Lessons from History: How Antifascist Coalitions Fought Back

Uniting, resisting, and persisting—how historical antifascist movements overcame authoritarian regimes and what we can learn today.

Fascism thrives on division, fear, and apathy. Yet, history shows us that it can be resisted—and defeated.

Antifascist coalitions throughout the 20th century faced overwhelming odds, from the rise of Mussolini’s Italy to Nazi Germany and beyond. Their success offers powerful lessons for our own fight against authoritarianism today.

How did they do it?

By uniting diverse groups, leveraging grassroots movements, and fighting with persistence and courage.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the key strategies antifascists have used in the past.

1. Building Broad Coalitions

One of the most effective tactics antifascists used was creating broad coalitions.

In the 1930s, groups like the Popular Front in France and Spain united liberals, socialists, anarchists, and communists to resist fascist regimes.

Despite ideological differences, they understood that authoritarianism posed an existential threat to everyone.

The Lesson for Today: The fight against authoritarianism requires setting aside smaller differences to focus on the bigger picture.

Whether it’s activists, political parties, or everyday citizens, forming united fronts is essential to protecting democracy.

2. Mobilizing Grassroots Movements

Antifascist coalitions relied on grassroots power.

Strikes, protests, and boycotts disrupted fascist regimes’ operations and showed widespread resistance.

During World War II, partisan movements in occupied Europe waged guerrilla warfare, sabotaging Nazi supply lines and infrastructure.

The Lesson for Today: Grassroots organizing is one of the most powerful tools in the fight against authoritarianism.

Community action, mutual aid, and local resistance can challenge even the most entrenched regimes.

3. Countering Propaganda with Truth

Fascist regimes thrive on lies and disinformation.

Antifascists fought back by exposing these lies through underground newspapers, leaflets, and art.

Groups like the White Rose in Nazi Germany distributed pamphlets highlighting the atrocities of the regime, often at great personal risk.

The Lesson for Today: In an era of social media and mass disinformation, countering propaganda is critical.

Sharing credible information, supporting independent journalism, and calling out false narratives are all ways to combat the lies that authoritarianism relies on.

4. Leveraging International Solidarity

Antifascists often gained strength from international support.

During the Spanish Civil War, volunteers from around the world joined the International Brigades to fight Franco’s fascist forces.

Global solidarity helped sustain resistance movements even in the darkest times.

The Lesson for Today: Authoritarianism is a global threat, and fighting it requires global collaboration.

Supporting democracy movements abroad and building connections between activists worldwide strengthens the resistance.

5. Acting Early and Persisting

Many antifascists learned the hard way that authoritarian regimes gain power when people underestimate them or wait too long to act.

Delayed responses allowed fascists to consolidate power, making resistance harder.

The Lesson for Today: Vigilance is key.

Recognizing the warning signs of authoritarianism and taking early action can prevent movements from gaining traction.

Persistence in the face of setbacks is equally critical—fighting fascism is a marathon, not a sprint.

6. Balancing Defense and Offense

Resistance movements didn’t just react to fascism—they actively sought to undermine it.

From sabotaging supply lines to organizing counter-demonstrations, antifascists balanced defensive strategies with proactive measures to weaken regimes.

The Lesson for Today: Fighting authoritarianism requires both protecting what we have (e.g., voting rights, democratic institutions) and taking bold steps to challenge and dismantle oppressive systems.

Final Thoughts

The fight against fascism has never been easy, but history proves that it’s possible.

Whether through coalition-building, grassroots mobilization, or countering propaganda, antifascist movements have shown the power of collective action and persistence.

The challenges we face today may look different, but the principles remain the same.

If we unite, act early, and stay committed, we can build a world where democracy thrives.