1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

Comparing Project 2025—a conservative initiative under Donald Trump—with the takeovers led by Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin brings attention to the similar tactics of authoritarianism, methods, and historical context. While there are some shared authoritarian tactics between Project 2025 and the takeovers of Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin—especially around centralizing power and removing checks on executive authority—the scale and intent behind these historical regimes were far more extreme and violent. Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin created totalitarian states that used systematic violence and ideological purges to maintain power, whereas Project 2025, despite its undemocratic proposals, does not advocate for violence or ideological oppression on the same scale. In essence, Project 2025 raises alarms about potential authoritarian shifts but remains more limited in scope compared to the genocidal, totalitarian regimes of Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin. Nonetheless, its potential implications for democracy and civil liberties should not be dismissed.