What is fascism?
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1. Introduction
The words fascist and fascism are bandied around by political figures, commentators, academics and the media, but in many instances the public, including the present writer, do not know exactly what they are talking about, or specifically referring to (there is a difference). There is no precise definition for fascism, unlike Nazism, and when it is raised one can be confused or think of the German Adolph Hitler's Nazi regime or Benito Mussolini's Italian fascist government in order to make sense of the accusation, based upon their respective activities. The following article to provide an idiot's guide to the phenomenon, both from its historical origins in the 1920s through to the present day. It serves primarily as a reference tool for the writer, though some references are also included below for those seeking a deep dive into the subject of fascism. There are also numerous videos on YouTube which discuss it in detail.
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2. Elements of fascism
The following are terms and actions which relate to fascism, along with examples.
- Aesthetic control - over art, design, speech, beliefs, the built environment
- Anti-democratic - looks to a leader and elites rather than all members of society
- Authoritarian - extreme
- Autocratic - centralised
- Censorial - re-frames the past, and influences the present though control of media and intellectual control
- Class-based social system - socio-economic divisions apply and guide discrimination, with power in the hands of elites
- Communistic - rejects rights of the individual over that of the common good or national objectives
- Controlling - of society and economy
- Darwinian - practices survival of the fittest, against compassion and humanitarianism and equity
- Economy - controlled by government through protectionism, isolation and intervention, to achieve self-sufficiency, and can result in famine and economic collapse
- Education - controlled by government and party, with resulting indoctrination and censorship
- Far-right - politically, though various element can appear across the political spectrum
- Freedom of association - denied and criminalized
- Freedom of speech - denied and criminalized
- Genocidal - engages in, and supports, massacres, sterilization, eugenics, killings, forced deportations, imprisonment, torture, medical treatments and lack thereof
- Hateful - espouses what it hates
- Compassion - lacking
- Human rights - disregarded or abused
- Ideologically driven - not mindful
- Imperialistic - empire building and expansion of borders
- Leader-driven - an individual who is seen as strong, dictatorial, charismatic, narcissistic, anti-democratic, speaks for the whole nation, lacks compassion
- Masculine (machismo) - as opposed to feminine or equality of the sexes
- Mass mobilization - as opposed to the rights of the individual, and peaceful / individual protest
- Militaristic - including militarization of government institutions such as science, media, education and manufacturing, with allegiance to the leader / party
- Nationalistic - extreme
- Negative - anti-everything e.g. liberalism, communism, conservatism, socialism
- Racist and /or belief in racial purity
- Religious / spirituality - is negated, and replaced by adoration of the leader and /or nation
- Revolutionary - as in national rejuvenation in the image of the leader / party
- Symbolistic - uses symbols to advance ideology and into idolatry and mystical / occult beliefs
- Suppressive - of opposition and difference
- Totalitarian - one party government, anti-democratic
- Violent - accepts the use of violence to achieve goals, through individual attacks and war
- Youth focused - resulting in the death of adults and loss of wisdom
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3. Definitions
* Far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement, characterised by a dictatorial leader, centralised autocracy (absolute power), militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interest for the good of the nation and race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy (Illustrate to Educate 2022).
* Fascism is a set of philosophies and methods (Horses 2023).
* Antifa refers to anti-fascist groups, and are usually Left-wing / Liberal.
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4. Catch-22
There are problems with fascism, apart from the dark elements outlined above. Many governments, political parties and groups adopt tools used by fascists, as listed above. However, that does not necessarily make them Fascist. For example, if a person of Left persuasion who believes in democracy expresses nationalistic (patriotic) rhetoric, they can be labelled Fascist; or, to support government control of institutions such as a health, education, banking and social services, in a socialist manner, can lead to accusations of being Communist or Fascist. The latter is very common in the United States, though Western countries such as Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Scandinavian countries historically pursue such agendas under the label of democratic and socialist without (until recently) any negative connotations. In a similar manner, the term Nazi is being increasingly bandied about towards individuals, with little regard to the complexity of the original definition and scope of adherence to Nazi Party doctrine.
Over the past decade differentiation between activities of the extreme Left and the extreme Right has metamorphosed into oroborous overlap, whereby both now pursue some of the policies of the other. Needless to say, the public, and the present writer, is confused. United States president Donald Trump is a good example of this. Whereas during his first term (2016-20) he pursued an extreme-Right agenda through the Republican Party, his second term has revealed a similar path, though with some prominent traditionally Leftist initiatives, such as defence of the rights of women against elements of the Transgender agenda, and exposure of corrupt practices associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, its origins and the manner in which it was dealt with through the use of untested, toxic vaccines.
Like Wokism, what fascism started out as during the 1920s has, a century later, become transformed (diluted) into something that can vary to a wide degree from the actions of Benito Mussolini. However, it could be argued that each of the 34 items listed above are fascistic and therefore the presence of any one, or more, is to be abhorred if applied in a manner which is abusive, lacking compassion and simply plain evil, however you care to define that.
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5. References
Fascism explained - What is Fascism?, Illustrate to Education, 11 October 2022, YouTube, duration: 3.58 minutes.
Eco, Umberto, How to spot a fascist, Penguin, 1997 [2012].
Was Nazism Right Wing or Left Wing? An answer from history, Metatron, 9 September 2024, YouTube, duration: 19.06 minutes.
What is fascism?, Horses, 24 August 2023, YouTube, duration: 24.07 minutes.
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Politics: | Acolyte | Bill of Rights 2004 | COVID-19 | Elon Musk | Fascism | Media 2022 | MH370 | Parliament 2002-4 | Pauline Hanson cartoons | Raygun | Song of the South | Torture | Transgenderism | V for Vandetta | Wind farms | Woke | Women sports | Workplace relationships |
Last updated: 7 March 2025
Michael Organ, Australia
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