politics
March 25, 2026
‘A new world is being born’: author Rebecca Solnit on the ‘slow revolution’ the far right cannot tolerate
It’s easy to focus on authoritarians and their petty victories. But zoom out and the picture is more encouraging, says the woman who popularised the term ‘mansplaining’, whether it’s in feminism, or the environment, or civil rights
TL;DR
- The far-right's actions are a backlash against a 'slow revolution' of changing attitudes in society since the 1950s.
- Progress in areas like gender, race, sexuality, science, and climate is the result of continuous struggle and activism.
- Memory and history are crucial in challenging authoritarianism, as they preserve the record of past struggles and victories.
- Despair arises from forgetting the heroic efforts behind every positive change; hope arises from remembering.
- Collective action and solidarity are essential for creating meaningful change, as demonstrated by movements like environmentalism, feminism, and civil rights.
- Authoritarianism attempts to undermine democratic forces like journalism, history, and science to maintain power.
- The future is uncertain, requiring continued action and engagement rather than passive optimism or pessimism.
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