A People’s Revolt: The Factor That Would Force MAGA’s Collapse
The Civil War Brewing Within MAGA: Part 8
In our previous installment, we explored the internal fractures threatening to dismantle the MAGA movement. We are at a turning point. MAGA’s factions are fracturing, but history tells us that waiting for them to collapse isn’t enough. Mass public resistance has the power to derail authoritarian movements before they consolidate control—but only if it happens in time.
History’s great resistance movements did not begin under ideal conditions, nor did they wait for perfect circumstances. They emerged because people understood that action—even imperfect action—was the only path forward. Organizing in a politically polarized, media-saturated world presents real obstacles. But those obstacles are not excuses. They are challenges to be met.
Most authoritarian movements do not face this level of open dissent so early. Typically, they establish a foundation of public legitimacy—whether through nationalism, economic promises, or propaganda—before tightening their grip. But MAGA is struggling to maintain approval even as it seeks to consolidate power. This break from the typical authoritarian playbook exposes their vulnerability. If their grip on power were as strong as they claim, this level of public pushback wouldn’t be happening. Their factions are already fracturing. With public support declining rather than solidifying, the movement is more fragile than it appears.
History tells us that fractures alone don’t guarantee collapse—only pressure forces them to break. But resistance is unpredictable. The forces holding MAGA together—shared grievances, financial backing, and propaganda—will work to contain these divisions. Some factions will buckle, others will double down. This fight won’t be easy, and it won’t be linear. They will adapt. They will try to repair the fractures. But history has shown that when pressure is sustained, even the strongest regimes crack. And cracks in power, once exposed, can be widened. Instability is inevitable—collapse requires action. Their downfall must be forced. Waiting for them to self-destruct is not a strategy.
Some factions may attempt to rally under external pressure. Their tensions, however, will not disappear. Resistance must exploit these fault lines before they find a way to rebrand or reinforce their power. Christian Nationalists may seek divine justification. Billionaires may work to control the narrative. Militants may grow impatient with political maneuvering. Yet their interests remain fundamentally misaligned.
This moment is critical because history has shown that authoritarian movements can be stopped before they fully entrench themselves. Revolutions and uprisings throughout history have forced authoritarian factions into missteps, accelerating their downfall. MAGA’s internal divisions are an opportunity—but only if we act.
"Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will." — Frederick Douglass
Lessons from History: How Revolt Disrupted Authoritarians
The French Revolution saw the monarchy’s power dissolve when public outrage over inequality and oppression ignited mass protests, preventing reformers from consolidating power before the old regime crumbled.
In Tsarist Russia, workers, soldiers, and citizens united during the February Revolution, toppling the Tsar before Lenin’s Bolsheviks seized control.
The Iranian Revolution demonstrated that even a militarized state could be overpowered when mass protests forced the Shah to flee, long before Islamist hardliners could solidify their rule.
These uprisings reveal a key truth: mass resistance can stop authoritarianism before it solidifies. Understanding this history is crucial for those fighting to prevent it from taking hold again. But history also makes one thing clear: divisions don’t implode regimes—people do.
This fight isn’t just happening in Washington, in courtrooms, or behind closed doors—it’s playing out in everyday conversations, in the media we consume, in the choices we make about what is normal and what is unacceptable. Refusing to accept their narratives, challenging misinformation, and supporting movements that resist their influence are all acts of resistance.
Every authoritarian movement survives because enough people look away, convinced that resistance is someone else’s job. It’s not. The question isn’t whether fractures exist—it’s whether we make them matter. Power falls only when those who oppose it refuse to let it stand. It is never given. It is always taken.
"Nobody in the world, nobody in history, has ever gotten their freedom by appealing to the moral sense of the people who were oppressing them." — Assata Shakur
Resistance in the Digital Age
While past resistance movements fought their battles in the streets, today’s authoritarian threats extend into the digital realm. Just as physical protests have historically forced change, digital resistance has become a crucial battleground.
Modern uprisings like the Arab Spring and Hong Kong protests leveraged social media to mobilize. However, MAGA’s tech billionaires control key platforms and could deploy AI surveillance to suppress opposition. Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter/X has already shifted algorithmic power to boost right-wing narratives, and Peter Thiel’s Palantir remains a crucial tool for law enforcement surveillance.
The challenges are greater, but history shows they are not insurmountable. And if history has taught us anything, it’s that the fight for freedom is never finished—it must be fought for, over and over again.
From the decentralized organizing of the Hong Kong protests to encrypted resistance networks in Iran, history proves that digital suppression is not an insurmountable barrier—it is a challenge to be outmaneuvered. Where they control platforms, we build alternatives. Where they suppress speech, we amplify resistance. Successful digital resistance movements have already done this.
Activists in Belarus and Iran used peer-to-peer mesh networks to bypass internet blackouts. Encrypted platforms like Signal and ProtonMail remain critical tools for secure communication. Decentralized organizing through federated social media (like Mastodon) offers alternatives to billionaire-owned tech. The key is adaptability—resistance movements that rely too heavily on mainstream platforms risk being silenced overnight. The future of organizing isn’t just on their platforms—it’s beyond them.
"We who believe in freedom cannot rest." — Ella Baker
Turning Their Fractures Into Our Advantage
MAGA’s internal fractures create openings—but only if we know how to use them. Internal conflicts aren’t exclusive to the far right. Resistance movements are often divided as well, struggling with ideological differences, conflicting strategies, and competing priorities.
History teaches us that successful resistance requires strategic alignment, even among those who may not fully agree. Coalitions don’t have to be perfect—but they must be effective. The question is not whether we all share the same vision, but whether we share the same urgent goal: stopping authoritarian consolidation before it’s too late.
While their factions fight for dominance, resistance movements can take strategic actions to weaponize their instability into collapse:
Amplify their divisions – Expose the ideological contradictions between The Christian Nationalists, The Extraction Class, and The Militants. When they destabilize over tactics and goals, resistance movements must highlight and exploit those conflicts, making unity impossible. This mirrors the downfall of Joseph McCarthy, whose radicalism alienated his allies and led to his political collapse.
Prevent rebranding – As their movement faces setbacks, factions will attempt to rebrand, disguising their extremism as "reasonable conservatism" or "populism." We must expose their record, ensuring they cannot re-enter mainstream politics under a new name—just as post-WWII denazification efforts sought to prevent Nazi officials from regaining influence.
Block new leaders from consolidating power – If Trump is sidelined, figures like JD Vance or Josh Hawley will try to assume control. Identifying and exposing these successors before they solidify their base is critical to preventing the next wave of authoritarianism.
Make their extremism politically costly – MAGA’s factions are radicalizing further, which alienates moderates and independents. Instead of dismissing their extremism, we must amplify their words to ensure the public understands just how dangerous they are. The civil rights movement successfully used this tactic to pressure politicians into distancing themselves from segregationists.
Keep public pressure on their weak points – Legal troubles, internal disputes, and GOP infighting weaken them. Highlighting these vulnerabilities, both in public discourse and through activism, accelerates their decline.
Use their radicalization against them – As they escalate their rhetoric and policies to outflank each other, they create openings for public resistance. Their own extremism will alienate voters if effectively exposed.
These strategies aren’t just theoretical—they’re lessons drawn from past resistance movements. Internal conflict alone won’t topple this movement. It must be dismantled.
"The duty of a true patriot is to protect his country from its government." — Thomas Paine
Fractured Responses to Revolt
If mass resistance erupts, MAGA’s factions will not respond as a unified machine—they will turn on each other. But this won’t happen by itself. Their divisions only matter if we force them into conflict before they are ready.
The Christian Nationalists will escalate repression, believing they are ordained to rule, making them more erratic and politically radioactive. Their belief in divine right will lead to overreach, alienating moderates and even some within their own ranks.
The Extraction Class will seek to control dissent through economic and technological suppression rather than direct violence—but the deeper their complicity, the harder they are to defend.
The Militants will demand immediate violent crackdowns. If the other factions hesitate, they will splinter, either breaking off or turning against leadership.
But this is not without risk—history shows that backlash is inevitable. Authoritarian movements don’t just fall; they retaliate. We’ve seen this in every uprising, from the brutal crackdowns on civil rights activists to the violent suppression of labor movements. Resistance isn’t just about fighting back—it’s about surviving long enough to win. This means planning for legal threats, online suppression, and even physical danger. It means protecting vulnerable organizers, establishing networks of support, and ensuring that every action taken strengthens, rather than endangers, the movement. Survival is resistance.
Resistance does not operate in a vacuum. The broader political landscape—including institutional actors, media narratives, and centrist forces—will shape how these divisions unfold. Some will try to contain MAGA’s extremism. Others will enable it. But regardless of their response, history shows that direct, collective action remains the most powerful force for change.
"We have it in our power to begin the world over again." — Thomas Paine
A Premature Collapse
History is shaped by those who refuse to wait for power to crumble on its own. The cracks in MAGA’s foundation are already forming. This is not a moment to wait. It is a moment to act.
We are the dissidents of our era, standing in the long tradition of those who refused to accept the world as it was dictated to them. The American Revolutionaries defied monarchy. The abolitionists shattered the illusion that a nation founded on freedom could justify slavery. Indigenous resistance against colonization fought to preserve sovereignty and culture against an empire that sought to erase them. The labor organizers of the early 20th century risked their lives to end corporate exploitation. The suffragists refused to be silenced until women had the right to vote. The civil rights movement forced a reckoning with the nation’s moral contradictions. Stonewall’s defiance ignited the fight for LGBTQ+ liberation. This is in our blood.
Justice has never been given—it has always been taken by those bold enough to demand it. We are not the first to stand against oppression, and we will not be the last. But in this moment, in this fight, it falls to us.
The forces at play here transcend traditional party politics. Authoritarianism isn’t exclusive to one ideology or party—it thrives wherever power is left unchecked. This isn’t about being ‘anti-MAGA’ or supporting any one faction. It’s about ensuring no movement—of any ideology—can consolidate unchecked control over democracy ever again. Resistance isn’t just opposition; it’s the defense of freedom itself.
If any nation can break the cycle of authoritarianism, it is us. But history does not guarantee outcomes—it only shows us the way. MAGA’s fractures are inevitable. Whether they shatter or solidify—that depends on us. History belongs to those who act. Those who wait hand their future to those who won’t.
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Further Reading
Analyses - In-depth breakdowns examining the systems driving democratic collapse—exposing threats, tactics, and timelines to empower informed resistance.
Playbooks - Actionable strategic guides that directly respond to each analysis, providing step-by-step resistance plans designed for immediate implementation.
Insights - Timely, targeted pieces highlighting critical events, emerging threats, and essential context—keeping you ahead of developments as they unfold.
Great article. There is so much pearl clutching on the left right now and so little discussion of how we should proceed. Thank you, more of this please!
Your articles are amazing. I’ve read almost all of them so far. 1. How does America differ from other countries that have met with authoritative rule with our states operating within a larger governmental structure? I should know this, I’m sorry, but any of the other authoritarian takeovers - were they as complex and large of a country as ours? 2. Did any other countries have the vast independent news sources that we have right now? So much independent journalism is not letting them get away with this. 3. A lot of your articles make it seem as if it’s over and resistance is futile. I actually dont think that’s the ultimate intent but it’s slanted towards here’s what will happen. And while incredibly useful, how do we avoid the panic it causes?