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| In "Fascism Anyone?," Laurence
Britt identifies 14 characteristics common to fascist regimes. His comparisons
of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and Pinochet yielded this list of
14 "identifying characteristics of fascism." |
- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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. Opposition
to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national
policy.
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- 6.) Controlled Mass Media
- Sometimes the 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.
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- 7.) Obsession with National Security
- Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
- Schwarzenegger steps up attacks on labor unions in California Labor
Department warns unions against using their money politically.
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- 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 is openly
attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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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