It's Stormin' Ba'al

How do fascists derail democracy? If you study history (or read Project 2025), it’s almost like there’s a recipe book: goose the economy, abolish unions, privatize what’s public, win the support of tycoons. But at what cost? Mesmerize your base so they don’t care. Blind them with your fear-mongering, lies, and promises. Fascism needs a bold leader…the only one who can fix things…a dictator who has the vision and expects others to follow (including women…whether they like it or not). I believe that history is indeed speaking to us — and those who refuse to learn from it are doomed to repeat it. To learn how fascism hijacked Germany a century ago, just watch this five-minute clip. If you care about our democracy and love our country, it’s hard to stop watching. This is an excerpt from my hourlong public television special “The Story of Fascism in Europe,” which is streaming free (and ad-free) at ricksteves.com/fascism. When I produced it back in 2018, I hoped this day would never come in our country. But November 5th is upon us. Please share this with anyone in your life who might need a reminder that the stakes are high…and this is very real.

A century ago, Germany’s democracy was hijacked by a bombastic and charismatic tyrant — and in this five-minute video, you’ll learn how he did it. Why did I produce this? Because I believe that history is speaking to us, and all too often, those who refuse to learn from it are doomed to repeat it. As you watch, imagine filling out a Bingo card filled with Germany 1933/USA 2024 parallels: big rallies, rage-filled and hateful rhetoric, simple answers promising quick and easy solutions to complicated problems, empty promises of a great-again future, scapegoating outsiders, and political enemies silenced on day one. And notice the caring wisdom and concern from my German friends as they share these lessons from their dark history. It’s hard to understand how Trump could, on the eve of a tight election, paint a picture of Liz Cheney before a firing squad by actually saying, “Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, OK? And let’s see how she feels about it when the guns are trained on her face.” You can’t get into the mind of a dictator with an insatiable appetite for power — but you can recognize the playbook they all seem to follow. Just watch this clip. It’s excerpted from my hourlong public television special “The Story of Fascism in Europe,” which is streaming free (and ad-free) at ricksteves.com/fascism. If you care about our democracy and love our country, it’s hard to stop watching. When I produced this in 2018, I hoped this day would never come in our country. But November 5th is upon us. Please share this with anyone in your life who might need a reminder that the stakes are high...and this is very real.

I long for the day when we can return to healthy and principled partisan debates. But this election is different… and much deeper than left versus right. It’s about the survival of our democracy. The stakes are really high — and the best candidate is clear: @KamalaHarris

Many don’t realize that the first people Hitler sent to his concentration camps weren’t everyday Jewish citizens, but his political opponents. So, when Trump rants about retribution, locking up his opponents, and giving them “very long sentences,” I can’t help but take him seriously… because history teaches us that is what fascist dictators do during their “Day One” period to consolidate their power. (After all, if you’re hellbent on staying in power but aren’t likely to win the next election, you can’t have your political opponents running around free.) To keep fascism out of our lives, vote for democracy!