The Cycle of Fascism
“The welfare of the people in particular has always been the alibi of tyrants.”
— Albert Camus, The Rebel (1951)
Leaders throughout history have acted as if they are aspiring for the benefit of the people, for the benefit of themselves. What I mean is, they can say they care, and people will love them. But do they really care? Is it truly their mission to benefit the people, or benefit themselves? A leader can find the majority opinion, and act as if it’s theirs. They can act as if they truly value what the majority does. People will mindlessly support these leaders, regardless of what they look like behind the mask.
A fascism is an authoritarian political ideology that prioritizes a nation over its individuals. Essentially, it's a dictatorship, a royal scam, a regime, where a small group or individual is so obsessed with their authority, that every national decision is of the desire of themselves. Without taking sides, it’s still hard to avoid the fact that it seems as if fascism is occurring frequently in the contemporary world. Especially since, as a result of the major militaristic occurrences and inclination from post-World War 2 to post-Cold War, the world has become too advanced for its own good. What I mean is, our forces have become too strong that the world’s entire population could easily be wiped. Obviously, no one wants that. As a result, major powers look to gain power, so that they may be feared. The benefit of the people then becomes a lower priority, forcing the country into division.
Like I said before, leaders act as if they are for the people rather than themselves. From there on, people will look at them as if they do no wrong. With a closed mind, you’ll never find that you are only corrupting your own situation, while feeding the tyrant’s authority. You should be able to support someone, whilst still being able to call out or disagree with what they say.
Many countries fade away from their form of government, and then find themselves with an authoritarian leader who will put personal wealth over promoting general welfare. The United States, the most economically and militarily powerful nation currently, originally came from colonists who were being used by Britain as a tax dummy. Their government was weak, but they desired union and the benefit of the people. It is my hope that the country’s original mission will not be forgotten. Sadly, it seems as if it almost already has. With that being said, tyrants will always fall. Because even the most powerful individual is not as powerful as the union of the people. Thank you for reading Social Science 43, and have a wonderful day.
Comments Section
Share your thoughts here!