We are not alone. We can learn from people who have fought autocracies, past and present — inside the US and outside.
Article by Daniel Hunter published in Waging Nonviolence
10 ways to be prepared and grounded if Trump wins
The key to taking effective action in a Trump world is to avoid perpetuating the autocrat’s goals of fear, isolation, exhaustion and disorientation. Get ready with these 10 tips to help ground ourselves in these disorienting times.
Democracy is a Verb: International lessons on fighting full-blown authoritarianism
We are partnering with Waging Nonviolence to provide resources on how to stem the rising authoritarian tide. George Lakey and other researchers have gathered together a collection of those resources, divided into sections highlighting: conversations with experienced organizers and movement thinkers and original reporting and analysis from the frontlines of the democracy struggle.
We have lessons from activists who have battled authoritarianism Hungary, helped overthrow apartheid in South Africa, rebounded against political violence in the US, and overthrew their dictator in Serbia. This week they just released a great interview with Scot Nakagawa talking about what US folks need to do now to learn from other movements. We have more interviews from Brazil and more being added soon…
Explore the interviews at: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/07/democracy-is-a-verb/
Anti-Authoritarian Podcast: Lessons from fighters in the US by 22CI
Our ally organizations, the 22nd Century Initiative, is exploring the US assault on democracy already taking place.
Their first podcast is with Suzanne Pharr reflecting on the historic No on 9 Campaign thirty years ago in Oregon, and what democracy defenders must do in this moment to block a total authoritarian takeover.
Their second podcast, with Hardy Merriman and Naomi Washington-Leapheart , explores how we respond to the growing threat of political violence and how our new initiative with the Horizons Project, HOPE PV, can help make it backfire.
You can explore their podcast at: https://convergencemag.com/podcast-shows/anti-authoritarian-podcast/
The Authoritarian Playbook for 2025
How an authoritarian president will dismantle our democracy. This is the guidebook to understand Trump’s plans and those of Project 2025 if Trump wins the Presidential Election.
by Protect Democracy
Bringing Down A Dictator is a 56-minute documentary about the nonviolent defeat of Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic. It focuses on the contributions of the student-led Otpor! movement.
Additional Resources
What has Trump been saying? A tracker that’s kept up-to-date of his thinking.
by Norman L. Eisen, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Siven Watt, Andrew Warren, Jacob Kovacs-Goodman and Francois Barrilleaux
“Donald Trump thinks he’s identified a crucial mistake of his first term: He was too nice…”
by Eric Cortellessa
No. Seriously. What if Trump Wins Again?
We had a fantastic conversation with the folks over at Convergence Magazine. They asked brilliant questions about the psychology of strategy in what we’re doing. We don’t post all our media hits — but we recommend this: listen to the full interview via their podcast. Or, read their excerpts of the interview.
Combatting Authoritarianism: The Skills and Infrastructure Needed to Organize Across Difference
A helpful short article about some of the different skills needed for building an anti-authority movement.
by Maria J. Stephan and Julia Roig
Is Democracy at Risk? A Lesson Plan for U.S. and Global History Classes
This lesson from 2018 can be adapted for use in social studies, history and civics classes. A good starting pointing for teachers — mix and match activities and resources depending on what you’re teaching and why.
by Michael Gonchar, New York Times (2018)