Rachel Maddow on threats to democracy

The fascist movements that infested Europe in the 1930s weren’t just the stuff of Nazi Germany. The U.S. struggled with its own homegrown plot to overthrow democracy and install a Hitler-like dictatorship.

In her book “Prequel,” MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow documents one of the most overlooked sagas in U.S. history — how Nazi agents and their American sympathizers tried to lay the groundwork of an alliance with Hitler’s Germany.

The surprisingly complex network of far-right politicians, media pundits and armed militants who tried to foment chaos were ultimately foiled by a determined group of civil servants, whistleblowers and journalists.

Maddow, who is bringing her book tour to the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on Friday, sees parallels between the pre-World War II plots and efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to reverse Georgia’s 2020 election results.

“The book is called ‘Prequel’ because they were fighting a form of American fascism then,” she said. “We’re fighting an iteration of American authoritarian, ultra-right movement today. And there will likely be another one, too.”

She’ll be joined by former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, where they’ll discuss her book - and surely delve into the state of Georgia politics, too.

“Prequel” grew out of research that underpinned Maddow’s “Ultra” podcast, prodding her to search for what fueled the rise of extreme politics who help shape today’s most significant policy and cultural debates.

Ultimately, she said in an interview, she feels heartened by her findings.

“What we’re going through is not unprecedented. We’ve faced something like this before - and worse,” she said. “There are stories of heroism of Americans who went before us who are otherwise are forgotten, though we still benefit from them.”

That brought her to the modern-day attempts by Trump and his allies to undermine Georgia’s 2020 vote — efforts that will soon be the focus of an election-interference trial in Fulton County.

Maddow singled out Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, two Fulton County election workers whose lives were upended by election fraud lies, as “emblematic and iconic” figures.

“Theirs is an act of not just patriotism, but heroism,” she said of the mother-daughter duo. “It ought to be generationally inspiring in terms of what it means to do right as an American.”

In the book, however, Maddow doesn’t directly link the anti-democratic threats of the 1930s to today’s volatile political atmosphere. It was a calculated decision, she said, to let readers connect their own dots.

“I’m not an activist. I’m an explainer. I’m not going to tell anybody to do anything,” she said.

“But this history does pose a pretty stark question for us today: If you believe there is rising authoritarianism in the world, what are you doing about it?”