Post-fascism: an analysis of the mutation of ideas and the Polish public sphere

Fundacja Dobre Państwo • January 9, 2026 • 🇵🇱 Polski

📚 Based on

The Upcoming Fascism
Przemysław Witkowski (2023)
Instytut Wydawniczy Książka i Prasa

👤 About the Author

Przemysław Witkowski

Collegium Civitas

Przemysław Witkowski (born 1982) is a political extremism researcher, journalist, and assistant professor at Collegium Civitas. He collaborates with think tanks and is an expert in radicalization. He has authored books on political extremism and pop culture.

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Post-Fascism: An Ideological Mutation Rather Than a Carbon Copy

Modern post-fascism is not a return to the aesthetics of the 1930s, but a precise diagnosis of an era in which the suit has replaced the brown shirt, and the algorithm has replaced the shout from the balcony. It is a transitional category, retaining the essence of fascism (the cult of hierarchy and the enemy) but remaining fully compatible with procedural democracy. Administration instead of revolution becomes its primary method of operation; post-fascism does not require marches, but rather a quiet conquest of the state through procedures and the management of exceptions. It is an intrusion into the parlor in white gloves, where physical violence is replaced by technocratic selection.

Particularism, the Palingenetic Myth, and the Nouvelle Droite

The foundation of this mutation is particularism—the rejection of universal human rights in favor of privileges for "one's own." Gáspár Miklós Tamás warns that citizenship is currently shrinking into limited access to goods. This is fueled by the palingenetic myth—the promise of national rebirth following a supposed catastrophe. The Nouvelle Droite strategy has achieved a linguistic revolution here: biological racism has been replaced by "ethno-pluralism," and segregation by the "right to difference." Consequently, extreme ideas

Summary

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the phenomenon of post-fascism, understood as a contemporary mutation of classic fascist ideas adapted to the realities of liberal democracy. The author demonstrates that the traditional attributes of radicalism have been replaced by parliamentary elegance and precise digital tools. A key element of this transformation is metapolitics and the struggle for cultural hegemony, conducted using algorithms and grievance engineering. The text examines how deliberalization processes and the crisis of universal citizenship are impacting the Polish public sphere, leading to the mainstreaming of extreme narratives. Through the category of the "fascist minimum," the reader learns about the mechanisms of affective politics and the construction of an identity based on exclusion. This is an important voice in the debate about the future of democratic institutions in an era of digital transformation and growing social polarization.

📖 Glossary

Postfaszyzm: Współczesna mutacja faszyzmu, która zachowuje jego esencję, taką jak kult hierarchii, ale działa w ramach procedur demokratycznych i cyfrowych mediów.
Palingenetyczny ultranacjonalizm: Kluczowy mit faszystowski dotyczący odrodzenia narodu po rzekomo oczyszczającej katastrofie, dążący do stworzenia nowej, czystszej wspólnoty.
Etnopluralizm: Koncepcja sugerująca prawo każdej kultury do rozwoju w odrębności, będąca współczesnym eufemizmem dla segregacji i wykluczenia.
Metapolityka: Strategia polegająca na długofalowej pracy nad zmianą kultury i języka społeczeństwa w celu późniejszego przejęcia władzy politycznej.
Deliberalizacja: Proces stopniowego wycofywania standardów liberalnej demokracji i ograniczania praw obywatelskich bez formalnego obalania systemu.
Obywatelstwo uniwersalne: Idea, według której prawa przysługują każdemu z racji człowieczeństwa, odrzucana przez postfaszyzm na rzecz przywilejów dla 'swoich'.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does post-fascism differ from classical fascism?

Post-fascism abandons uniforms and street violence in favor of suits and algorithms. It is compatible with procedural democracy, though it retains a cult of hierarchy and hostility toward outsiders.

What role do algorithms play in the development of post-fascism?

Digital platform algorithms reward content that provokes anger and fear, which becomes a free amplifier for politicians who capitalize on polarization and emotions.

What is the mechanism of 'grievance engineering'?

This is replacing utopian projects with nostalgia and exploiting social fears (e.g., about migration or changes in customs) to build political support.

Why is post-fascism considered a transitional category?

Enzo Traverso defines it this way because it is a process of mutation in progress – we do not yet know what this system will ultimately crystallize into under the influence of crises.

How does post-fascism affect the concept of citizenship?

Post-fascism aims to ensure that citizenship ceases to be a universal status and becomes a limited privilege reserved exclusively for a select group of 'our own'.

🧠 Thematic Groups

Teoria postfaszyzmu i ewolucja ideologiczna od faszyzmu klasycznego do współczesnych form parlamentarnych
Mechanizmy metapolityki i hegemonii kulturowej w dobie algorytmów oraz cyfrowej transformacji debaty publicznej
Kryzys obywatelstwa uniwersalnego i proces deliberalizacji w kontekście polskiej polityki instytucjonalnej
Socjologiczne aspekty polaryzacji i inżynierii lęku wobec grup mniejszościowych w sferze publicznej

Tags: Post-fascism Palingenetic ultranationalism Metapolitics Ethnopluralism Universal citizenship Deliberalization Cultural hegemony Algorithm Grief Engineering Mainstreaming The carapace of capitalism The politics of affect Fascist minimum Mutation of ideas Transitional category