As Ukraine Goes, So Goes The World
Fascism and Democracy

The days leading up to the event I thought to myself about the many things that Timothy Snyder, the acclaimed speaker, author and professor, could say about the Russia-Ukraine War. Typically I am able to have an idea on what generally a speaker might say but with him, I had no clue. I had seen him on the CBS Sunday night show, 60 Minutes, prior to the event so he was a familiar face to me; this was a great opportunity to be able to see someone in person who I have previously seen on the tv screen.

One of Snyder’s talking points that stuck out to me was his explanation of the mindset Russia has taken in its aggression; they have been able to justify their actions because of the Christian Fascist mindset they have. The military and political leaders of Russia view anything that goes against their moral beliefs to be a form of the devil. They have denied facts which in turn makes it very difficult for an outside perspective to understand the basis for the War. The path Snyder led us on as he explained this concept allowed me to understand more than just the relationship between Russia and Ukraine. I saw connections to the relationship Hitler had with Jews, among other groups, and Donald Trump and his far right supporters. Of course, Trump, has not committed a genocide of people as the two other powers have, however, his denial of the facts and his ability to spread false information are the fascist steps both of these powers took before their violent actions.

He ended his lecture on a good note, with Democracy as a way of thinking and how the leaders of democratic states really are the people. At the beginning of the aggression the vast majority of the world believed that Ukraine would fall in just days. Now, several months later, they still fight and in fact, may even have the upper hand. It is because of the individual courage of Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President, and the courage of individual Ukrainians, fighting for something they so strongly believe in. Democracy works, but only when those individuals act for what they believe in. We can see examples of this in America when in 2015, after demonstrations and years of trying to get federal recognition, gay marriage was made legal by the Obama Administration. And again, in 2021, the John Lewis voting rights bill passed in the House of Representatives, the first step to becoming law. Of course, neither of these solve the issue of hate in America, but they do show progress that only happened because of the will of the people.