The 14 Defining
Characteristics Of Fascism by Dr. Lawrence Britt
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. 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. 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 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 associate 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.
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