<h2 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="crosshead">How democracy dies</h2>

When Lula da SilvaLuiz Inacio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, is the left-wing president of Brazil. won the Brazilian presidential election last October by the tiniest of margins, the whole world braced for a backlash. Everyone expected incumbent Jair BolsonaroThe right wing Brazilian president from 2019 to 2022. would refuse to accept the result. His supporters might rise up. The military could get involved. Brazil could be taking the first steps back towards dictatorship.

Instead, Bolsonaro conceded the vote and fled to Florida. Lula was sworn in last week, and the world breathed a sigh of relief.

It turned out to be only the eye of the storm. On Sunday, Bolsonaro's supporters finally did what they had promised to do: they tried to overturn the election by storming Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace. They called for Lula to be imprisoned and for the military to launch a coup d'etat.

Brazil is emerging as one of the great economic powers of the 21st Century, on the strength of its manufacturing and natural resources. But it remains deeply divided between rich and poor.

And economic might has not been matched by political stability. Just 40 years ago, Brazil was a dictatorship, and many right-wingers want to return to authoritarianEnforcing strict obedience to authority. rule. In recent years it has been marred by political violence: in 2018, outspoken socialistA term used to describe a range of beliefs that stress collective control of economic processes. In the USA, it usually refers to a group of people who think that the USA ought to be more like European countries, offering universal healthcare, a higher minimum wage, and stronger workers' rights. and feministSomeone who calls for women's rights and equality of the sexes. politician Marielle Franco was murdered in Rio de Janeiro.

Many have drawn parallels between the actions of Bolsonaro's loyalists - called "Bolsominions" by their opponents, after the characters in the Despicable Me films - and the Trump supporters who stormed the US CapitolThe building in Washington DC where the US Congress meets. It was named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome. in January 2021.

The Trump and Bolsonaro movements have been influencing each other for years, and former Trump adviser Steve BannonA former chief strategist for the White House during Donald Trump's term. is deeply involved in Brazilian far-right politics.¹

Both men also draw on similar pools of support: middle-class White people from small towns and rural areas who are resentful towards what they see as liberal urban elites attacking their way of life.²

But experts think there are other parallels to be drawn. Both Trump and Bolsonaro, they argue, are using the tactics of Adolf Hitler.

Hitler set his supporters against the press, accusing it of lying and smearing him. He claimed that elections were fixed against him. He ignored laws meant to restrict his power, and exploited people's economic worries. He presented Germany as an immoral, degenerateImmoral and corrupt. society that only he could restore to the right path.

Trump and Bolsonaro have both done the same. They accused traditional media of bias and reached out to their supporters directly via social media. They painted a dark portrait of left-wing lawlessness and immorality.

Others think these comparisons miss one important fact. When Hitler came to power, he almost immediately made himself dictator. 

Neither Trump nor Bolsonaro managed to do this. They might not even be able to return to political life, as both are now under investigation for actions they took whilst in office. This could be the last gasp of right-wing populismA type of politics that claims to represent the common people in the fight against a powerful and "elite" establishment..

Yes: Like Hitler, Bolsonaro has bulldozed his country's political and legal institutions and built up a base of fanatical supporters ready to go to war with their own country if their man does not win.

No: Bolsonaro is currently skulking in the USA, trying to avoid prosecution. He is not leading his supporters, but following them. He certainly does not look like a viable dictator.

Or... Hitler was a product of his own time, and so no modern politician will ever be exactly like him. But we should be very worried by the trend that a lot of global politics is following towards the far right.

Lula da Silva - Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, is the left-wing president of Brazil.

Jair Bolsonaro - The right wing Brazilian president from 2019 to 2022.

Authoritarian - Enforcing strict obedience to authority.

Socialist - A term used to describe a range of beliefs that stress collective control of economic processes. In the USA, it usually refers to a group of people who think that the USA ought to be more like European countries, offering universal healthcare, a higher minimum wage, and stronger workers' rights.

Feminist - Someone who calls for women's rights and equality of the sexes.

Capitol - The building in Washington DC where the US Congress meets. It was named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome.

Steve Bannon - A former chief strategist for the White House during Donald Trump's term.

Degenerate - Immoral and corrupt.

Populism - A type of politics that claims to represent the common people in the fight against a powerful and "elite" establishment.