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Liz Wheeler
stated on February 26, 2022 in a video on Facebook:
The Great Reset advocates replacing capitalism with an economic system that is “kind of socialism, kind of communism” but “mostly just fascism.”
true false
Luiz Romero
By Luiz Romero October 11, 2022

The Great Reset is not a conspiracy to force changes in economic systems

If Your Time is short

  • The World Economic Forum has never advocated for the creation of a totalitarian world government or the replacement of capitalism with another economic system. There is no evidence to support this theory, and it has been thoroughly debunked.
  • World Economic Forum managing director Adrian Monck told PolitiFact that such claims are "ludicrous."

 

In June 2020, as countries were still reeling from the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Economic Forum pitched a set of policy ideas it called "The Great Reset."

The international organization wanted governments around the world to seize the "rare but narrow window of opportunity" for social and economic change offered by the pandemic "to reflect, reimagine, and reset our world to create a healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous future."

What were its broader goals?

The initiative aimed to make markets fairer through increased coordination among governments and improved trade agreements; to ensure that government spending advances shared goals like equality and sustainability; and to use innovation to support the public good by addressing health and social challenges, according to a June 2020 article by Klaus Schwab, the founder of the World Economic Forum.

But according to conspiracy theories about the plan, the initiative advocated that nations  eliminate all debt, install an expansive social credit system, abolish private ownership, exterminate sections of the global population, create a global currency, impose a police state and create an alternative soccer tournament in Europe.

Those claims have all been debunked by fact-checkers. Yet, conservative political commentator Liz Wheeler claimed in a Facebook video that the Great Reset aims to replace capitalism with an economic system that is "kind of socialism, kind of communism" but "mostly just facism." The video was originally shared on Feb. 26 but recently began recirculating.

The video was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) 

The World Economic Forum has repeatedly denied unfounded allegations that The Great Reset is a secret plan orchestrated by international elites to use the pandemic to change social and economic systems in order to create a global totalitarian regime.

Adrian Monck, the international organization’s managing director, told PolitiFact that Wheeler’s claims are "ludicrous" and are being perpetuated by "disinformation actors."

Featured Fact-check

An October 2020 article about The Great Reset written by Schwab does not ask countries to replace capitalism with another economic system. 

"The reset that we need is not a revolution or a shift to some new ideology," Schwab wrote at the time. "Rather, it should be seen as a pragmatic step toward a more resilient, cohesive, and sustainable world."

The BBC reported in 2021 that the plan’s lack of specificity plus the fact that it came from an influential group "provided fertile ground for conspiracy theories to grow."

Schwab advocated in 2019 and 2020 for a "virtuous" capitalist system, in which companies "pay their fair share of taxes, show zero tolerance for corruption, uphold human rights throughout their global supply chains, and advocate for a competitive level playing field." 

The Great Reset conspiracy theory was initially boosted by Republicans, became popular among QAnon believers, and can include anti-Semitic elements.

We reached out to Wheeler for comment but did not receive a reply.

Our ruling

A Facebook post says the Great Reset advocates replacing capitalism with an economic system that is "kind of socialism, kind of communism" but "mostly just fascism."

The World Economic Forum never advocated for the creation of a totalitarian world government or the replacement of capitalism with another economic system. There is no evidence to support this theory, and it has been thoroughly debunked. 

We rate the claim False.

Our Sources

Facebook post, Feb. 26, 2022

Email exchange, World Economic Forum managing director Adrian Monck, Sept. 28, 2022

World Economic Forum, "Now is the time for a 'great reset'," June 3, 2020

World Economic Forum, "We must move on from neoliberalism in the post-COVID era," Oct. 12, 2020

PolitiFact, "No, the COVID-19 vaccines are not weapons of mass destruction," March 31, 2021

PolitiFact, "No evidence that ‘leaked’ email from a Canadian politician is authentic," April 29, 2021

PolitiFact, "There’s no evidence the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is connected to the monkeypox outbreak," July 29, 2022

Reuters, "The World Economic Forum is not planning to take your possessions," May 4, 2021

Reuters, "The World Economic Forum did not issue 'urgent memo' detailing 18-month review of 'Great Reset Phase I solutions'," Aug. 16, 2022

Reuters, "Depopulation quote has been misattributed to Klaus Schwab," June 29, 2021

Reuters, "The World Economic Forum is not behind the European Super League," April 23, 2021

FactCheck Georgia, "COVID-19 pandemic was planned to prepare the world for the ‘Great Reset’," Nov. 24, 2020

BBC News, "What is the Great Reset - and how did it get hijacked by conspiracy theories?" June 24, 2021

The Washington Post, "With Trump gone, QAnon groups focus fury on attacking coronavirus vaccines," March 11, 2021

Anti-Defamation League, "‘The Great Reset’ Conspiracy Flourishes Amid Continued Pandemic," Dec. 29, 2020

The Hill, "Introducing the ‘Great Reset,’ world leaders’ radical plan to transform the economy," June 25, 2020

Time, "What Kind of Capitalism Do We Want?" Dec. 2, 201

Time, "A Better Economy Is Possible. But We Need to Reimagine Capitalism to Do It," Oct. 21, 2020

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The Great Reset is not a conspiracy to force changes in economic systems

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