[g8-sheffield] 14 Characeristics of fascism

[Dan]

FOURTEEN CHARACTERISTICS OF FASCISM: http://www.chetzar.com/fascism.html

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.

Remind you of anything?

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’ of 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.