Authoritarianism 101: How It Happens—And How We Fight Back Summer Session 3
An 8-week deep dive (on Google Meet) into the playbook of authoritarian regimes—what to watch, how it spreads, and the resistance tools we need to defend democracy.
Over the following weeks, Zev Shalev and I will be hosting an exclusive seminar series for our paid subscribers: Authoritarianism 101.
Each session will break down core tactics used by authoritarian regimes—past and present—alongside real-world examples from the U.S., Russia, Hungary, and beyond. We’ll show how these strategies erode democratic institutions, normalize state violence, and silence dissent. But most importantly, we’ll talk about how to resist.
We’ll meet live on Google Meet every Tuesday at 8 PM ET, and every session will include:
A focused breakdown of each tactic
Global and U.S. examples and real-time developments
Resistance tools, resources, and discussion
Next session will be on June 17 @8:00 PM EST, and paid subscribers to either Zev's or my newsletter are invited.
Registration Link:
Here’s what we’ll cover:
Week 1: Controlling the Narrative (June 10)
Tactic 1: Propaganda, Disinformation & Rewriting History
Week 2: Targeting “The Other” (June 17)
Tactic 2: Scapegoating Minorities, Journalists & Immigrants
Tactic 3: Delegitimizing Political Opponents
Week 3: Silencing Dissent
Tactic 4: Politicizing Law Enforcement and the Military
Tactic 5: Expanding Mass Surveillance
Week 4: Legal Pressure & Fear
Tactic 6: Legal Harassment & Intimidation
Tactic 7: Undermining the Judiciary
Week 5: Consolidating Power
Tactic 8: Purging Independent Institutions
Tactic 9: Executive Overreach & Emergency Powers
Week 6: Rigging the System
Tactic 10: Election Manipulation & Voter Suppression
Tactic 11: Political Use of Public Funds
Week 7: Oligarchy, Religion & Culture Control
Tactic 12: Co-opting Religious Institutions
Tactic 13: Controlling Education, Art & Cultural Expression
Week 8: Global Authoritarian Playbook
Tactic 14: Oligarchic Capture of Power
Tactic 15: Normalization Through Chaos & Fatigue
Tactic 16: Exporting Authoritarian Tactics Across Borders
Look forward to seeing you there!
Americans around the world are also joining in No Kings, No Tyrants and No Fascists marches on Saturday. Here is a link to see the places where action is happening.
https://www.democratsabroad.org/da-resist_events
Someone pointed out that No Kings is already part of the vocabulary and even legacy media is using it. I love the term, because we are told by Historian Jefferson Cowie not to talk above people using words like Oligarchy that the 2/3 of Americans without a college degree often cannot understand. Everyone, even young children understand what a King is and we do not want them ruling us.
Here is how Ukraine is doing according to Martin Belderson.
https://open.substack.com/pub/underreported/p/the-under-reported-war-15-june-11?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Thanks so much Olga and Zev for hosting these sessions. We all need to be as informed and educated as possible about this evil Trump regime. Knowledge is power and you’re giving us valuable tools to fight and win.