Fascism - What is it Good For?

Absolutely Nothing! *

‘Antifa.’ ‘Authoritarianism.’ ‘Ultranationationalism.’ ‘Religious Nationalism.’ In one article on the topic of ‘fascism,’ the authors share, “Over the past few years, people have thrown around the word ‘fascism’ to criticize any number of issues—stay-at-home orders during a global pandemic, proposed environmental regulations aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions, and even legislation limiting the size of soft drinks. But the word’s origins point to something far more serious than Big Gulps. Fascism is rooted in a history of highly divisive and destructive European movements that arose in the era between World Wars I and II.

So what exactly does fascism mean, where does it come from, and to what extent do leaders today display fascist tendencies? I suspect few people calling others ‘fascists’ truly know that fascism is not something they truly want, unless they want Mussolini or Hitler wanna bes for leaders, unless they want fewer rights and freedoms. About this political ideology, Sinclair Lewis, the first author from the Americas to win the Nobel Prize in literature, writes, “When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross” (https://deceleration.news/2017/01/02/these-quotes-will-inspire-you-in-your-fight-against-fascism/). This blog post is not a political statement; it is simply an explanation of the philosophy of fascism, about the stages of fascism, about the characteristics of fascism, and about cautionary tales from the past when fascism was allowed to take over.

It’s become clear that many people have no idea what the word, ‘fascism,’ actually means, so, I’ve done research to gain clarity, to attempt to discover why people seem to have forgotten how insidious fascism is. In his novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Hemingway’s character asks another character, “‘Are you a communist?’ “No I am an anti-fascist’ ‘For a long time?’

‘Since I have understood fascism’ (qtd. in https://deceleration.news/2017/01/02/these-quotes-will-inspire-you-in-your-fight-against-fascism/). The former journalist turned dictator, Benito Mussolini, is credited with defining the tenets of fascism. In the simplest definition that all of us of any age understands, fascism means this: “…political idea where the government controls everything” (https://study.com/academy/lesson/fascism-lesson-for-kids.html#:~:text=As%20we%20learned%2C%20fascism%20is,or%20do%20what%20they%20want). For the State, about the State, and only the State. Religion, racism, and blind patriotism are tools fascists use to their benefit. Here is a link to Mussolini’s manifesto on fascism: https://sjsu.edu/faculty/wooda/2B-HUM/Readings/The-Doctrine-of-Fascism.pdf . It is a fascinating and chilling read, especially in light of how this dangerous philosophy is playing out in modern times. To read more about several fascist leaders from the past and from various countries, open this link and scroll to the map: https://world101.cfr.org/contemporary-history/world-war/what-fascism . All fascist-led countries have failed or are failing.

What are the key signs of fascism and what do they mean? “ Many experts agree that fascism is a mass political movement that emphasizes extreme nationalism, militarism, and the supremacy of both the nation and the single, powerful leader over the individual citizen. This model of government stands in contrast to liberal democracies, which support individual rights, competitive elections, and political dissent. In many ways, fascist regimes are revolutionary because they advocate the overthrow of existing systems of government and the persecution of political enemies. However, when it advances their interests, such regimes can also be highly conservative in their championing of traditional values related to the role of women, social hierarchy, and obedience to authority. And although fascist leaders typically claim to support the everyman, in reality their regimes often align with powerful business interests” (https://world101.cfr.org/contemporary-history/world-war/what-fascism). Does this sound familiar to what is now happening in the United States?

Historian, Robert Paxton, explains the five stages of fascism in his peer-reviewed article in The Journal of Modern History:

“Stage one: Emerging out of disillusionment - Mussolini and Hitler rose to prominence in the aftermath of World War I, capitalizing on the political and economic fallout of the Great War and popular dissatisfaction with their countries’ leaders.

Hitler pointed to the harsh and humiliating terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which forced Germany to accept blame for the conflict, give up its overseas colonies and 13 percent of its European territory, limit the size of its army and navy, and pay reparations (financial damages) to the war’s winners. He would gain followers by promising to tear up the Treaty of Versailles and restore the country’s honor. Meanwhile, the economic crisis that followed World War I further eroded public confidence in the existing political establishment. In the immediate aftermath of the war, Germany suffered hyperinflation—a situation in which prices skyrocketed so quickly that German currency lost much of its value—and Italy experienced a two-year period of mass strikes and factory occupations, with millions unemployed.

Stage two: Establishing legitimacy as a political party

Fascist leaders capitalized on popular disillusionment by creating their own political parties to challenge the ruling establishment through the ballot box and, often, violence in the streets.

Stage three: Gaining power via right-wing partnerships

During the interwar period, the economic collapse brought on by the Great Depression pushed many European centrists more to the political extremes of conservatism and socialism. A third option—fascism—would gain influence when its representatives partnered with conservatives, who advocated for traditional values, including nationalism and law and order. Conservatives recognized that Fascists wanted to overthrow the political establishment; however, the two groups found common cause over their shared hatred and fear of left-wing socialists.

Stage four: Using power to dominate institutions

Upon rising to power, Fascist parties attempted to consolidate political authority. Mussolini’s Fascist Party won elections in 1921 as part of a coalition. The following year, the Italian king appointed Mussolini prime minister after a mass fascist demonstration known as the March on Rome, which provoked fears of civil war if Mussolini were denied power.

The Nazis, on the other hand, took total control over government and society. Hitler removed all non-Nazis from government shortly after becoming chancellor in 1933. He would go on to pass laws stripping Jews of citizenship, expelling anti-Nazi professors from universities, banning rival political parties, and enabling him to rule by decree (meaning he could single-handedly—and without oversight—create future laws). Germany became a one-party country: the Nazis claimed to have won more than 90 percent of the vote in subsequent unfree and unfair elections, and after 1938, they ceased holding elections altogether. Check out this information about the Nuremberg Laws. Adopted by the Nazi government in the 1930s, these racist, anti-Semitic laws were designed to strip Germany’s Jewish people of their citizenship and civil rights.

Below details three Nuremberg Laws created under the Nazi Regime: the Flag, Citizenship, and Blood law. The Nuremberg laws were adopted by the Nazi government in the 1930s; these racist, anti-Semitic laws were designed to strip Germany’s Jewish people of their citizenship and civil rights. [James Q. Whitman provides this from his article, “Hitler’s American Model: The United States and the Making of Nazi Race Law.”]

‘The law:

• the flag

What the law did:

• Designated the swastika as the official flag of Nazi Germany, and made it illegal for Jews to fly it.

The law:

• citizenship

What the law did:

• Made the distinction between who was a German and who was a Jew, granting the former full political and civil rights and stripping German Jews of their right to hold office or vote.

The law:

• blood

What the law did:

• Prohibited marriage and sexual intercourse between Jews and non-Jews, annulled existing marriages, and made new unions punishable by law. Additionally, the law prohibited Jews from employing non-Jewish women under the age of 45 in their households.’

Stage five: Implementing radical reforms

With near-total or absolute control over society, fascist leaders exercised their power in increasingly radical ways both at home and abroad.

Mussolini’s Italy carried out violent colonial campaigns across Africa. In Libya, colonial troops employed chemical weapons against local resistance movements and imprisoned their members in concentration camps. And in 1935, Italy invaded Abyssinia (now Ethiopia), where virulent racism led to mass instances of rape and the indiscriminate killing of hundreds of thousands of people. Although Mussolini’s regime did not carry out the same scale of ethnic violence at home, his government proclaimed white, Christian Italians to be descendants of the Aryan race and banned Black and Jewish people from marrying them.

Hitler’s Nazi Germany remains the only example of full radicalization of a fascist movement. As Germany’s absolute ruler, or führer, Hitler destroyed all political opposition; invaded countries across Europe; launched World War II in partnership with Mussolini; and ordered the genocide of millions. Three-quarters of a century after Hitler’s death, his rise to power and Germany’s fall from democracy into fascism serve as frightening reminders of the dangers of racism and extremism in politics”

(qtd. in JSTOR https://election.princeton.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Paxton_Five-Stages-of-Fascism.pdf).

The world seems to be in a state of “global democracy backsliding” - a term that describes many Latin American countries, Hungary post-COVID-19, and the United States. I encourage you to read the V-Den “Democracy Report 2023”: https://www.v-dem.net . At what stage of fascism represents the United States? Listen to the political and social rhetoric these days; what fascist elements are you hearing?

Political scientist, Dr. Lawrence Britt, has researched and studied fascist regimes and names the following fourteen characteristics of fascism. As you read these, consider where the United States currently aligns with these principles. I have added the bold, coral colored ink to highlight the areas of fascism that currently seem to be infiltrating or have already crept into the United States.

“1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism

Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays. [No one is suggesting that displaying the country's flag is a bad thing! The problem is the blind nationalism / exclusive patriotism that are warning signs that fascists misuse as their symbols.]

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights

Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of ‘need.’ The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause

The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc. [Note, for example, what is happening in the United States with seeking to take away rights and put targets of hatred on the LGBTQ+ community; this is a sign of impending fascism. Consider how white supremacists keep racism in play.]

4. Supremacy of the Military

Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5. Rampant Sexism

The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.

6. Controlled Mass Media

Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7. Obsession with National Security

Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined

Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions. [The United States is not a ‘Christian nation’; it is simply a nation separate and distinct from one’s chosen religion, or lack thereof. Religion is outside the purpose of, and is unrelated to the implementation of government policy. Yet, what appears to be happening in the United States now is forced Christian religious nationalism mixed into the government.]

9. Corporate Power is Protected

The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed

Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts

Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. [Think of Florida and the restrictions on education, teaching the falsehoods about black history, banning books, and labeling the magnificent statue of David by Michelangelo as ‘porn.’] It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment

Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption

Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections

Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections. [While we may not yet have experienced this widespread, there is a strong example in how a former top politician in the United States had allegedly attempted to tamper with election results in the face of his defeat by erroneously claiming the elections were fraudulent.]” (qtd. in Free Inquiry).

If someone refers to me as an “anti-fascist” or “antifa,” I am pleased because I don’t want to align myself with fascists and with fascism, therefore, I support anti-fascism; it is beyond my comprehension to see why anyone wants fascism. As we go into a big election year, we become more informed, caring, intelligent voters when we know the threat of fascism. I didn’t make up these characteristics of fascism; they are embedded in accurate history. We can avoid a dangerous and deadly history from repeating when we remember what fascism is and to avoid repeating it. The words of British statesman, Winston Churchill ring truer than ever: “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” (https://liberalarts.vt.edu/magazine/2017/history-repeating.html ).

Thank you for reading this blog essay; if you read this on social media, please type your comments below. Or, if you read this in your subscription, please share your thoughts in an email to me at reimaginelife22@gmail.com. As always, your thoughtful, considerate comments are welcome.

* Modified from the song “War”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKAM1NfMXY8