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14 characteristics of Fascism - Interesting - Long
THE IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS OF FASCISM
By Dr. Lawrence Britt
Free Inquiry Magazine / Spring 2003
Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, 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 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, 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 motivational 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 into 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. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and
even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
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) 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.
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