The question being posed by the contemporary period is the relationship between capitalism and democracy. To what extent is capitalism compatible with liberal democracy in different historical periods of its development? What we are going through at the current moment is an inflection point. Trying to understand that is the key thing. Discussing whether this is a 'new form' of fascism, or a repeat of the 1930s - it obscures getting at that basic issue.

Sociologist Dylan Riley explains why Donald Trump is not a fascist, and how viewing Trump's presidency through a 1930s lens only serves to blind us from the important task of understanding the basic issue of contemporary politics - the escalating conflict between capitalism and the post-War liberal democratic project.

Dylan wrote the article What Is Trump? for the New Left Review.