What is fascism...

Definition of fascism

1often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
2: a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control early instances of army fascism and brutality— J. W. Aldridge
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fascism​

That is, of course, the dictionary definition. Usually not complete, but adequate to describe what the word evokes in the minds of most educated individuals. A complete definition as used in Political Science would be much more detailed.

But fascism is not like Communism or Libertarianism, or Capitalism ... or similar in which a particular form of government and type of economy is sought. For that reason, definings fascism by the observed characteristics, unlike those more complex political ideologies, is valid.

The main characteristics of fascism are:

-Seeks an authoritarian regime and undermined Democracy
-Emphasis on Nation and nationalism, and rejection of foreign cultures, values and interests.
-Authoritarian control of Education (what is taught and by whom) by the regime. Especially higher education. And typically government control of which books the population is allowed to read.
-Racism (white supremacism) is very typical among fascists, but not always a component of the movement.
-A claim to represent Christianism. Even though, in practice, many Christian values are usually disregarded.
-Suppression by the government of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, voting, ... and of any form in which the people can express their beliefs.

Not all of them apply to all fascist movements. But these are the most typical. Fascism is typically a far right philosophy. However, there have been instances of fascism on the left. I would say (my personal opinion) that Venezuela represents a left-wing type of fascism.

 

Progressive ideology defines fascism as "anything I don't like..."

 

Extremists on the right define it as "everything I like". Which is everything progressives don't like.

 

Like being made to pay back your student loans (at 0.001% interest no less).

 

That may also be racist. Depends on the person paying back the loan.

 

venezuela is no more fascist than most traditional latin american countries led by an "el supremo. " in fact, the typical strong men favored by the american corporations- battista, truxillo, samoza etc etc etc exemplify eco's 14 points clearly ....

Umberto Eco Makes a List of the 14 Common Features of Fascism | Open Culture

venezuela, in fact, nationalized the predatory corporations, established agrarian reform, and improved the education and health care of venezuelans. i'd look more to their catholicism and acceptance of liberation theology than any secular or economic ideology.

 

But Umberto Eco (one of my favorite novelists of all time, BTW) describes the particular form of fascism he lived. Since fascism is not a structured political doctrine, the methods it uses to impose authoritarianism vary.

I agree that Venezuela is no more fascist than most Latin American dictatorships. But it's also no less...

 

You know why Cuban Americans don't vote Democrat?

Two guesses and the first one doesn't count.

They have already been fooled once and they left it behind so they have no intention of embracing the same ideology here.

Oddly enough Democrat leaders have no love for illegal Cuban immigrants.

 

Underlined: I don't think that those are a necessary requirement or a part of fascism. For example an atheist anti-racist activist person that believes that there should be no nations and wants a one world government could easily encompass every other part of the definition of fascism that you present. While those can certainly lead to a fascist outlook, they are not a requirement to be fascist or have fascist tendencies.

Red: Not so sure that this is a requirement or a necessary part of fascism either. Particularly since every government in the world does this to one degree or another. Like nationalism or religion it can be a part of being fascist. But I don't think its a necessary part of it. But its probably more debatable than the underlined imo.

Blue: I find it interesting and rather telling that you had to single out Christians in this. No other religion can come to your mind that has fascistic qualities to it? It HAS to be Christians that you mention? Couldn't have simply gone with "religion"?

 

So IOW you say you don't know. Got it.

 

One other characteristic of fascism that I like to see included is that it is characterized by "belligerent nationalism". That particular wording is found in my rather old American Heritage Dictionary (1973), which defines fascism as "A system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with belligerent nationalism."

Note "extreme right". Our US right wingers like to claim fascism is an extreme form of socialism, which of course is bullshit. Marine Le Pen knows better. She is known as a Nazi, a fascist, and as having political views of the extreme right. But I certainly understand the wish by the right to avoid any connection with fascism even though it's a losing battle.

 

Emphasis on nationalism is most definitely a core principle in fascism. Christianism and racism are very common, but not their core principles. Even though there is much racism as a consequence of nationalism.

IF such person existed, that would be the opposite of fascism. The closest I can think to that is communism. But they aren't particularly interested in this "one world government". Fascism emphasizes extreme nationalism.

Extreme nationalism and authoritarianism (and the requirements for any authoritarian regime: rejection and control of education, of free speech, of freedom of the press, ... etc) are the two core tenets of fascism. The rest are very common, but there have been in history fascist movements that have not emphasized the other points.

 

Fascism is not banning people on twitter when they misgender a dude in a dress.

 

Those Cuban Americans are here because they are anti-communists and capitalists with plenty to lose. They came here to save their money instead of working to save their country.

 

I completely agree. I do conceive that there might have been forms of left wing fascism in history. I think Venezuela has shown some characteristics of this. But it is true that it's a predominantly right-wing position. And most definitely in our country and in OUR history it has been exclusively right-wing territory.

 

Mussolini said a better name for it would be "corporatism" because "it is the merger of state and corporate power."

Pretty hard to get any leftist relevance out of that.

 

Over 61 million people were killed by the fascists during WWII.
The struggle continues.

 

Prove it.

No it wouldn't. If such a person does exist (and they do) they can advocate for every single thing in your provided definition minus those few things. Are you really trying to tell me that if a person advocated for a centralized autocratic one world government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition you wouldn't consider them fascist? JUST because they did it in a non-racist, non-nationalistic secular way?

 

I tell y’all what. Let’s compare how many peoples deaths have resulted from fascism and communism and see which is worse.

 

Do you even know what you're talking about?

My father's generation was predominantly pro-Repub, but it had more to do with who they blamed for the fiasco of the Bay of Pigs than any particular Republican ideology. 2nd generation of Cuban Americans is not necessarily as pro-Republican as their parents.

 

Actually, many of the Cubans were "caught off guard" when Fidel started making progress on Havana. While it's true, the rich did leave the island in order to save their companies (think Bacardi), many middle and upper middle-class left as everything was beginning to crumble.

I see a lot of parallels to our current state.

 

so fascism is ok? compare the death toll of capitalism to either communism or fascism for the real surprise.

 

I know what I'm talking about very much more than you do.

Cubans overwhelmingly vote Republican because they know what communism is and they reject it that's why they came to the United States of America. That's also why the Democrats have zero love for illegal Cuban immigrants.

 

Fascism is a form of socialism which is a form of Marxism. They are all leftist ideologies.

https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/Fascism.html​

"As an economic system, fascism is socialism with a capitalist veneer. The word derives from fasces, the Roman symbol of collectivism and power: a tied bundle of rods with a protruding ax. In its day (the 1920s and 1930s), fascism was seen as the happy medium between boom-and-bust-prone liberal capitalism, with its alleged class conflict, wasteful competition, and profit-oriented egoism, and revolutionary Marxism, with its violent and socially divisive persecution of the bourgeoisie. Fascism substituted the particularity of nationalism and racialism—“blood and soil”—for the internationalism of both classical liberalism and Marxism."

"Where socialism sought totalitarian control of a society’s economic processes through direct state operation of the means of production, fascism sought that control indirectly, through domination of nominally private owners. Where socialism nationalized property explicitly, fascism did so implicitly, by requiring owners to use their property in the “national interest”—that is, as the autocratic authority conceived it. (Nevertheless, a few industries were operated by the state.) Where socialism abolished all market relations outright, fascism left the appearance of market relations while planning all economic activities. Where socialism abolished money and prices, fascism controlled the monetary system and set all prices and wages politically. In doing all this, fascism denatured the marketplace. Entrepreneurship was abolished. State ministries, rather than consumers, determined what was produced and under what conditions."
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