The 14 Defining Characteristics Of Fascism by Dr. Lawrence Britt

[Neoma]

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 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.

[candy]

1. Thanks for the info---I never could explain fascism,

and this will help.

[bahrbearian]

2. 14 out of 14 , but were still not a fascist state right ?

[Chimpanzee]

3. These aren't the droid you're looking for....

[bahrbearian]

5. These aren't the droid we're looking for , follow me ,this way.

[Prodemsouth]

4. Lets just go ahead and say it - we are governed by a fascist regime.

Unfotunately many young leftist of the 60s till today reduced the power of the accusation of fascism by calling everything they didn't like fascist. Now many don't know what fascism is even though they are being bitten by it everyday. Same thing happened with the word or charge of racism- it was over used so much esp in the 60s and 70s that it is no longer effective.

[Al-CIAda]

6. The Brownshirting of America

October 16, 2004
The Brownshirting of America

by Paul Craig Roberts
James Bovard, the great libertarian champion of our freedom and civil liberties, recently shared with readers his mail from Bush supporters. For starters, here are some of the salutations: "communist bastard," "a**hole," "a piece of trash, scum of the earth." It goes downhill from there.

Bush's supporters demand lockstep consensus that Bush is right. They regard truthful reports that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction and was not involved in the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. – truths now firmly established by the Bush administration's own reports – as treasonous America-bashing.

Bovard is interpreted as throwing cold water on the feel-good, macho, Muslim butt-kicking that Bush's invasion of Iraq has come to symbolize for his supporters. "People like you and Michael Moore," one irate reader wrote, "is what brings down our country."

I have received similar responses from conservatives, as, no doubt, have a number of other writers who object to a domestic police state at war with the world.

In language reeking with hatred, the Heritage Foundation's TownHall.com readers impolitely informed me that opposing the invasion of Iraq is identical to opposing America, that Bush is the greatest American leader in history and everyone who disagrees with him should be shot before they cause America to lose another war. TownHall's readers were sufficiently frightening to convince the Heritage Foundation to stop posting my columns.

Bush's conservative supporters want no debate. They want no facts, no analysis. They want to denounce and demonize the enemies that the Hannitys, Limbaughs, and Savages of talk radio assure them are everywhere at work destroying their great and noble country.

I remember when conservatives favored restraint in foreign policy and wished to limit government power in order to protect civil liberties. Today's young conservatives are Jacobins determined to use government power to impose their will at home and abroad.

Where did such "conservatives" come from?


http://www.antiwar.com/roberts/?articleid=3798


November 26, 2004
What Became of Conservatives?
http://www.antiwar.com/roberts/?articleid=4056

[Neoma]

7. kick

[Cronus Protagonist]

8. Fascism: We Report, You Decide

http://cronus.com/fascism