The 10-Step Playbook to Fascism!

In democracies around the globe, authoritarianism often sneaks in under the guise of national rescue, moral revival, or restoring order. From Europe to the Middle East and Africa, leaders have followed eerily consistent pathways to power: exploiting crises, crafting fear, marginalizing institutions, and burying dissent. These ten stages illustrate how democracies fall—and how, eventually, they rise again.

Case Studies in Autocratic Seizure: 10 historical figures who seized power, how they did it - & what followed

1. Vladimir Putin (Russia)

• Age at power: 47

• Year of disruption: 1999, assumed power through Yeltsin's resignation, elected in 2000

• Years in power: 25+ (still ruling)

• Stability restored: Not yet

• Did he lie to the public? Yes. Promised democracy, delivered authoritarianism.

2. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (Egypt)

• Age at power: 58

• Year of disruption: 2013 (military coup)

• Years in power: 12+

• Stability restored: No full return to democracy

• Did he lie? Yes. Promised democratic restoration, then suppressed it.

3. Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe)

• Age at power: 53

• Year of disruption: 1980 (post-independence)

• Years in power: 37

• Stability restored: Partial stability by 2022

• Did he lie? Yes. Campaigned as a liberator, turned autocratic.

4. Benito Mussolini (Italy)

• Age at power: 39

• Year of disruption: 1922 (March on Rome)

• Years in power: ~21

• Stability restored: Republic by 1946

• Did he lie? Yes. Promised parliament, abolished it.

5. Adolf Hitler (Germany)

• Age at power: 44

• Year of disruption: 1933 (Chancellor appointment)

• Years in power: 12

• Stability restored: Divided but democratic West by 1949

• Did he lie? Yes. Promised peace and legality, delivered war and dictatorship.

6. Abdelaziz Bouteflika (Algeria)

• Age at power: 58

• Year of disruption: 1999 (post-civil war election)

• Years in power: 15

• Stability restored: Reform progress by 2021

• Did he lie? Yes. Campaigned as reconciler, extended Executive power.

7. Antonio Salazar (Portugal)

• Age at power: 52

• Year of disruption: 1932

• Years in power: 36

• Stability restored: Full democracy by 1976

• Did he lie? Yes. Promised order and religion, became totalitarian.

8. Park Chung-hee (South Korea)

• Age at power: 53

• Year of disruption: 1961 (military coup)

• Years in power: 18

• Stability restored: Democracy by 1988

• Did he lie? Yes. Used economic growth to justify authoritarianism.

9. Hugo Chavez (Venezuela)

• Age at power: 44

• Year of disruption: 1998 (elected)

• Years in power: 14

• Stability restored: Not yet fully resolved

• Did he lie? Yes. Promised inclusion, ruled by decree.

10. Ayatollah Khomeini (Iran)

• Age at power: 60

• Year of disruption: 1979 (Islamic Revolution)

• Years in power: 10 (until death)

• Stability restored: No. Theocracy persists.

• Did he lie? Partially. Transparent ideology, concealed brutality.

The 10-Step Playbook for Fascist Control

1. Exploit a national crisis. Whether economic collapse, war, or social unrest, aspiring autocrats present themselves as the only solution.

2. Promote fear and organize loyalist forces. Form paramilitary or militarized units to suppress protests and intimidate rivals.

3. Co-opt the elite. Win over military leaders, business elites, or religious institutions by offering privilege or immunity.

4. Undermine independent institutions. Discredit courts, the law, media, and civil society as corrupt or foreign-controlled.

5. Seize or subvert power. Use legal tools, rigged elections, or outright coups to consolidate control.

6. Control media and the narrative. Shut down critical voices, flood public discourse with state propaganda, and build a cult of personality.

7. Rewrite laws and constitutions. Change the rules to extend terms, concentrate power, and eliminate checks and balances.

8. Crush dissent. Jail, exile, or execute opponents. Use fear to keep the rest silent.

9. Stage fake legitimacy. Hold symbolic elections, referenda, or orchestrated rallies to simulate public support.

10. Build permanent loyalty networks. Embed loyalists across institutions to prolong control beyond a single term or leader.

Conclusion

Across decades and continents, the fascist script remains chillingly consistent. Leaders rarely march in under the banner of tyranny; instead, they disguise authoritarian ambition in promises of order, prosperity, and tradition. By the time citizens realize what’s been lost, the machinery of control is already in place.

Recognizing the warning signs isn’t pessimism. It’s vigilance. Everybody needs to know what "the game" actually looks like!