also covering broader topics like women’s rights, democracy, and self-care. Her goal is to inspire independence, awareness, and personal growth — one adventure at a time

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