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 dispro****tionate amount of
government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and
military
service are glamorized.
5. Rampant ***ism - 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 homo***uality are
suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the
family
institution.
6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to (sic) 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. Censor****p, especially in war time, is very common.
7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational
tool by the government over the m*****.
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. Cor****ate 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
relation****p
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 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.
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