subordination
of individual interests
for the perceived good of
the nation or race,
and strong regimentation
of society and the economy.
Opposed to
anarchism,
democracy,
pluralism,
egalitarianism,
liberalism,
socialism,
and Marxism,
fascism is placed
on the far-right wing
within the traditional left–right spectrum.
Benito Mussolini, dictator of Fascist Italy (left), and Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany (right), are examples of fascist leaders.
Fascism
rose to prominence
in early 20th-century Europe.
The first fascist movements
emerged in Italy during World War I
before spreading to other European countries,
most notably Germany.Fascism
also had adherents outside of Europe.
Fascists
saw
World War I
as a revolution that brought massive changes to
the nature of war,
society,
the state,
and technology.
The advent of total war
and the mass mobilization of society
erased the distinction between
civilians and combatants.
A military citizenship arose
in which all citizens were involved with
the military in some manner.
The war resulted
in the rise of a powerful state
capable of mobilizing millions of people
to serve on the front lines,
providing
logistics to support them,
and having unprecedented
authority to intervene in the lives of citizens.
Fascism rejects the view
that violence is inherently negative
or pointless but rather views
imperialism,
political violence,
and war
as means to
national rejuvenation.
Fascists often advocate
for the establishment of
a totalitarian
one-party state,
and for a dirigiste economy
(a market economy in which
the state plays a strong directive role
through economic interventionist policies),
with the principal goal of achieving autarky
(national economic self-sufficiency).
Fascism’s extreme
authoritarianism and nationalism often manifest
as a belief
in racial purity
or a master race,
usually
blended with some
variant of
racism
or discrimination
against
a demonized
“Other”,
such as
Jews, homosexuals,
transgender people,
ethnic
minorities,
or
immigrants.
These ideas
have motivated
fascist regimes
to
commit
massacres,
forced
sterilizations,
deportations,
and
genocides.
During
World War II,
the genocidal
and imperialist ambitions
of the fascist Axis powers
resulted
in
the murder of
millions of people.
Since
the end of World War II
in 1945,
fascism
has been
largely disgraced,
and few parties
have openly described
themselves as “fascist”;
the term is often used
pejoratively by political opponents.
The descriptions
neo-fascist or post-fascist are
sometimes applied to contemporary parties
with ideologies similar to,
or rooted in,
20th-century fascist movements.
Some opposition groups
have adopted the label “anti-fascist”
(often shortened to “antifa” to signify their stance.
Selection’ of Hungarian Jews on the ramp at Auschwitz-II-Birkenau in German-occupied Poland, May/June 1944, during the final phase of the Holocaust. Jews were sent either to work or to the gas chamber. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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