How to Survive Under a Fascist Dictatorship

When a country slides into fascism, survival stops being about convenience and comfort.

It becomes about staying sane, safe, and invisible enough to make it through.

Dictatorships don’t announce themselves with flashing lights.

They creep in with “for your safety” laws, silenced dissent, and neighbors afraid to speak freely.

By the time most people realize what’s happening, the walls are already built.

Fascism is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the perceived interest of the nation or race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.

So what do you do if you find yourself trapped in a nation run by a dictator?

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1. Master the Art of Invisibility

In a dictatorship, the wrong word can end your career, your freedom, even your life.

Survival demands restraint:

• Learn when to speak and when silence protects you.
• Avoid posting or sharing opinions online that can be traced back to you.
• Keep your circle of trust small. Loyalty is rare under regimes built on fear.

2. Build Parallel Systems

Dictatorships thrive by controlling access: to money, to food, to information.

If you depend entirely on official channels, you’re vulnerable.

Start building alternatives:

• Cash, Bitcoin & Barter: Keep some wealth outside government-controlled banks and hold Bitcoin.
• Food: Stockpile basics quietly; plant gardens if possible.
• Information: Find decentralized channels — shortwave radio, encrypted apps, peer-to-peer tech like Nostr or mesh networks.

3. Protect Your Digital Self

Fascist regimes weaponize surveillance.

Assume everything is watched.

• Use encrypted messaging and strong OPSEC habits.
• Don’t store sensitive notes or contacts on devices tied to your name.
• Treat your phone as a tracking beacon; because it is.

4. Create Exit Options

Hope for survival, but prepare for escape.

Dictatorships often collapse suddenly, and borders can close overnight.

• Keep important documents and cash ready.
• Learn multiple routes out, legal and illegal.
• Build networks abroad: friends, family, communities you can signal if you need refuge.

5. Maintain Your Humanity

Dictatorships try to crush spirit as much as body.

Survival isn’t just physical. It’s mental.

• Keep a journal (even coded) to hold on to your sense of self.
• Find micro-moments of freedom: reading, music, faith, humor.
• Protect relationships; solidarity is a shield.

6. Know the Line You Won’t Cross

In a dictatorship, you’ll face moral compromises.

Maybe you’ll need to lie. Maybe you’ll need to comply outwardly to protect your family.

The key is knowing in advance: what is the line you won’t cross?

Survival without a shred of self left isn’t survival, it’s surrender.

Closing Thought

You may not choose the times you live in, but you can choose how you live through them.

Dictatorships demand a new kind of survival. Quiet, cunning, and resilient.

The goal is not just to endure, but to be ready when cracks appear in the regime. History shows they always do.

ON SURVIVAL is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.