In Romania the Iron Guard (Garda de Fier)—also called the League of Christian Defense, the Legion of the Archangel Michael, and All for the Fatherland—led by Corneliu Codreanu, was dissolved by the dictatorial regime of King Carol II in 1938. The totalitarian nature of both regimes made this inevitable. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. This essay will explain what fascism is (definition), how fascism groups are run, the ideology of fascism, and some past examples of how fascist governments operated. Many neofascists placed enormous importance on slowing or stemming immigration, particularly in dense urban areas. On one side stood Hitler, Consider what happened during the crisis of global, He collected stories about groups similar to his—Aryans, other Nazis, the KKK. Adolf Hitler (third from right) participating in a Nazi parade in Munich, c. 1930s. Fascism is a system of government led by a dictator who typically rules by forcefully and often violently suppressing opposition and criticism, controlling all industry and commerce, and promoting nationalism and often racism. Like the pre-World War II fascist movements, they were frequently xenophobic, ultranationalist, militaristic, and illiberal. Gee, that's the USA today. Fascism is commonly misunderstood by those not versed on its history. Fascists tended to capitalize on these economic anxieties by shifting the blame away from government or market forces. The Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, promised stability and a return to prewar German pride. In 1937 it was larger than the French communist and socialist parties combined (one scholar estimated its membership between 700,000 and 1.2 million), and by 1939 it included some 3,000 mayors, about 1,000 municipal councilmen, and 12 parliamentary deputies. In Poland the anti-Semitic Falanga, led by Boleslaw Piasecki, was influential but was unable to overthrow the conservative regime of Józef Piłsudski. The word fascism comes from the Latin fasces, which denotes a bundle of wooden rods that typically included a protruding axe blade. Fasces as symbols of power and authority were also present throughout the United States and republican France in the 18th and 19th centuries. Conscription and a professional army are both denounced as Fascist phenomena. Fascism European fascism had a number of imitators in Latin America, including the Nacis, founded in Chile by Jorge González von Mareés; the Gold Shirts, founded in Mexico by Nicolás Rodríguez; and the Revolutionary Union (Unión Revolucionaria) of Peruvian dictator Luis Sánchez Cerro. Fascist movements of the 20th century also frequently lambasted liberalism for its alleged role in sowing political disunity and moral degeneracy. People call almost anyone they don’t like ‘a fascist’. From the first hours of Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union, the propagandists on both sides of the conflict portrayed the struggle in stark, Manichaean language. Although many fascist movements initially organized themselves around democratic institutions for political legitimacy, they resorted to totalitarianism in practice. The first European fascist, Benito Mussolini, adopted this symbol both to recall the greatness of the Roman Empire and to reinforce his authority as the eventual dictator of Italy. In the 2010s, European neofascism surged again following a wave of Muslim migrants after the Arab Spring revolts. In ancient Rome, lictors (attendants to magistrates) would hold the fasces as a symbol of the penal power of their magistrate. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. A review of Michael Mann, Fascists (Cambridge University Press, 2004), £15.99, and Robert Paxton, The Anatomy of Fascism (Penguin, 2004), £8.99 Fascism has always been the hardest of political movements to understand. Nazism constituted the most insidious form of racial-purist fascist nationalism. Several fascist groups were founded in South Africa after 1932, including the Gentile National Socialist Movement and its splinter group, the South African Fascists; the South African National Democratic Party, known as the Blackshirts; and the pro-German Ox-Wagon Sentinel (Ossewabrandwag). For many of us, the words fascist and Nazi bring to mind the worst dictators and crimes against humanity.. Updates? The Arrow Cross Party (Nyilaskeresztes Párt) in Hungary, led by Ferenc Szálasi, was suppressed by the conservative regime of Miklós Horthy until 1944, when Szálasi was made a puppet ruler under the German occupation. One of its offshoots, the Black Legion, had some 60,000 members in the early 1930s and committed numerous acts of arson and bombing. The Nazis governed Germany beginning in 1933 and attempted to spread their ideology through conquest and genocide until their defeat in 1945. Choose the best definition or synonym for the word in bold: "There are some. Although fascism is a notoriously difficult ideology to define, many 20th-century fascist movements shared several characteristics. But fascism, Dumm explains, is an affective response to crisis—it appeals to emotion, not logic, and delivers a “false promise of hope for masses of people who will be betrayed and hurt by it.” In the below excerpt, Burley discusses what exactly fascism is beyond the hype and misinformation. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fascism.' Fascism - Fascism - Common characteristics of fascist movements: There has been considerable disagreement among historians and political scientists about the nature of fascism. As the world’s first fascist dictator, Mussolini targeted democratic institutions, dismantled free speech, attacked political opponents, and engaged in heavy surveillance. Under the leadership of Benito Mussolini, the movement—fasci di combattimento (”fighting bands”)—made heavy use of black-clad paramilitary troops to intimidate leftist politicians and ultimately seize control of Italy during the postwar economic crisis. German fascism took the form of Nazism, which rose out of the ashes of the post-World War I Weimar Republic. Fascism was a political movement or ideology promoted by Benito Mussolini in Europe between 1918 and 1939. Delivered to your inbox! Although some European “neofascist” groups attracted large followings, especially in Italy and France, none were as influential as the major fascist parties of the interwar period. Inflation, soaring unemployment rates, and deep political divisions paralyzed the republic during the Great Depression and helped create the conditions that allowed Nazism to prosper. “Fascism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fascism. When revolutionary hope embraces the whole proletarian mass, it inevitably pulls behind it on the road of revolution considerable and growing sections of the petty bourgeoisie. José Antonio Primo de Rivera, marqués de Estella. Accessed 15 May. If the communist Party is the party of revolutionary hope, then fascism, as a mass movement, is the party of counter-revolutionary despair. Corrections? Oswald Mosley at a fascist rally, London. Fascism was first seen in Italy during World War I, later spreading to Germany and other European countries during World War II. The first fascist movements emerged in Italy after the First World War and then spread to other European countries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There has been a lot of confusion lately about the exact meaning of fascism. It is more than six decades since the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany, but those events are the prism through which the word "fascism" is still viewed. However, Mussolini did not introduce the word fascista (plural fascisti) with the 1919 organization of the Fasci di combattimento (“combat groups”), nor did the fasces have any direct connection with the origin of fascista. In the United States the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist organization founded at the end of the Civil War and revived in 1915, displayed some fascist characteristics. a government led by a dictator who controls every aspect of the society putting the wealthy minority on top. Fascism, political ideology and mass movement that dominated central, southern, and eastern Europe between 1919 and 1945 and was characterized by extreme militant nationalism, hatred of communism and socialism, contempt for democracy, and … Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! At the end of World War II, the major European fascist parties were broken up, and in some countries (such as Italy and West Germany) they were officially banned. to the nation, to national grandeur, and to a master race or group. Fascism is a far-right form of government in which most of the country's power is held by one ruler. His regime was virulently xenophobic, and although it initially disavowed anti-Semitism, it passed several anti-Semitic laws in 1938 that would pave the way for Italy and Germany’s cooperation during World War II. Fascism is socialism in bed with bureaucratic 'crony' business. Nationalists: Nationalism is universally regarded as inherently Fascist, but this is held only to apply to such national movements as the speaker happens to disapprove of. The word “fascism” has come out of nowhere to describe Donald Trump, as shown by search engine frequency that is ten times higher than what it was in 2014.After researching what fascism really means, I’ve concluded that it is being used as a weapon to shut down dissident thought after previous attack labels like “sexist” and “racist” lost their power. “Fascism is what happens when nationalism wants to make life too easy for itself by denying all other identities and obligations. In Belgium the Rexist Party, led by Léon Degrelle, won about 10 percent of the seats in the parliament in 1936. In the latter half of the 20th century, a resurgent fascism—termed neofascism—gained traction across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and South Africa. However, the fasces came to be almost exclusively associated with fascism by the middle of the 20th century. Fascism is not evil, but Nazism is the wickedest thing you can summon to this world as they see everyone except their people of their nation as filth. At Chiang’s order in 1934, the Blue Shirts were temporarily put in charge of political indoctrination in the army and given limited control of its educational system. Fascist governments are usually totalitarian and authoritarian one-party states. Vihtori Kosola’s Lapua Movement in Finland nearly staged a coup in 1932 but was checked by conservatives backed by the army. The prosperity of a nation depended on a unified polity that put the group’s welfare above the individual’s. Other fascist movements in France included the short-lived Faisceau (1925–28), led by Georges Valois; the Young Patriots (Jeunesses Patriotes), led by Pierre Taittinger; French Solidarity (Solidarité Française), founded and financed by François Coty and led by Jean Renaud; the Franks (Francistes), led by Marcel Bucard; the French Popular Party (Parti Populaire Français), led by Jacques Doriot; and French Action (Action Française), led by Charles Maurras. It espoused militaristic nationalism, derided cultural decadence, and blamed various marginalized groups—chiefly Jews—for Germany’s social ills. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. This video examines fascism’s defining characteristics. Fascism is a religious conception in which man is seen in his immanent relationship with a superior law and with an objective Will that transcends the particular individual and raises him to conscious membership of a spiritual society. Learn a new word every day. Fascism in its Epoch is a 1963 book by historian and philosopher Ernst Nolte, widely regarded as his magnum opus and a seminal work on the history of fascism. The word comes from the Italian ” fascio “, which means ‘fasces or beam’. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, Common characteristics of fascist movements, Opposition to political and cultural liberalism, Fascism and nonfascist conservatisms: Collaboration and crossover, The postwar period to the end of the 20th century, The Library of Economics and Liberty - Fascism, fascism - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), fascism - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Ernst Rüdiger, prince von (prince of) Starhemberg. For if the nineteenth century was a century of individualism (Classical liberalism always signifying individualism) it may be expected that this will be a century of collectivism, and hence the century of the State. (She lost to Emmanuel Macron.) I think most of the other [fascism scholars] are just talking about something else. But important differences emerged from these postwar fascist iterations. Fascism, political ideology and mass movement that dominated many parts of central, southern, and eastern Europe between 1919 and 1945 and that also had adherents in western Europe, the United States, South Africa, Japan, Latin America, and the Middle East. totalitarian, nationalist, militarist and anti-Marxist political and social system Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). His anti-immigrant, identitarian platform played on fears of French cultural dilution, particularly at the hands of Muslims. They’re talking about regimes. Please select which sections you would like to print: While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. They also rebranded themselves as democratic to appeal to a world that had grown rapidly disillusioned with totalitarian regimes. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Fascism is a form of statist, authoritarian government that promotes a nationalist, militaristic political ideology. Fascism definition is - a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition. Fascist and Nazi: these two words loom large in the history books and in heated conversations about politics—conversations that have far outlasted the regimes that originally embraced them. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Educate yourselves. Following the Mukden Incident and the wider invasion of Manchuria by Japanese troops in 1931, several fascist-oriented patriotic societies were formed in China; the largest of these groups, the Blue Shirts, formed an alliance with the Kuomintang (National People’s Party) under Chiang Kai-shek. In 1942 Social Justice was banned from the U.S. mails for violating the Espionage Act, and in the same year the American Catholic church ordered Coughlin to stop his broadcasts. Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible). Italian fascismo, from fascio bundle, fasces, group, from Latin fascis bundle & fasces fasces, What it means, where it comes from, and how to say it. American historian specializing in French fascist movements (1924-39), European fascism, and 20th-century European intellectual history; French fascist intellectuals... Below is the full article. Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz! Italy’s fascist movement also began after World War I, although it achieved power in the mid-1920s. Fascism is an interesting topic that should be further examined and explained so it is no longer simply associated with German Nazis’. "Fascist" and "fascism" are terms that one might suppose to be simple badges, but dig beneath the surface and there are myriad complexities and a morass of academic debate. It arises at this time because it was considered optimal to formalize this movement at that time. In France the Cross of Fire (Croix de Feu), later renamed the French Social Party (Parti Social Français), led by Colonel François de La Rocque, was the largest and fastest-growing party on the French right between 1936 and 1938. 'All Intensive Purposes' or 'All Intents and Purposes'? Fascism is generally defined as a political movement that embraces far-right nationalism and the forceful suppression of any opposition, all overseen by an authoritarian government. The pro-Nazi German-American Bund, founded in 1933, staged military drills and mass rallies until it disintegrated with the U.S. entry into the war in 1941. A component of this process became the reorganization of society around a strict moral code that often sought to reverse the “decadence” of pre-fascist culture. Among the most important of these groups were the Taisho Sincerity League (Taisho Nesshin’kai), the Imperial Way Faction (Kodo-ha), the Greater Japan National Essence Association (Dai Nippon Kokusui-kai), the Anti-Red Corps (Bokyo Gokoku-Dan), the Great Japan Political Justice Corps (Dai Nippon Seigi-Dan), the Blood Brotherhood League (Ketsumei-Dan), the Jimmu Association (Jimmu-Kai), the New Japan League (Shin-Nihon Domei), the Eastern Way Society (Towo Seishin-Kai), and the Great Japan Youth Party (Da-nihon Seinen-dan). Building on a wealth of scholarship and research, Burley … Fascism is an authoritarian, nationalistic political ideology. Under fascism, the economy and other parts of society are heavily and closely controlled by the government, usually by using a form of authoritarian corporatism. The words fascism and fascist have long been associated with the Fascisti of Benito Mussolini and the fasces, the bundle of rods with an ax among them, which the Fascisti used as a symbol of the Italian people united and obedient to the single authority of the state. Fascism rose most prominently in Italy and Germany between the two world wars. To unify a country, fascist movements propagated extreme nationalism that often went hand in hand with militarism and racial purity. The late 20th century saw the growth of European neofascist parties such as the National Front in France, headed by Jean-Marie Le Pen. Omissions? The term is in danger of degenerating into an all-purpose term of abuse. The most prominent 20th-century fascist regimes were those in Germany and Italy. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. anon354864 November 11, 2013 . Similar to Mussolini’s government, the U.S. and France aimed to align themselves with the legacy of Rome. Jews, immigrants, leftists, and other groups became useful scapegoats. My definition is of fascist politics, not of a fascist regime. And for some fascists “the group” was defined not by territorial boundaries but by racial identity. Although fascist parties and movements differed significantly from one another, they had many characteristics in common, including extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the rule of elites, and the desire to create a Volksgemeinschaft (German: “people’s community”), in which individual interests would be subordinated to the good of the nation. What made you want to look up fascism? The book, translated into English in 1965 as The Three Faces of Fascism, argues that fascism arose as … A strong, vigilant military was considered necessary to defend these group interests. See the full definition for fascism in the English Language Learners Dictionary, Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fascism, Nglish: Translation of fascism for Spanish Speakers, Britannica English: Translation of fascism for Arabic Speakers, Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fascism. Are you building something up or tearing it down? First, these movements sourced their political strength from populations experiencing economic woes, real or imagined. For the article summary, see, How the Symbolism of the Swastika Was Ruined. Professor Emeritus of History, Oberlin College. Lately, he'd been flagging many stories from Germany and Eastern Europe, and was quite thrilled with the rise of, These and other actions have invoked death threats and anti-Semitic rhetoric against Segre in Italy, the birthplace of, These words were published more than 80 years ago, during the rise of, As the show continues and the dates change to the early 1940s, the growing fear of, Are the Simpsons colored yellow because the show is cowardly, its one-time edginess just a relic from before the days of PC, The recurring theme here is that what’s left of the Greatest Generation, the men and women who saved the world from, The characterizations are vague enough for the movie to be interpreted as an allegory, possibly about toxic masculinity or, Sorkin paints Johnson as a mirthful fraud who dabbled in, Post the Definition of fascism to Facebook, Share the Definition of fascism on Twitter.
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