Characteristics of Fascism - Sound Familiar?

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Characteristics of Fascism - Sound Familiar?

Posted on Sunday, July 18 @ 12:32:22 CDT

Topic: fascism

 

MiaMommaKia

 

This is taken from The World Book Encyclopedia, 1947

edition: The chief characteristics of Fascism are as

follows:

 

 

 

*THE CULTIVATION OF IGNORANCE*

Fascism, like all forms of government, rests firmly on

the sincere consent of a large part of the population.

To maintain this consent, the Fascist leadership must

cut off the people from any information which might

cause them to doubt the complete rightness of the

fixed Fascist principles. All forms of communication

are carefully censored, so that the public will

receive only those facts that the dictators want

known. Travel to other countries must be controlled,

and freedom of speech and assembly must be rigorously

suppressed.

 

*SUPPRESSION OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY*

Fascism in Italy and Germany at first won the support

of the wealthy classes, both landed and industrial.

These people saw in Fascism a protection against the

demands of farmers and other workers. Both regimes at

first upheld the rights of private property. They

subjected the working classes to a rigorous

discipline. As soon as they were firmly established,

the dictators began to limit profit, impose capital

levies, and regulate business in great detail.

 

*THE POLICE STATE*

Fascism depends upon the police to crush all

opposition or dissent. Secret police spy on the whole

population, and any casual remark against the regime

leads to swift and severe punishment. Opposition

parties are dissolved. Intellectual, athletic and

recreational organizations are usually brought under

the control of the Fascist authority. The ruthlessness

of the police gradually becomes less noticeable. This

is because within a year or so after a Fascist

government takes power, vigorous opponents of the

regime have either left the country, been killed or

jailed.

 

(Both Fascist and Communist leaders make use of the

police state. Every absolute government has used the

police state to some degree. It was highly developed

among the ancient Assyrians.)

 

*EXTREME NATIONALISM*

Fascism is highly nationalistic. It tries to identify

its principles with the country, so that disagreement

will look like treason. Some other country, or some

group within the country, is chosen to serve as the

" enemy " and made to appear as the cause of all evils

or misfortunes. For example, the Nazis in Germany

represented their movement first as a crusade against

the Jews, then as a fight against Communism and later

as a struggle against the " attacks " from whatever

neighboring country they wished to subdue or occupy.

Extreme nationalism often becomes a kind of racial

fanaticism. Sometimes it combines racial and religious

bigotry.

 

*MILITARISM*

Fascism maintains among the people a permanently

warlike frame of mind. Every citizen feels that he is

mobilized against enemies of the regime from within,

and against possible foreign foes. The dictator

usually comes to power during a period of economic

crisis or depression. He relieves the depression

partly by employing many people in the making of

armaments. To justify this procedure, he must convince

the people that the country is threatened, and must

point toward some of the enemies against whom the

armaments may be needed.

 

....................sound familiar?.................