CrimethInc Zine Argues Authoritarian Power Has Plateaued and Calls for Escalated Extra Parliamentary Resistance
Source: CrimethInc
Executive Summary
The 2025 CrimethInc zine At the Turning of the Tide: How to Fight Our Way out of the Trump Era frames the second Trump administration as an authoritarian project that has consolidated control of federal institutions but failed to secure full social dominance. The document argues that repression has reached a plateau and that sustained disruption, rather than electoral engagement, can exploit elite fractures and reverse authoritarian momentum. The zine is intended as strategic guidance for activist networks rather than persuasion of mainstream audiences.
Analysis
The zine presents the Trump era as a structural outcome of economic concentration and state capture, and argues that resistance is entering a decisive phase where authoritarian power is vulnerable to sustained social pressure.
The authors assert that Trump’s return to power reflects long term systemic trends such as wealth concentration, erosion of democratic legitimacy, and normalization of surveillance and repression, rather than individual leadership failure
The text claims that by late 2025 the federal government has consolidated institutional authority but lacks broad social consent, forcing it to rely on constant displays of strength and coercion
The zine argues that elections are insufficient and potentially stabilizing for authoritarian rule, explicitly prioritizing extra parliamentary tactics such as mass disruption, decentralized resistance, and infrastructure level pressure
The document emphasizes forcing fractures within elite coalitions, including billionaires, security agencies, and political institutions, rather than persuading ideological supporters
Repression is framed as evidence of regime weakness, with unrest and disorder presented as historically necessary leverage rather than counterproductive instability
The zine functions as movement orientation material rather than operational instruction. Its tone is diagnostic and motivational, synthesizing 2025 protest activity into a narrative of opportunity under repression. While the arguments draw heavily from established anarchist and anti capitalist traditions, the document’s significance lies in its timing and framing, portraying the current moment as an inflection point rather than a period of irreversible authoritarian consolidation. The text is designed for durability and internal circulation, aiming to shape how activist networks interpret state power, risk, and strategic patience.
