Fascism and the Lure of Populist Autocracy – Past and Present

Journal article

Abstract: In recent years, some politicians and scholars have claimed that the new right-wing populist and radically nationalistic movements that have emerged in countries such as the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Hungary since the 2000s can or should be interpreted as a resurgence of ‘fascism’. By contrast, the contribution argues that these parties represent a new type of populist authoritarianism that has spread fear and promised quick solutions to pressing problems. Inspired by autocratic regimes, right-wing populists have also cooperated across borders, despite their radically nationalistic programmes and agendas. Even though they cannot extricate themselves from the haunting legacy of interwar fascism, the Holocaust and the Second World War, the lure of populist autocracy continues to be a dangerous temptation in the face of present-day concerns about the dark sides of globalisation in the post-fascist present. Similar to the 1920s and 1930s, conservatives play a key role in the slide to right-wing populism.

Authors: Bauerkämper, A

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: St. Antony’s International Review
• Host title: Fascism
• Journal: St. Antony’s International Review
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 1
• Publication date: 2026-04-05
• DOI: 10.82556/stair.v20i1.549
• Language: English