>>1826881No, suppressing fascism just makes it suppressed in overt manners. Grassroot operations are more organic and generally lead to popular support.
One example I know is the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. They were suppressed by the government for decades, and they worked in local communities, making charities, local events, programs like Islamic studies in mosques and such, so when Mubarak fell, they got to win the elections.
They were quite immature politically. The number one rule in politics: don't give your trust away for free.
They did no purges and kept many from the previous government trying to "win them over", but the big business families that own most of the Egyptian economy easily worked with the military, mobilized their media, to create a coup.
Funnily enough, Bassem Youssef's show despite always criticizing the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamists in general, his show went on. Islamists only name called him on their TV channels. It was until Sisi came to power than once he made fun of the military, he was taken into investigation and had to flee before he was arrested.
Anyways, any suppression of fascism should be done with grassroot movements, because that will be their turf if suppressed overtly.
There is a reason Nazism was popular. Even before they took power, the Nazi Party offered social welfare programs to its members and supporters, like: soup kitchens, employment assistance, and financial aid. Propaganda alone can't do anything in a place with a diverse political atmosphere like pre-1933 Germany.
They knew how important these programs were to get and maintain support, so even after they got power, despite running their economy to the ground, they still had many social programs and inflated the government with practically guaranteed jobs, thus pay. They've implemented many social security programs as well as many charities like winter relief, Winterhilfswerk, which collected donations and distributed food, clothing, and fuel to impoverished Germans.
Their Strength Through Joy (Kraft durch Freude, KdF) program was another example. A leisure organization founded in 1933 to provide recreational activities, cultural events, and affordable vacations for workers. It offered subsidized vacations, cruises, concerts, and other entertainment to promote loyalty to the regime and boost morale among the working class.
Anyways, a parallel example is early Christianity. You literally cannot spread a religion by simply telling people about your fairytales.
Alsgiving, which is charity to the poor and needy, provided support and care for their members, especially widows, orphans, and the marginalized.
Made infirmaries to care for the sick and injured, regardless of their religious or social status.
Early Christians took in orphaned and abandoned children, and also helped prisoners and slaves.
They formed tight-knit communities where members cared for one another's physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
Missionaries still do the same thing to day to spread Christianity as well.
Either way, this is to prove a point, which is that fascism and Nazism or any form of authoritarian political structure cannot be simply suppressed. People are more complex than just shutting them down. The same can be argued about many marginalized communities and how they managed to achieve their social justice despite suppression.