What is Fascism, Whats the beliefs and its ideals
Executive summary
Fascism is a modern, militant form of right‑wing nationalism that elevates the state or nation above the individual, centers power in a single leader or party, and enforces social and economic control often through violence and suppression of dissent [1] [2]. Scholars warn the term is contested — scholars describe core traits (authoritarianism, ultranationalism, militarism, suppression of opposition) but disagree on a single precise definition or which contemporary movements qualify [3] [4].
1. What historians mean by “fascism”: a short definitional map
Scholars and reference works converge on a cluster of traits: exalting the nation (often race) over individuals; centralized autocratic rule with a dictatorial leader; severe social and economic regimentation; glorification of violence and militarism; and forcible suppression of opposition (Merriam‑Webster; Britannica; Wikipedia) — summarized respectively as “exalts nation and often race…centralized autocratic government” [1], “unquestioning obedience to its leader…harsh suppression of dissent” [5], and “support for a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy…regimentation of society and the economy” [6]. Major reference treatments situate the phenomenon historically in interwar Europe while noting its analytic use beyond that period [3] [6].
2. Core beliefs and ideological building blocks
Fascist ideology fuses militant nationalism with the subordination of individual rights to the perceived national will, a cult of strong leadership, anti‑communism, and a readiness to use violence and state power to remake society [2] [7]. The ideology often supports private property and profit but strips capitalism of autonomy under state direction; it emphasizes a myth of national rebirth or “palingenesis” and a politics of struggle and action [8] [9].
3. How fascism differs from populism and simple authoritarianism
Analysts caution that fascism is not merely populism or any strongman rule. Unlike broad populist movements, fascism historically organizes a leader‑centered cult, glorifies violence as redemptive, and seeks revolutionary transformation of society rather than only electoral gain [10] [11]. Scholarship treats fascism as a sociopolitical process that can range from a social movement to a full fascist state; not every authoritarian government meets the historical or theoretical threshold of fascism [12].
4. What fascist regimes looked like in practice
The 20th‑century cases most commonly cited are Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany, where single‑party control, paramilitaries, censorship, race‑based exclusion or persecution, and aggressive expansionism combined to produce totalitarian violence [13] [3]. Primary sources from the era (e.g., Mussolini’s “Doctrine of Fascism”) and encyclopedic accounts document the stated goal of subordinating private life to state aims and using the state as the embodiment of national will [14] [6].
5. Contemporary debates and analytical cautions
Modern commentators and scholars warn the label is often stretched in political rhetoric. Some contemporary analyses see fascism as a useful analytic category for identifying fascist‑consistent attitudes or processes (for example, measurement studies claiming a share of the public hold fascism‑consistent attitudes), while others stress ambiguity and the need for historical specificity before applying the term to present movements [15] [4]. Public commentators vary: some argue recent political projects or leaders show fascistic tendencies; others argue use of the term is overbroad or polemical [16] [17].
6. Hallmarks to watch for if assessing a current movement
Scholars recommend looking for a combination of features rather than any single trait: organized leader‑centered cult, institutional centralization and purges of opposition, state‑sanctioned violence or paramilitary mobilization, racialized or exclusionary myths of national rebirth, and attempts to place the economy and elites under a unitary state will [7] [8] [18]. Single elements (strong rhetoric, nationalism) do not by themselves prove a movement is fascist; the pattern and institutional outcomes matter [4].
7. Limits of available sources and further reading
Contemporary reports emphasize disagreement among historians about a single catch‑all definition and stress that fascism remains a “mysterious” and contested object of study [4]. For historically grounded overviews consult Britannica and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum summaries; for analytical debates see Paxton’s and other recent scholarly work cited in academic treatments [3] [2] [12]. Available sources do not mention a single agreed numeric threshold or checklist that automatically classifies a movement as fascist.
Final note: definitions and judgments vary across reference works and scholars; distinguishing ideological features from polemical uses is essential when applying the term to contemporary politics [4] [10].