Dr.
Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, wrote an article about fascism which
appeared in Free Inquiry magazine, a journal of humanist thought. Dr. Britt
studied the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco
(Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile). He found the regimes all
had 14 things in common, and he calls these the identifying characteristics
of fascism. The article is titled "Fascism Anyone?," and appears
in Free Inquiry s Spring 2003 issue on page 20.
The
14 characteristics are:
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.
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.
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 government if 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 the media is directly controlled by the
government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government
regulation, or through sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship,
especially in wartime, is very common.
7..
Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivation 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.
9..
Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of
a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders in 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. 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 who use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from
accountability.
14..
Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete
sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against (or
even the assassination of) the opposition candidates, the use of legislation
to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and the manipulation
of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate
or control elections.
