NEW YORK (Realist English). In an interview with the Financial Times, writer and activist Naomi Klein and documentary filmmaker Astra Taylor presented their new book, End Times Fascism, in which they describe a new type of authoritarianism fundamentally different from the fascism of the last century.
Against the backdrop of the exposed remains of Nazi ships revealed by the receding Danube — which the authors use as a metaphor for the return of the past — Klein and Taylor warn that what we are witnessing today is not merely a “repetition” of history, but its “sequel,” leading to places where humanity has never been before.
Three Allies: Who Stands Behind “End Times Fascism”
The authors identify three main factions forming a dangerous but fragile alliance:
| Faction | Ideology |
| Religious fundamentalists | Christian nationalists seeking to fulfil biblical prophecy through strategic military conflicts |
| Techno‑accelerationists | Silicon Valley creating “digital gods” and betting on merging with machines |
| Militant ethno‑nationalists | Proponents of the “great replacement” theory, advocating ethnically pure, fortified nation‑states |
The Key Difference: No Bright Future for the Masses
The crucial distinction between 20th‑century fascism and its modern version, according to the authors, lies in the absence of promises of a better future for the broad masses. Hitler and Mussolini promised their followers land, homes and infrastructure. Today’s leaders — from Trump to Vance — offer nothing but “bunker survival” for the chosen few.
“They are betting on permanent ‘bad times,'” the authors quote Palantir CEO Alex Karp. Instead of a shared, sustainable perspective — escape to Mars with Elon Musk, merging with “super‑intelligent” machines, or life in fortified national enclaves.
The Apocalyptic Alliance: From Vance to Musk
The authors cite striking examples of how this ideology pervades modern politics:
- US Vice‑President JD Vance admitted in an interview with an evangelical podcaster that he would not be “shocked if the Antichrist walked among us” and suggested that his actions might hasten the “end times.”
- Elon Musk, openly supporting European far‑right groups, including Germany’s AfD, made a gesture in January 2025 that many interpreted as a Nazi salute.
- Palantir and other tech oligarchs are increasingly positioning themselves as a “nationalist‑militarist” faction within the Silicon Valley elite.
Climate Fascism: Adapting to Chaos
The authors pay special attention to how “end times fascism” adapts to the climate crisis. Instead of combating global warming — strengthening borders, cutting foreign aid and attempting to seize resources under Greenland’s melting ice.
“This is a perverted and sadistic form of climate adaptation,” write Klein and Taylor. While Europe burns, Spain’s far‑right Vox party blames the fires not on the climate crisis but on “climate fanaticism” and migrants.
What to Do: Lessons from the New Deal
The authors do not limit themselves to a diagnosis — they also offer a remedy. The solution, in their view, lies in the same logic as Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal: to fight the material crises that make people vulnerable to demagogues.
“Democracy disappeared in several other great nations,” Klein and Taylor quote Roosevelt, “not because the people of those nations did not love democracy, but because they were tired of unemployment and insecurity.”
Today, this means: democratic governance of artificial intelligence, taxes on billionaires, limiting the accumulation of wealth, ending the funding of military conflicts, and resuming climate action.
The Fight for a Common Future
Klein and Taylor’s book is not just a diagnosis but a call to action. The authors acknowledge that modern fascism is not monolithic; it represents a fragile but dangerous alliance of three forces. Yet it is precisely this fragility that leaves room for resistance.
Open questions remain. Can the movement for democratic control over AI and taxation of the super‑rich gain sufficient strength? Are the political elites of the US and Europe ready to recognise that the climate crisis and inequality are not secondary problems but the primary breeding grounds for authoritarianism? And most importantly — does humanity have time to find an alternative to “bunker survival” before it becomes the only available option?
As the authors note, the best way to help people resist the temptation of “end times fascism” is to make their lives better here and now. That lesson, learned in the 1930s, remains relevant today. The only question is whether today’s leaders are ready to learn it.
