Answer to Question #162230 in History for Katrina Belanger

Question

Will the pandemic ultimately give rise to more fascist or anti-fascist movements? What kind of movement do you think stands to come out of the pandemic the healthiest?

Answer 1

Summary

Based on research conducted about the consequences of pandemics that have struck the world in the past, there is a sense in which the rise of fascist movements has been recorded (Arlow, 2020). Considering the current Covid-19 pandemic that has again hit the world so hard, there is a potential rise of fascist movements after the pandemic. 

Explanation

Fascist movement refers to a government structure in which excessive power is concentrated at the top and one dictator has control over the entire nation, country, or territory (Connolly, 2017). In such a situation, the dictator’s wish must be obeyed and followed, and anyone who is opposed to the latter’s view is suppressed and the rights of people in such situations are always oppressed. For instance, after the flu pandemics that claimed about 300,000 lives of Germans, Adolf Hitler took the advantage of the then devastated state of the nation through the Nazi party to introduce fascism in Germany (Arlow, 2020). In the same way, we have witnessed different political regimes around the world taking advantage of the pandemic to introduce dictatorial regimes which will possibly culminate into fascist movements in the long run (Connolly, 2017). This has been witnessed in the United States where the ruling party through the then President Trump used his political muscles to introduce autocracy associated with maltreatment of people along the line of religion, race, etc. Also in Uganda, the current president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has almost turned the country into a dictatorial regime through harassment and maltreatment of people who are opposed to his views (Arlow, 2020). This is evidenced through the frequent arrest of the opposition leader Bobbi Wine who was falsely accused of flouting covid-19 containment guidelines.

Reference

Arlow, J. (2020). Antifa without fascism: the reasons behind the anti-fascist movement in Ireland. Irish Political Studies, 35(1), 115-137.

Connolly, W. E. (2017). Trump, the working class, and fascist rhetoric. Theory & Event, 20(1), 23-37.