The key difference between populism and fascism Quartz

Brexit, Donald Trumps US presidential election,the ascent of Frances Marine Le Pen, Italys Five Star Movement: The whole Western world appears to be in the thrallof populists. For many, this seems like a bit of adej vu, evoking the1920s and 1930s, withtheir looming threat of fascism.

There are, indeed, similarities between todays political landscape and what Europe experienced in the buildup to World War II, as well as with other times when populism eventually turned into fascismsuch as Francoist Spain, or Peronist Argentina. But while fascism usually is rooted in populism, starting with populismdoesnt inevitably mean youll wind up with fascism.

Federico Finchelstein, a professor of history at the New School in New York City,pointed out to Quartz that the two political doctrines share some core traits.

Heres what makes a figure like Trump a text-book populist:

Butwhile Americas democracy may befacing some trying times, there is still a key difference between populism and actual fascism:the use of violence.

The adoption of violence to impose fascist authority is a key element of fascism both as a movement and as a regime, says Finchelstein. It expresses itself as street violence first, and then through the militarization of government. Fascist leaders take power not just through popular support, but thanks to the action of squads that violently attack opponents, and that are then incorporated into the running of the state as paramilitary formations.

On the other hand,Finchelstein explains, populism combines low level actual violence with high level rhetorical violence, applying it to an authoritarian way of understanding democracy. In that is another important distinction between fascism and populism: fascism is never a democracy, while populism undermines democracy, but doesnt remove it.

While fascism and populismboth use democratic ideals to legitimize a non-democratic style of leadership, fascism is typically upfront about its outright rejection of democracy. When Benito Mussolini rose to powerand seized it through the coup-like March on Rome,for instance, he openly spoke about his intention to crush the power of the parliament. Similarly, Adolf Hitler attempted a coup years before his party became the biggest in parliament.

Of course, theres no assurance that Americas democracy will prevent violence by the state. The fact that a movement is populist doesnt mean that it wont turn fascist, says Finchelstein. But, he adds, things usuallydont go that wayand there are even examples of former fascist movements that turned populist. In Italy, for instance, former fascistsdecided to abide bydemocratic laws, founding parties (Movimento Sociale Italiano, then turned into Alleanza Nazionale) whose members are still in parliament, and the political sphere, today.

Theres no question that we live in a kind of neo-authoritarian moment, Aviel Roshwald, a professor of history at Georgetown University, told Quartz. Its almost impossible, he said, not to think of analogies with proto-fascist Europe. But, he added, hopefully its just a moment, and not an era in world history.

However, as novelist and philosopher Umberto Eco argues in his 1995 essay titled Ur-Fascism,distinguishing between populism and fascism may noteven be necessaryits enough for a political doctrine to sharethe archetypal elements and values of fascism to be part of what he callseternal fascism. These elements and values include:

We do have one safeguard against fascism now, Roshwald said. Most countries facing todays populist wave have traditions and institutions of liberal pluralism that are much older and deeply established and rooted in society than they were in Italy in 1922s and Germany in 1933.

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The key difference between populism and fascism Quartz