Having decided to do a season-long deep-dive into the tenets of fascism and their appearances in contemporary American government, our second episode is all about the cult of tradition. The Romans deferred to the “way of the ancestors” for guidance about the appropriate means by which to live a good life. Traditions mattered, and straying too far from them had dire consequences. The Nazis and other fascists of modern Europe thought the same, and they imposed their versions of old traditions upon those they meant to rule…or destroy. It isn’t too hard to draw a straight line from Romans and fascists to contemporary American rhetoric about Christian nationalism and making America great again.

Guest host: Amanda Wils