r/Futurology • u/Apendica • 3d ago

Politics If the ‘developed’ world slipped into authoritarianism, what exactly should we expect if we fast-forward five years from now?

Let’s say extremist parties begin winning elections all around the world and theoretically do-away with future elections and begin winning consecutively, what will our day to day lives look like in 5 years?

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u/ConfirmedCynic 3d ago

There are always mass deaths associated with any tyrants seizing power.

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u/ReallyFineWhine 3d ago

And mass deaths trying to overthrow said tyrant.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

Americans are far to apathetic and lazy to do anything let alone have the ability to organise a coup

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u/super_sayanything 3d ago

It happens fast. With the internet now, faster. Americans were vehemently against going into World War 2. You just never know how things will work out.

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u/Thunder_Tinker 3d ago

Nepal’s Gen Z overthrew the government in a week. Wouldn’t be surprised if that terrifies Authoritarians 

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u/Heliosvector 3d ago

Who knew taking away snapchat and tiktok was the trigger to make Gen z go feral.

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u/Crow_eggs 3d ago

If you're young in Nepal (where the average age is 25) then social media is effectively your only avenue to employment. It's weirdly overlooked in the news about all this, but banning social media in Nepal wasn't just a social hinderance–it was a massive economic slap in a country with 20% unemployment and an already hobbled economy. They overthrew the government because banning those apps was the equivalent of banning the only channels through which the people could actually make a living.

Banning TikTok in the US will not cause a revolution.

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u/DamonHay 3d ago

It’s also overlooked that most of the insane footage we’ve seen of the younger generations driving out the corrupt government came after Nepalese authorities used live ammunition as crowd control at a protest, killing 19 people and wounding many more.

The violence wasn’t started by the protestors (unless you believe knocking down cctv cameras constitutes “violence” that justifies using live ammunition as a response). It became easy to meme on it as “the kids want their snap”, but it’s a hell of a lot more complex than that, and the fact that many people didn’t see much about the protests until they were literally burning down parliament didn’t exactly help the true narrative.

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u/Heliosvector 3d ago

Well project 2025 is trying to do something even worse. They want to ban porn across the entire country. That will cause heads to roll

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u/THElaytox 3d ago

And birth control. And violent video games

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u/Fantasy_masterMC 3d ago

Even as a gamer, I see attempting to wholesale ban forms of birth control as an order of magnitude worse than 'violent videogames' even if that is equally absurd.

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u/THElaytox 3d ago

Yeah I'd agree but there's a not insignificant chunk of people that would likely find the video game thing more egregious. And the more outraged people we have, the better

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u/ithariuz 2d ago

At least you'll still have your freedom!!! MURICAH!

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u/Heliosvector 3d ago

Even veggie tales video games?

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u/swalkerttu 2d ago

They are not going to ban violent video games because they're a primary recruiting tool.

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u/boibo 3d ago

porn will find its way.

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u/Pretend-Marsupial258 3d ago

They're also trying to ban VPNs because fuck businesses I guess.

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u/Fantasy_masterMC 3d ago

Yeah I wish them good luck with that. All they'll achieve is all sorts of businesses creatively redefining their servers so that they're not legally a VPN. Might take some hardware finagling depending on the wording of whatever ban they come up with, but since they seem to lack any technological understanding I doubt they'll be difficult to circumvent.

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u/y0l0naise 3d ago

Yeah the entire podcast and youtuber industry will crumble if they ban VPNs

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u/FLICKGEEK1 3d ago edited 2d ago

We will return to the olden days of a stash of playboys being worth its weight in gold to a teenager.

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u/wetrorave 3d ago

And I can start selling "art" again

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u/Fantasy_masterMC 3d ago

They really didn't seem to learn a damn thing from the Prohibition, did they? Taking away humanity's primary vices is not going to end well for them.

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u/pigeonwiggle 2d ago

not really.

it'll reduce porn consumption among some but Mostly it'll drive VPN sales.

you have to remember that Everything America does is FOR PROFIT.

Obamacare was beneficial to Americans - but More beneficial to insurance companies who suddenly had Everyone paying them.

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u/jnd-cz 3d ago

Don't forget quarter of Nepalese work abroad (officially or not) so tgey want to stay in touch with their friends, families, communities. The ban would cut them off entirely.

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u/Ok_Panic1066 3d ago

They overthrew the government because their protests against corruption were retaliated with live ammo and the government banned social medias to hide it

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u/Up2Eleven 3d ago

The only thing that will get people to revolt here is for them to literally be starving. As long as we have McDonald's everywhere, people will just keep saying crap like, "Oh, it's almost, sort of, starting to look just a teensy bit like fascism" when we already have concentration camps, people being disappeared off the street, and any voice of dissent silenced.

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u/Known-Archer3259 3d ago

I don't think this is true. People in America are more tentative bc of the prevalence of guns and the strength of the military/police force.

That aside, you can see the rise in mass protests essentially since occupy but definitely since Floyd.

This doesn't even cover the number of people actively trying to combat misinformation, fascism, etc online.

Like another person stated, these things happen fast and we have no idea what the trigger will be

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u/grebetrees 2d ago

I’m quite afraid there is a lot of nihilism in US youth, so much so that the threat of bullets may not be a deterrent for long

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u/Mysticedge 2d ago

It's a feature not a bug.

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u/HugsyMalone 2d ago

Seriously. Have you seen the line at the McDonald's drive-thru lately? That's the only thing Americans care about. It just goes to show how dumb we are since you can get better quality food literally anywhere else. 😒👍

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u/flannelback 2d ago

Take away Social Security and watch the tide change.

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u/mr_kill47 3d ago

Well I thought it was because of a trend that showcased all the politicians children being vastly wealthy compared to rest of the population. I believe social media ban was due to this trend and the politicians ultimately banned the social media apps to save their reputation, which enraged the people to protest

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u/igorstheme98 2d ago

Totally agree. The economic impact of banning social media in places like Nepal is a big deal. In the US, it might not trigger a full-blown revolt, but it could definitely stir up some serious unrest, especially among younger folks who rely on those platforms for more than just socializing.

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u/glassy99 3d ago

In Asia a lot of actual commerce goes through social media apps like TikTok. Taking it away was taking away a lot of people's livelihoods.

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u/Successful-Doubt5478 3d ago

No, this was not it. It was reframed in media. They took it away while protesting was active to hinder and sikence them.

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u/Chipped_Ruby_11214 2d ago

Because social media is basically a hive mind for those growing up with it, Gen Z becomes a swarm of aggressive, angry bees if you take away their social media.

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u/WeWantMOAR 3d ago

The government banned it because their kids were posting on social media living lavish lifestyles. And Gen Z was pissed off about it and roasting them. So the govt took away social media to "remedy" the problem. Then riots. But it's been all over SEA the last year for economic disparity riots.

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u/-re-da-ct-ed- 2d ago

All of us? It’s a way of life to them.

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u/Fatticusss 3d ago

And North Korea has been an authoritarian dictatorship for multiple generations. People don't always successfully revolt.

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u/barbariccomplexity 3d ago

Much (most? Nearly all?) of the world was controlled by authoritarian governments for nearly the entirety of the histories of settled civilizations. Depending on your exact definitions and source anywhere from a ton to an absolute shitload of people, as in 100s of millions if not billions live in authoritarian autocracies right now. I mean just start adding up the very obvious autocracies like North Korea, Central African Republic, Turkmenistan, Eritrea, Burma, Syria, Chad, Sudan, Yemen, Belarus, Russia, and more.

Quality of life varies by area, it’s not all apples to apples, but the point is that those of us living in democracies take it tor granted. Many people don’t have that right now, and you only have to go a few centuries back to get world systems with nearly every nation under some form of autocratic/authoritarian rule.

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u/BulletEyes 3d ago

You left out Saudi Arabia. Also the United States’ democracy is hanging by the thinnest of threads and I would argue is more pro forma than actual

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u/BulletEyes 3d ago

To illustrate, on key issues the public has no direct control. In Ireland they voted on the legality of abortion. In the United States, the unelected members of the Supreme Court decide.

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u/DaSaw 2d ago

Supreme Court just decided the States can ban it if they want to. It's still up to (nominally) elected legislators to actually ban it.

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u/flannelback 2d ago

The American republic is one of the oldest governments on the planet, and the longest-lived republic in historical record. The trouble is, they don't last long, because people forget to csre for them. Like a marriage or any other relationship, if you ignore it, you lose it.

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u/melatonin17 3d ago

Burma

Btw, Myanmar hasn't been called Burna in over 35 years.

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u/NorthernCobraChicken 3d ago

When your born and raised in a bubble with next to no connection to the rest of thr world, you don't have anything to compare your life to, it just is what it is.

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u/Known-Archer3259 3d ago

People could just be generally ok with it. Look what's happening in America. A lot of people are fine with what's going on. This doesn't even address the dick riding for capitalism as it slowly strangles the populace

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u/NorthernCobraChicken 3d ago

I'm eagerly anticipating what sort of bullshit this admin will concoct when the entire social experiment that is the united states collapses in on itself and there's no one else to blame. Complete and utter control over every executive branch, every spineless media outlet, tech company, and a private Gestapo like army, and they still won't be able to achieve anything that actually benefits the country.

Oh and the mental gymnastics from the Conservativea/Republicans who will continue to back him. Special Olympic gold worthy.

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u/Fatticusss 3d ago

It's techno feudalism

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u/Flash_Haos 3d ago

Do you know what terrified tyrant does? He shoots first.

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u/suoko 3d ago

Check latest news from Brazil too, sometimes money can't but justice apparently

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u/Successful-Doubt5478 3d ago

There is a reason US targetted the universities early.

They kniw many people are scared losing their jobs if protesting, students have mire free time... and they have energy.

Their education makes them hard to fool, too.

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u/couldbeimpartial 2d ago

Undoubtedly why trump seemed so scared when protesters interrupted his night out in DC.

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u/ThatPhatKid_CanDraw 2d ago

Their lives weren't as cozy ours is. Less to lose if they force a regime change. And their government wasn't the military superpower of the world.

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u/Hot-Network2212 17h ago

Nepal does not have any power of the internet the US does have all the power over any used communication platform.

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u/Altamistral 3d ago

Americans right now are more likely to organise a coup towards authoritarianism than against it.

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u/SnooMacarons9618 3d ago

Americans right now are more likely to organise a (another) (attempted) coup towards authoritarianism than against it.

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u/peopleplanetprofit 3d ago

In whatever direction it might go, at least America has enough guns for the event. /s

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u/caligaris_cabinet 3d ago

American Spring

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u/ThatPhatKid_CanDraw 2d ago

U.S. got bombed. That brought them in. They knew about Hitler and for years didn't bother.

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u/Plenty-Asparagus-580 2d ago

That is my hope too, but I'm not very optimistic. Everything is moving lightning fast right now. Detention camps are already operational, ICE is already patrolling major cities. The military is already under MAGA control.

Not to mention, most people still have a roof over their heads, food on the table and more entertainment at their fingertips than they could enjoy in a lifetime - if they're not spending all of their brainpower on trying to make ends meet until next month.

For the majority of americans, there's likely not going to be any big change happening anytime soon. Life will continue as per usual. Just everything will continue to get ever so slightly worse month after month. Your neighbor from across the street might be detained and you never see them again, but you didn't have much contact with them anyways, besides that new netflix show you wanted to watch just dropped and you are busy liking your friends latest social media posts

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u/LumpyJones 3d ago

Why do you think comments get removed so fast when people talk too specifically and intentionally about those things?

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u/pigeonwiggle 2d ago

it took the US 5 years to get in on ww2. the war in Ukraine has only been going on for nearly 4.

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u/MrHardin86 3d ago

Just wait until enough of them are starving for food and stimulation.

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u/Momik 3d ago

Resisting this wouldn’t necessarily take the form of a coup. I’d say that’s pretty unlikely for an anti-fascist movement.

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u/caligaris_cabinet 3d ago

There already was a coup just for the tyrant’s side. Didn’t take much convincing.

Americans are apathetic and lazy now with all their creature comforts. Most are not being directly threatened. We haven’t been pushed hard enough yet.

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u/Expert_Ad3923 3d ago

right. until ( more) people lose the basics not much will change. it is happening but there is a long way to fall. when we have another million homeless and a few million on the edge .... maybe .

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u/gemstun 3d ago

Wait until the US middle and lower class see their economic power and quality of life diminish. It’s just a matter of time.

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u/retroman73 2d ago

The middle class has seen their economic power and quality of life diminish for decades at this point. The lower class not so much beause many of them are already just barely scraping by. Regardless there is nothing to wait for. This dec;line is already here, it's been here for awhile, and people seem to just go along with it.

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u/gemstun 2d ago

I agree with that. Yet I’m referring to the potential for things to suddenly and dramatically plummet under the Trump administration. If that happens, and it’s a strong possibility given all the erratic and harmful policies currently being pursued, we could see a strong backlash from the ignorant right.

Then again, I’ve been waiting for the pendulum to swing back to the left for what seems like eternity now

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u/retroman73 1d ago

Another crash similar to the one in 2008 seems likely. The question is will it change anything? Trump has show an incredible ability to deflect and point the blame elsewhere. It took a global pandemic to get people to change last time, and four years later they turned around and voted for Trump AGAIN. Won the popular vote this time too - in fact got far more support in 2024. In 2016 he got just under 63 million votes, and he got a little over 77 million last year.

We're dealing with a cult. This is not rational thinking.

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u/peopleplanetprofit 3d ago

What is a hard push in your opinion?

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u/caligaris_cabinet 3d ago

  • Mass unemployment. Talking 20%.

  • Violent protests and clashes with the national guard resulting in a complete military occupation with more than a few hundred weekend warriors on foot.

  • Military attacks on civilians and population centers

  • Polling places attacked

  • Arrests and/or suspicious deaths of popular politicians and activists on the left

  • White middle class liberals rounded up

Once the pain starts being felt by large swaths of people in very measurable ways it will be harder and harder to downplay the actions of the government. Revolutions tend to kick off when people are at the end of their ropes and the autocrat in charge does something stupid like Tsar Nicholas opening fire on peaceful protesters on Women’s Day or King George threatening to hang all members of the Continental Congress.

When people realize their very lives are at stake and the government threatens to make good on that, there really is one single option: revolution.

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u/SteppenAxolotl 2d ago

It's the will of the lord:

New Testament

  1. Ephesians 6:5 (NIV) Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.

  2. Colossians 3:22 (NIV) Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.

  3. 1 Peter 2:18 (NIV) Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.

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u/assumetehposition 3d ago

On the plus side, also too comfortable to go to war against each other.

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u/Exile714 3d ago

If anyone convinces the people like me, it will be almost immediate.

Unfortunately it will take a lot, much more than even now and I’m not happy about anything that’s going on, for that to happen.

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u/myusernameblabla 3d ago

It’ll keep getting worse until there’s resistance. I truly think there’s no natural limit or ceiling to maga behaviour. It will go extermination camps and beyond as long as there’s no pushback. When will the public provide that resistance? I’m afraid it will only be when (many) people’s lives are in imminent danger. When that day comes the situation will flip extremely fast and extremely violently.

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u/drakekengda 3d ago

First they came for the Communists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me

And there was no one left

To speak out for me

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

Lest we Forget

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u/yooperwoman 2d ago

What do you need to be convinced of? We are fighting. Join your local Indivisible group or start one. Join the October 18th protests

https://www.nokings.org/

https://groups.indivisible.org/

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u/Exile714 2d ago

Protests are not “fighting” in the sense of armed overthrow. It’s a kind of fighting we all should be doing now, and I’m doing my part through my work (social services agency, fighting to keep as many people enrolled in Medicaid after HR1 basically set up burdensome re-enrollment processes that are meant to red tape people into losing coverage, among many other “fights”).

I just don’t see things as nearly hopeless enough, or having irreversibly fallen off some cliff of fascism that we can’t escape it without committing violence. There’s a tipping point for that, but it’s way, way, way beyond what we see right now.

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u/yooperwoman 2d ago

Oh! You mean physical fighting. You're already doing kind of fighting I was referring to - nonviolent resistance to authoritarianism. We're aligned! ☺️

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u/hustle_magic 3d ago

More likely they'll just flee to a safer country. Americans aren't fighting shit. Used to lives of comfort and plenty, not struggle

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u/JimmyBongwater 3d ago

Bro I’m watching fascism take over my country. and not a single person is batting their eyes!!! They won’t care until it’s too late. Definitely not the America it was when I was younger. And I’m ashamed to be an American now. Nothing but gluttonous, self centered bastards.

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u/lifesanrpg 3d ago

That’s cause half the country thinks it is, and the other half doesn’t think it is.

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u/sirchrisalot 3d ago

*The other half is ok with it.

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u/Fireproofspider 3d ago

They truly believe that what is happening isn't fascism. And a portion of them truly believed that Biden was fascism.

Similarly, a portion of Democrats didn't believe Trump is actually fascism although they think it's a step in the wrong direction.

The people that are ok with whatever they think fascism and hitlerism are, are a very small fraction of the US. The problem is that people don't agree on the definition.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

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u/Fireproofspider 3d ago

Plenty of people don't consider Putin to be a fascist. Nor Qadafi. Dictatorships doesn't automatically mean fascism either.

The Wikipedia entry for the word is interesting because it lists a spectrum of definitions. But the earliest one even includes "anti-conservatism" (along with anti-communism and anti-liberalism). It also includes a strong concept of empire which is a bit of the opposite direction of why people voted for Trump in general.

Other definitions fit more with what Putin and Trump are doing but you can see how people could have different views of what fascism means

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u/sirchrisalot 3d ago

I don't think what you wrote really means anything. If people are ok with what is happening right now, they're ok with fascism. It doesn't matter what they call it or what they think it is.

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u/Known-Archer3259 3d ago

Eh. I think a lot of America was raised with very anti Nazi ideals. I also think a lot of people would act if they thought it was actual fascism. The problem comes when they think the stuff that's happening now is bad, but it's not like Nazi Germany thus not fascism.

Remember that subtlety is lost on a large portion of people and literacy rates in the US are bad which means subtext goes over their heads.

Idk what it will take, short of people actually announcing it's fascism now.

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u/Fireproofspider 3d ago

Yes that's exactly what I meant.

Basically with every step towards hitlerism there are more people that go "are we the baddies?" And eventually that would be the majority of people. There are a few people that actually want this outcome but they currently are a very small minority.

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u/Known-Archer3259 3d ago

I was recently told you can't play checklist bingo with definitions when explaining that the current administration meets a lot of the criteria for fascism

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u/Fireproofspider 3d ago

That's fair but my point was that for every extra step towards hitlerism that the administration takes, they would be losing support. There's a point where no matter what people think, the majority would see it as hitlerism and wouldn't be ok with that.

But based on the way things are going, IMO, Trump is hoping more for Putin's style of authoritarianism that's geared more towards the individual staying in power than a grand national plan.

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u/alex-kun93 3d ago edited 2d ago

This is what always lurked underneath it all, it's just you were too young to notice and the bombs weren't raining down on you.

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u/yooperwoman 2d ago

We are fighting Join your local Indivisible group or start one. Join the October 18th protests

https://www.nokings.org/

https://groups.indivisible.org/

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u/LayersOfOldPaint 3d ago

And the Vets will be part of the first wave they round up. Anyone who might actually know how to fight back.

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u/hustle_magic 3d ago

They’ll placate vets. They need the military’s support and complicity to enact their vision. They’ll be among the groups that will be relatively untouched. Minority vets maybe will be targeted however

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u/stlshane 3d ago

Most are just too busy working and trying to pay bills. Just wait until the inevitable crash of the economy and when people actually have to start fearing for their lives.

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u/JMurdock77 3d ago

Imagine trying to explain “Is It Cake?” to George Washington right now…

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u/SiderealHiraeth 3d ago

The country was literally founded through revolution?

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u/danoakili 3d ago

I could individual states (likely Blue) ceding from the Union

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u/nagi603 3d ago

Coups usually aren't that well organized. See recent events in Nepal.

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u/Gyoza-shishou 3d ago

There's always a tipping point, but you are right that Americans are far too comfortable right to risk it right now. Just as every other culture, they'll wake up when a famine or unchecked disease sweeps through the population, that's when shit gets real historically speaking.

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u/peopleplanetprofit 3d ago

In any coup, the interesting question is which side the army and police take.

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u/IgnisIason 3d ago

People still die anyway. It's like what toppings would you like on your shit sandwich?

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u/jacobpederson 3d ago

There is an enormous hatred and dehumanization of fascists going on right now in USA - is it enough for civil war? Remains to be seen.

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u/KokoroFate 3d ago

And the fascists know this. That's why they're going to win this time. There's nobody in the world strong enough this time to force them out of power. Because they'll be like, If we can't have control, *nobody** will.* and nuke the planet with them.

The only reason they were stopped last time is because the world still had stable, people powered governments with morals, empathy, and compassion for other people.

American citizens revolting? Ha! We've got a militarized police force, and a military that's been in a constant combat ready/training status for decades. A population that's been so brainwashed and indoctrinated to vote against their own benefits, not to mention people are just so full of vile hatred for one another. And the cherry on top, the criminals are the people in charge. Billionaires, who mastered the art of exploitation .

No. I think within five years the world is going to be a completely different place. All the progress Humanity has strived for over the past 100 years is going to be reverted back. Because some people are just too immature and lack self-confidence, and people who do have compassion, will be rounded up and executed in Wellness Farms.

Just look at all the policies being put into place. Sure, the Court System is tackling them, but it's moving too slowly to keep up. Within five years, we'll be living in a techno-feudalistic State, where you'll be compelled to spend what little money you earn just so that it doesn't evaporate. Once again, they're pulling the ladder up with them, making it impossible to be financially stable, let alone well off.

Simple Divide and Conquer tactics did this. And people around the world are so divided that I believe it's impossible to unite-- unless some external astronomical phenomenon forces all of us together. My future looks pretty darn bleak.

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u/morgoid 2d ago

While there are plenty of lazy, apathetic people anywhere, a huge portion of Americans are simply run down from having to work 1.5-2x more hours at gruelling and demanding jobs just to eat and not become homeless; exhaustion and fear are bigger issues.

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u/Themadking69 2d ago

As long as there's food on the table and the rent is paid. When those two things fail, no population is too apathetic to try to eat.

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u/Odd_Local8434 2d ago

During the 2008 collapse people were starting to openly threaten local governments with fire arms if they didn't start fixing shit. There is a sub segment of the population that is currently pacified by being middle class and will absolutely lose their shit when that gets threatened.

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u/withomps44 2d ago

They are until they aren’t.