With the rapidly worsening of the material conditions of the general population in the 'west', will we see a rerun of the early 20th century? I feel we are approaching the point where the bourgeoisie are so desperate to cling on that the 'democratic' institutions of today might be in danger.
Everyone is kinda just saying that fascism is already here and, while I agree, I think that it deserves explanation since there are obviously some big differences between the NATO countries in 2024 vs the Axis Powers in WW2.
The state and governance must be understood as a multimodal mechanism that is capable of simultaneously incorporating various modes of operation to fulfill its functions. Currently, the hegemonic ideology in direct control of most state organs is neoliberalism, which is distinct yet compatible with the marginal ideology of fascism. They both form a symbiotic system, where neoliberalism promises economic development and financial freedom, while fascism smashes workers' organizations and keeps them divided enough for hegemonic rule to continue. I think this is a topic that's very vast and I think Gabriel Rockhill has done a pretty good job at investigating this dialectic, I recommend his lecture Are Fascism and Liberalism Partners in Capitalist Crime?
Right, it's a more subtle form
Rather than goose stepping through the halls of power, it's the people writing bills in those same halls getting the text for a legislative bill wholesale from some crypto-fascist think tank
In the formal state institutions it's subtle as you said, but in a lot of other material manifestations of state power it's not subtle at all. It's widely known by now that a major portion of cops are literal klansmen and neonazis, and they are the living state, its arm with which it manipulates social reality.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy: