Identifying Characteristics of Fascism

by Laurence Britt

25 July 2004

Shockwave movie

Laurence Britt identifies social and political agendas common to fascist regimes. His comparisons of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile) yielded this list of 14 identifying characteristics of fascism. [The notes have been added.]

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. [1]
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. [2]
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. [3]
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. [4a] Soldiers and military service are glamorized. [4b]
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 [5a], as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation [5b] and national policy.
6. Controlled Mass Media. Sometimes the media are directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media are indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common. [6]
7. Obsession with National Security. Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses. [7]
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. [8]
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. [9]
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. [10]
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts. Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. [11] 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. [12] 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. [13]
14. Fraudulent Elections. Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. [14a] 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. [14b]

Notes

1.	See for example this photo.
2.	See 'Nobody is talking' by James Meek, 18 February 2005.
3.	See this "patriotic" poster for sale.
4.	a: The US spends 48% of its budget on the military. See The Federal Pie Chart. “We [the US] spend nearly $500 billion on the military, but money cannot be found for healthcare, education and other social services. Every demand for these purposes is usually ruled "unaffordable" by our political establishment. Why is killing human beings the priority for which we must all do without?” – A Letter to a Colleague by Dr. Gilo Muirragui, 03 August 2004. b: See Pay tribute to our nation's heroes - order now!
5.	a: See The EU condemns Bush abortion move from the BBC. b: See Oppose the Discriminatory Federal Anti-Marriage Amendment
6.	See Censoring dissenting voices is a danger to us all by Tom Gutting, 5 October 2001.
7.	Check out the Homeland Security Current National Threat Level.
8.	See this cartoon.
9.	See The Corporate State.
10.	Harvard Law Professor Paul Weiler estimates that one in 20 union supporters – an average of approximately 10,000 workers a year – are fired by their employers during union organizing campaigns. Similarly, in a study of 400 elections on union representation conducted by the National Labor Relations Board, Dr. Kate Bronfenbrenner of Cornell University found that 50 percent of the employers threatened to close the office or plant and 32 percent fired workers who actively supported the union. These actions are in violation of the NLRA's provisions prohibiting employers from firing, harassing, or threatening employers who seek to organize unions. But, as the journalist Michael Kinsley once said of campaign finance, when it comes to employer opposition to workers' organizing efforts, the real scandal is not what is illegal but rather what is legal. Because of amendments to the NLRA in 1946, spotty enforcement by over-burdened federal officials, and slick tactics by the lawyers, publicists, and employee relations specialists who earn an estimated $300 million a year advising employers how to defeat organizing drives, union-bashing tactics have become commonplace. – from The Case for Organized Labor and Democracy in the Workplace by David Kusnet.
11.	See Columbia University and the New Anti-Semitism by M. Junaid Alam, 02 March 2005.
12.	See a presentation on the Patriot Act from the ACLU.
13.	See A Government of Thieves: Part One - the Scandal of the Bushes and Part Two - the Thieves in Action.
14.	a: See Twenty Amazing Facts About Voting in the USA by Angry Girl, December 2004. b: The appointment of Bush by the US Supreme Court.