In Commemoration of Trump’s Inaugural Address: A Brief, Historical Definition of Fascism

The word fascism derives from the Italian fascio, the name for the bundle of sticks carried by ancient Roman officials to beat into submission anybody who challenged their authority. A country gripped by fascism beats down its population until it acquiesces to dictatorial authority.  Its ruler governs like a king, subject to few if any laws. (Not a king like the current King Charles of England; more like Atilla the Hun.) Citizens in fascist counties are encouraged to imagine a distant past when the country was great, while believing that the current, anti-democratic system will endure forever. In a fascist nation, the life of an individual is unimportant compared to the mass. The “mass” however, isn’t the community or the collective – it’s a population disciplined by fear and nationalist myth.  Equally important for fascism is protecting “racial purity.” It doesn’t matter that there is no such thing as racial purity; fascist rulers lie with abandon. Violence is freely used to prevent resistance and ensure compliance; political dissidents and racial, ethnic, or gender outliers may be sent to prisons or concentration camps or even killed.

Below is an abbreviated list of the distinguishing features of fascism. But remember that every fascist regime is a little different; if it comes to prevail in the U.S., it will have its own, American characteristics. For one thing, people will wave the U.S. flag, not the Nazi swastika. In general however, fascist governments:

1) Aim to bring all parts of their political system to heel – no checks and balances.
2) Use violence and plots to cripple opposition parties and control elections.
3) Intimidate the press and take control of the media.
4) Sponsor rallies and parades to celebrate the unity of a supposed, racially pure nation.
5) Uphold the “leadership principle.” The nation’s head is adored and called “The Leader”.
6) Mock the rule of law and support the idea that might makes right.
7) Rescind or limit women’s rights: political, reproductive, and economic.
8) Deny free sexual expression – sex is only for making babies and the pleasure of men.
9) Denigrate science and promote lies and crazy conspiracy theories.
10) Endorse the idea of white racial supremacy and make it the basis of policy.

In 1921, the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini formed the National Fascist Party to unify and strengthen a nation badly diminished by World War I and economic recession. The Fascist Party celebrated discipline and violence and endorsed Imperialism – the bullying of weak states by strong ones to steal their wealth or control their markets and territory. Mussolini called himself Il Duce (“the leader”) and insisted everybody else also call him that. Fascist leaders are insecure because the same arrogance and violence that brought them to power, could topple them.

A version of fascism, called National Socialism or Nazism arose at almost the same time in Germany. There, Adolf Hitler managed by 1933, to gain power and begin a program of gleichshaltung – “coordination” or Nazification.  The goal was to bring all organs of state and civil society into conformity with Hitler’s will. Control of the press, regimentation of everyday life, elimination of expressive freedoms, destruction of constitutional safeguards, control of trade unions, establishment of a dictatorial (one party) state and an end to the civil rights of minorities (especially Jews) were all key aspects of Gleichshaltung. Hitler called himself Der Führer (the leader) and insisted everybody solute him by raising their right arm above their shoulder and saying “Sieg heil, mein Führer!” or Hail victory, my leader.” Hitler started World War II and was responsible for the Holocaust and the murder of six million Jews.

Both Italian fascist and German Nazi leaders were ruthless. At first, they employed thugs, often former soldiers, to intimidate and even murder the leaders of unions and opposition organizations.  Later, they maintained their own, national corps of “shock troops” to undertake larger scale bullying and violence.  Their stated goals sounded lofty: to purify the social body, restore a stolen national glory, and establish an empire that would last millennia; but their theories were crackpot: that humanity was composed of biologically distinct races, with some innately superior to others; that violence and war were purifying; and that other nations, lacking racial purity, were certain to surrender to the superior fascist state. But fascists could also be level-headed when they had to be. Their economic proposals generally brought support from the lower middle class, without alienating wealthy industrialists. Soon after gaining power, Mussolini and Hitler passed laws that boosted employment (though with low, hourly wages) and subsidized big business.  To succeed politically, they needed money and other assistance from industries, corporations, and the wealthy, as well as the masses; for the most part, they got it.

The fascist and Nazi quest for national and racial glory was thus also linked to the pursuit of profit. Fascism is completely compatible with capitalism (the generalized search for profit), so long as businesspeople don’t get involved in politics, except when invited.  The huge growth of weapons manufactures in Italy and Germany during the 1930s was good for the economy, and the fascists and Nazis gained public support because of it. Lots of people in both countries were willing to surrender democratic rights (including free speech and assembly) in exchange for economic stability. In remarkably short order, people accepted – sometimes even welcomed — the harassment, arrest, imprisonment and killing of Communists, Jews, Queers, Roma, the disabled, and others. Eventually, it all came crashing down; Hitler and Mussolini were like the biblical Samson who brought the temple down upon himself.

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