Recognizing Fascism Today: A Historical Perspective.
“It will be seen that, as used, the word ‘Fascism’ is almost entirely meaningless. In conversation, of course, it is used even more wildly than in print.”
--George Orwell 1944
RECOGNIZING FASCISM TODAY: A Historical Perspective.
I avoid politics with my blogs, sticking to history and writing. However, I am going to make an exception, if an historical one. The words ‘Fascist’, ‘Nazis,’ ‘Authoritarian’ and ‘Totalitarian’ have been hurled about by both political parties, social media pundits, and talking heads, calling one side or the other Fascist, Nazi, and sometimes both Fascist AND Communist, [which is seriously silly].
I felt compelled to provide a historical grounding for those terms. What they were when created. Most importantly, I want to offer a way to recognize such political movements in the world today. Any confusion only neutralizes the ability to identify them, understand what they are, and combat their efforts. The intent here is to provide a little history of Fascism, give meaning to the word so as to recognize it for what it is.
The Beginning
Fascist and Communist nations were first created in the early 20th century, in the 1920s and 1930s. Both Fascism and Communism are Authoritarian political movements and/or governments, so they share some traits. Both create dictatorships, one man rule, the central government dictating all politics, the law, the economy, and policy for the whole nation. If these governments become extremely authoritarian, they are considered ‘totalitarian.’ Their control of a country is absolute, regulating every aspect of a citizen’s daily life. George Orwell’s novels 1984 and Animal Farm both describe such movements and governments. The North Korean government today is a horrifying, near perfect example of a totalitarian regime.
When a Communistic movement or government forms, as it did in the 1920s, it was created in direct opposition to the current forms of government, which it defeats by coups, usually by violence or war. Politically, it is a radical leftist movement. It creates one man rule, dictators. Most people can name the dictators of today’s major Communist governments. However, some like Putin’s Russia is basically a Fascist state in form and function, regardless of any ‘communist’ trappings. I’ll explain as we go along.
As a radical right political movement, Fascist movements or governments are always born in a functioning democracy, and come to power because of and through that form of government. Once in power, illegal means are employed to stay in power, destroying any democratic institutions.
This was true of Fascists in Italy in the 1920’s [where we get the term Fascism] and in the 1930’s, the Nazis in Germany. And like Communist dictatorships, most people recognize Hitler and Mussolini as the dictators of those Fascist governments. Der Führer and Il Duce both mean ‘the leader.’ Those two men were seen as the government and the national exemplar. Surprisingly, that is exactly how Putin, along with Hitler and Mussolini came to power, through Democratic means. On 31 December 1999, following the resignation of President Boris Yeltsin, he was appointed Acting President of what was a developing democratic government after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He was voted into office as President of Russia three months later on 26 March 2000.
It is ironic that the legacy of the United States Constitution can be seen among both Communist and Fascist governments today. They all have a constitution, a parliamentary form of government, and elections, but they are window dressing, not democratic or republican in function. When an election is called, the winner is predetermined as it is in Russia and China today. Any elected assembly is no more than a rubber stamp for the dictator’s policies.
The Characteristics of a Fascist Political Movement
Here is a template for recognizing a Fascist political movement and government. It is true that the behaviors or aspects of politics detailed below are seen in any society, one behavior here, another there. In stark contrast, a Fascist political movement or government is not hard to identify. A Fascist movement or government will display all of the following characteristics and behaviors beginning with Italy and Germany:
1. One Leader: Fascist movements form around an individual. He or she is seen as a powerful expression of the national spirit, a savior in dark times. He is the only solution to the nation’s ills, real or imagined. The leader IS the political party or organization, his whims are literally policy. This belief is not hidden. It is publicly declared as Mussolini did. “I am the only one who can solve your problems.”
2. The Threat and The Promise: The Fascist message is that the nation is failing, being destroyed, the national greatness has been lost, actually stolen, or being stolen. The world is going to hell and bad people are the reason. The Leader and his party promise to reclaim that greatness, defeat these enemies of the state. This was Hitler’s and Mussolini’s promise. The country’s deserved place in history will be restored, the nation becoming great again, whether with a thousand-year Reich or a new Roman Empire. This is Putin’s continued promise: Restoring national pride, recreating the Russian Empire of the 1970s. The invasion of Ukraine is simply a step in rebuilding the Russian nation as a world power.
3. The Return to The Past. The nation’s past is held up as the ideal to be realized again, vague as that might be. Often this idyllic past is created whole cloth. The nation’s past is viewed as where the nation’s greatness resides. Patriotism is emphasized. Fascism is radically conservative in this sense, looking back to a venerated history. The new Roman Empire or Third Reich will restore the nation.
4. Anger: Fascism is an angry, aggrieved movement. outraged that national greatness has been lost, resentful that it was stolen by supposedly privileged or underhanded groups. Surprisingly, it is always the same groups, regardless of the country. Whether Nazi Germany or Fascist Italy, or fascists today—or Putin’s Russia. It is the political left, liberals, Jews, foreigners/immigrants, intellectuals, homosexuals, ‘the elites,’ and Communists are ‘The Problem.’ These people are diluting the purity of the nation and stealing the nation’s vitality. They must be segregated, expelled, or eliminated from the national landscape to save the nation.
5. Fear: The Fascist movement plays on people’s fears. There aren’t problems to be solved, there are disasters looming, and total catastrophe is at hand. The message is “you are victims and will lose everything.” Victimhood is the prime message, the response when anyone opposes them. The Fascists are victims of a powerful enemy. Again it is the minorities, the political left, particularly those in government that are lurking behind a shadow bureaucracy taking advantage of true patriots. Both Hitler and Mussolini made this a central political theme, a theme still in use today. For Putin it is the Liberal West who is the enemy, homosexuals, deviants, radicals are subverting true Russian culture. They are infiltrating Russia, trying to destroy it. He manufactures that threat, that tension by threatening the West himself.
6. Language: There are words and phrases that appear in every Fascist movement, often aimed at anyone or organization viewed as their opposition: Take any phrases from this article and you will see them openly repeated. The opposition are vermin, liars, corrupt, vile monsters, animals, unholy, demons, radicals, an enemy of the people, and murderers, often accused of the most hedonistic acts, sexual deviants and the like. In Germany the Jews ate babies. In Italy, the Communists were devil-worshipers. In Russia, the liberal West are ‘demons’, ‘sick deviants.’ [Actual words used by Putin and the state media] The effort is to dehumanize the opposition and those seen as the problem. For Hitler it was the Jews. For both Mussolini and Hitler, the communists. They are not real citizens, not moral humans, not even human like ‘us.’ Fascists decide who is a real patriot and who isn’t. Fascists take any accusation of ugly behavior and simply accuse the opposition of the same bad actions. Hitler would accuse the Communists with trying to take over the government when he was accused of the same attempts.
7. Symbols: Traditional, national, or cultural symbols are usurped, whether the swastika [an ethnic Germanic peace and good luck symbol] or the fascio [A bundle of rods tied around an axe, a symbol of unity from the ancient Roman Empire.]. Clothing of some sort will always be used to identify members, like the brown or black shirts and the armbands seen in Germany and Italy. Hitler actually copied Mussolini’s tactics such as these. The point is to be able to easily identify who are supporters and generate unity. People will create these ‘common’ items themselves. In Russia, it was wearing the “Z” to support Russia in the invasion of Ukraine.
8. Information: Germany’s Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” The repetition, continually hearing the lie leads to people believing it. “It has to be true if everyone is saying it.” [A quote from a German regarding continual reports of Jewish crimes.] Fascist movements attempt to shut down all sources of information but their own. This is done directly by violence or when in control of the government, by employing the law and police force.
This means that any other sources of information, political opposition, educators, and particularly the press are suppressed and shut down. The claim is they all tell falsehoods. Favorite phrases of Hitler’s were “Lügenpresse,” the lying press, and ‘The enemy of the people, "Der Feind des Volkes" Fascist tactics were meant to generate a flood of lies, misconceptions, and false problems. They attempt to create a world of false narratives. Make the loudest, most outrageous, most spectacular claims in the national media. This wasn’t necessarily to induce citizens to believe the lies so much as to dominate the narrative, making it impossible to know the facts, the truth. They want their listeners to conclude, “no one knows the truth, and everyone lies.”
Because the lies come so fast, it is impossible to actually keep up with them, ferreting out the truth and disseminating it. In Russia and China today, most citizens know that the government lies about everything, but as intended, they stop attempting to discover anything factual. They stop caring, because of the massive difficulties in discovering the truth. It is also dangerous to disagree with Fascist’s ‘alternative facts.’ To ask the ‘wrong question’ immediately labels you as the opposition. This is a very common tactic in debates. The ultimate is “double speak” where it all becomes nonsense, “facts are opinion,’ “Violence is Free Speech,” “Power is Truth.” Meek acceptance is the desired result. The result of these tactics are illustrated in the novel 1984 and the histories of Fascist Germany and Italy. One can easily see it in Russia today. The Ukrainians are Fascists and hate Jews, though the President, Zelensky is married to a Jew.
9. Loyalty: In the Fascist regime, devotion to the cause [That is, the leader] is the primary requirement for success in the movement and government. Because of this, less ethical and less competent people can do well as long as they agree with everything the The Leader says. Intelligent, questioning people will not. Ability is secondary and can be detrimental because that is a threat to party leadership. This invariably leads to two things: poor decision-making and corruption in government. Russian generals sell war materials and individual soldiers sell gas from their trucks. The government is run by Oligarchs. This was true in Germany and Italy, seen in the massive inefficiencies of the German and Italian war machines, particularly cronyism dominating positions of power. It is seen today in most all authoritarian governments such as Putin’s Fascist Russia. What results is a mafia-like state organization, inefficient, where everyone is out for themselves and the ‘law’ is just another tool for repression. The primary test of loyalty is agreeing with the dear leader in whatever he says. The leader will test loyalty by saying patently stupid or dangerous things. Loyal followers will defend and repeat them, regardless of the embarrassment.
10. Political Methods: Because the national situation is depicted as desperate, the politics of threats, intimidation, lies about the opposition, and violence are seen as morally justified. Actual political venues, [i.e. representative processes] are often ignored. Trucks flying party flags filled with party loyalists would cruise the German and Italian streets, intimidating citizens. Loyalists surrounded opposition leaders’ homes menacing or attacking them. Crowds threatening those labeled ‘bad actors’ were common. The opposition is accused of terrorism, including ‘false flag’ events such as the Reichstag fire in Berlin soon after Hitler took power. It was blamed on the Communists and justified martial law. Both Hitler and Mussolini created such terrorist attacks.
Putin is known to use the same tactics. Beating, imprisoning, and killing the ‘opposition’ or ‘disloyal’ party members were and are seen. “Ought to be hanged or killed” was often heard, whether referring to the Jews, minorities, Communists, Liberals, or ‘disloyal’ citizens. The fear that Fascists stoke is incited by the very societal chaos their violent behaviors create. Things do begin to feel like the world is falling apart. The current government can’t solve the problems, real or fake. Fascist movements intentionally act to keep the government from functioning—within and outside the government. Only the Leader can solve the problems.
11. The Democratic Process: Whether Germany or Italy, or current Fascist movements, they come to power through the country’s democratic processes, either voted in by the people or selected by their democratic administration. Once in power, while keeping the trappings of democracy and the vote, the democratic government is dismantled and any constitution is conveniently ‘re-written’ for The Leader, if not ignored, [Putin recently termed this “managed democracy” in his Tucker Carlson interview] cementing his dictatorship.
The dictator stays in power through illegal means, creating a police-state, and using the law to put their opposition in prison or worse. It’s all necessary because of the disasters looming. This is often done in the open, not in secret —once the public has been prepared with lies, fear, and violence. They accept that democracy doesn’t work and what is needed is a strong leader. Putin regularly has the laws and Russian constitution changed as he sees fit. Opposition imprisoned or killed as he sees fit.
12. Law and Order: Fascism presents itself as a champion of law and order. However, law is seen as a tool to enforce obedience and punish any opposition. Threats of imprisonment and retribution are staples of Fascist movements. Again, they are overt threats, not some secret effort. Putin’s regime exemplifies this. His political opponents are publically arrested and die in prison, if not killed outright. It is all very public. The legal authorities are not charged with protecting life, rights, and liberty. They are an arm of the Fascist government to enforce compliance, to seek revenge for perceived wrongs, and eradicate any opposition. In a Fascistic government, even my putting this up as a blog would lead to censorship at best, at worst. . . .
Historically, as it is today, Fascist and Nazi-like movements and governments demonstrate all of the above characteristics, not just a few.
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."
—Attributed to Sinclair Lewis, author of the 1933 novel, It Can’t Happen Here.