Federico Finchelstein: Fascism at the Gates
TPL and Toronto Metropolitan University present historian and author Federico Finchelstein in conversation with Sanjay Ruparelia at the Toronto Reference Library's Appel Salon.
As Professor of History at the New School for Social Research and a world-renowned expert on fascism, populism, and dictatorship, Federico Finchelstein brings nearly three decades of research to bear on one of the most urgent questions of our time: how do democracies die from within?
In his groundbreaking book The Wannabe Fascists: A Guide to Understanding the Greatest Threat to Democracy, Finchelstein identifies a dangerous new political breed emerging across the globe, leaders who combine the histories of fascism and populism into something more insidious. Unlike classical fascists who seized power through coups, or traditional populists who maintained democratic forms, these "wannabe fascists" are legally elected leaders who systematically deploy what Finchelstein calls the "four pillars of fascism", xenophobia, propaganda, political violence, and the pursuit of dictatorship. They destroy democracy not by overthrowing it, but by hollowing it out from within.
As authoritarian movements gain strength across continents, democratic institutions face unprecedented assault. Wannabe fascists weaponize misinformation, dehumanize opponents and minorities, normalize political violence, and test the limits of legal restraint, all while claiming democratic legitimacy. The line between populist authoritarianism and full fascism grows thinner as these leaders push toward the final pillar: the total suppression of free elections and democratic opposition.
What distinguishes today's wannabe fascists from classic dictatorships? How can citizens, media, and public institutions resist this drift toward facism? And what lessons from the rise of twentieth-century fascism must we apply to protect democracy in the twenty-first?
Drawing on comparative analysis spanning Europe, Latin America, Asia, and North America, Finchelstein offers crucial insights into understanding, and stopping, the greatest threat facing democratic societies worldwide.
