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Defining Characteristics Of Fascism
By Dr. Lawrence Britt
1.Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as
a motivational tool by the government over the
masses.
2.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.
3.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.
4.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.
5.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.
6.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.
7.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.
8.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.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.
10. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist
nations tend to be almost exclusively
male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional
gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion
and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is
represented as the ultimate guardian of the family
institution.
11.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.
12.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. Free expression in the
arts and letters is openly attacked.
13.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.
14.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.
Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes
of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco
(Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin
American regimes. Britt found 14 defining
characteristics common to each:
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