About this episode

Cameron and Ray explore the historical roots and influences of fascism, comparing past and present societal anxieties.

In this second episode of our fascism series, Cameron and Ray trace the roots of fascism from the French Revolution through the 19th century and into the early 20th century. They explore how nationalism, the Enlightenment and Counter-Enlightenment, industrial upheaval, social Darwinism, Nietzsche’s philosophy, Bismarck’s realpolitik, futurism, and mass psychology all fed into the eventual rise of fascism. Along the way, they compare past anxieties about modernity with today’s fears of AI and technology, dig into the religious devotion of MAGA Trumpism, and unpack the Italian Fascist Manifesto of 1919. By the end, the groundwork is set for how Mussolini and others fused these cultural, philosophical, and political threads into a movement that would reshape the 20th century. The post #138 – Fascism: The Remix of History’s Worst Ideas (Fascism part 2) appeared first on The BS Filter .

People in this episode

Hosts: Cameron Reilly, Ray Harris

Topics covered

• fascism
• nationalism
• modernity
• social Darwinism
• political philosophy
• mass psychology

Keywords

• fascism
• nationalism
• Enlightenment
• Counter-Enlightenment
• social Darwinism
• mass psychology
• MAGA Trumpism
• Bismarck
• Nietzsche

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: MAGA Trumpism

Books & works: Italian Fascist Manifesto of 1919

More episodes of The BS Filter

• Iran, Lies, and the Pentagon Slush Fund – BS Filter #145 · May 14, 2026 · 23 min
• The Rupture – BS Filter 143 · January 30, 2026 · 1h 33m
• #142 – Fascism Goes Corporate · November 27, 2025 · 50 min
• #139 – Make Italy Great Again: The Birth of Fascism (Fascism #3) · October 13, 2025
• #137 – What is Fascism? Part 1 · August 31, 2025 · 19 min
• #136 – 20 Years of Napoleon and Friendship · August 18, 2025 · 1h 16m

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