There are few words today that seem as vaguely-defined as the word “fascism.” For some, it refers to a specific kind of political structure that peaked in the mid-20th century. For others, it represents a broader impulse to authoritarianism or discrimination. It’s not uncommon to hear both sides in a political debate use the word to insult each other. But what exactly is fascism, and how has the idea evolved over the past one hundred years? And no conversation on fascism will be complete without talking about antifasism, particularly about the Antifa movement. Antifa, especially in the United States, has become the subject of nearly as much controversy as fasism – some see it as a necessary way to resist structural racism and sexism in society, while others are afraid that Antifa members use violence to intimidate opponents and create chaos. And then there is the post-Soviet context, where the memory of German fascism has been used to justify the invasion of Ukraine. With “western antifascism” on the far left and “Russian antifascism” on the far right, politically speaking, how can we sort through the confusion?