Fascism

 I ntro to Fascism

===** Before we get to the actual events of World War II, we will start off by looking at what caused it. As we have just studied, the world was in a state of shock from 1900 to 1940. The Great Depression suffocated economies around the world. Many injustices such as the British occupation of India were being challenged by the world. Other countries such as Turkey were simply trying to find their identity. Some historians have called the early 20th century "the broken world" - seems fitting doesn't it? ** === ===** One of the first questions was how were countries going to stabilize themselves? Look at what was happening with the major powers of the time period. __Capitalism__ seemed to be __failing__ in places like the U.S., Great Britain, and France. This was mainly due to the recession and eventually depression that comes along with the capitalist __business cycle__. The Communist state of the __USSR was appearing to be more of a threat__ than an answer (at least to the powerful Western European countries). You have to remember that the social structure of Europe had just gone through a huge change and those that had gained power through capitalist means were not willing to give up their wealth. Since the majority of the population in Europe was extremely poor, there was a reason why they now would look to Communism as an answer. Therefore, Communists were viewed as a threat by the democratic leaders in most societies, but they gained popularity with rural and working class populations. As the old saying goes, as one door closes another one opens. To balance the tug-of-war between democracy and communism, a new door would open leading to the political theories of Fascism. ** === ===** After looking at the rise of 5 dictators during the 1920's and 30's and discovering the similarities in their stories, let's review with a few questions that you should be able to answer now... ** === __ One Nation! One People! One Fascism? __ __//**Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:**//__
 * 1) What is fascism?
 * 2) Why was Germany a perfect place for fascism to grow and survive?
 * 3) How does a fascist government appeal to the masses?
 * 4) What are some of the major characteristics of fascism?

**1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottoes, 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. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.**

**6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, 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 and letters is openly attacked.**

**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 forgo 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 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 assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.**

***//Information above was taken directly from an article that was produced by Dr. Lawrence Britt in Free Inquiry magazine, Volume 23, Number 2. Or click on the link provided here for more information.//**