Fourteen Defining
Characteristics Of Fascism
By Dr. Lawrence Britt
Source Free Inquiry.co
5-28-3
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.
Archives
-
▼
2010
(74)
-
▼
January
(62)
- Michele Bachmann- Hypocrite? You Decide.
- Proof of American Stupidity? You Decide
- Why Atheists Don't Turn to Religion When Faced wit...
- SPENDING FREEZE MUST INCLUDE DEFENSE
- Obama Fails to Rally Progressive Base in 'Tepid' A...
- CIA Man Retracts Claim on Waterboarding
- The Sorry State of the Union
- A Jerk By Any Other Name is Still A Jerk: Andre B...
- Democracy in America Is a Useful Fiction
- Medical marijuana patients face transplant hurdles
- Audited By The IRS for Being Poor
- South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer Compares Need...
- Prop 8 Trial Reenactment Trailer
- IS THE UNITED STATES THE NEW BANANA REPUBLIC ? YOU...
- SCOTUS eviscerates campaign finance regulations: W...
- The U.S. boasts a long and shameful history of sil...
- To save democracy, we must destroy it ~ by Andrew ...
- Whose Rights?
- Obama Puts Social Security on the Chopping Block
- Supporting Democrats....
- U.S. Military Weapons Inscribed With Secret 'Jesus...
- GIVING WITHOUT A 'COMMANDMENT' ~ KUDOS TO THE ATHE...
- "SPIRITUAL CONSPIRACY"
- Seems As Though H&M's 'Brand Integrity' Has Never ...
- Rep. Virginia Foxx (R)
- System Failure
- Big Insurance Funds Chamber of Commerce to Kill He...
- Meet Harold Ford, JR. ~ Ann Coulter's Favorite Dem...
- Health Insurers Funded Chamber Attack Ads
- George W. Obama
- How Much Do You REALLY Know About The Federal Rese...
- Fair Elections: The Basics
- Independent News Sources - Projectcensored.org
- Here comes the screw job
- The Implosion of the American Political Consciousness
- US CONGRE$$ Sells Out to Wall $treet
- The Media Can Legally Lie
- Why Democrats Are Trying to Commit Electoral Suicide
- Dan Rather on media consolidation and "junk news"
- Why Is the Whistleblower Who Exposed the Massive U...
- The DEA and The War on Doctors / Pain Crisis
- Insurance Company Greed
- End Forced Arbitration
- How Washington is Screwing Up Health Care Reform –...
- Boyle's law applied to "Hell"
- What could've been had He not sold us out
- WellPoint sued an ENTIRE STATE to increase profits
- Senator Sanders Unfiltered: US Congress Bought & P...
- AlterNet~ 14 Most Heinous Climate Villains
- Are Feds Trying to Get Rid of IRS Agent-Turned-Tax...
- "..I don't know that atheists should be considered...
- Teach Big Banks A Lesson, Move Your Money
- 1797 TREATY WITH TRIPOLI AND KEEPING RELIGION OUT ...
- What to Do if You are Stopped By The Police.
- The Unconstitutional War On Civil Liberties
- The Tyranny Of Government And Our Duty Of Confiden...
- The Eleven Truths of Tyranny
- SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE ?
- C Street House, Religion, Scandal And Hypocrisy
- Fourteen Defining Characteristics Of Fascism
- The Corporation
- Cheney has invested 85 million dollars in a mutual...
-
▼
January
(62)
Fourteen Defining Characteristics Of Fascism
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment