Fascism doesn't have a clear definition for two reasons. The first being that it doesn't have an ethos or much of a classic philosophical backbone. There is no Marx or manifesto or fascist thinkers in the traditional sense. The second, and this is very crucial, is that fascism is a direct reaction to communism in that it's mass politics of the right. It takes the rallies/riots/demonstrations, propaganda, and radio broadcast of early 20th century communism and inverts it:
1. Communism believes in a stateless society whereas fascism is ultra nationalistic.
2. Communism believes said stateless society will lead to the obviation of war whereas fascism is ultra-militaristic.
3. Communism largely ignores race and culture as an unnecessary byproduct of society whereas believes fascism in the preservation of race/cultural identity at all costs (as in Hitler's Volksgemeinshaft).
4. Communism, as Marx envisioned it, would not need an authoritarian government because the stateless egalitarian society would need very little "governing." The people are the state. Fascism believes in an all powerful government of unlimited power. (It's important to note that what Marx said and what Lenin did are two very different things).
There should probably be a few more bullet points but I'm working off of memory from college. The main thing to remember is mass political movements of the left vs mass political movements of the right, though both essentially look the same if you're staring down at them from a third story window. The real fascism, derived from the "fasces," a bundle of sticks used to protect the Roman tribunate (symbolically, I believe), is Italian in nature via Mussolini. Hitler's version was far more optimized but is uniquely German. Basically after WWI wiped out an entire generation of young men, ended the Enlightenment, ended the monarchal system, and ended the European military caste system (particularly in Germany), it left all these broken societal elements that found themselves adrift in failing liberalism. Some of the ingredients coalesced into Communism while others reacted with fascism. Kind of a fight fire with fire thing. The commies were rallying and making noise so the right had to do the same.
1. Communism believes in a stateless society whereas fascism is ultra nationalistic.
2. Communism believes said stateless society will lead to the obviation of war whereas fascism is ultra-militaristic.
3. Communism largely ignores race and culture as an unnecessary byproduct of society whereas believes fascism in the preservation of race/cultural identity at all costs (as in Hitler's Volksgemeinshaft).
4. Communism, as Marx envisioned it, would not need an authoritarian government because the stateless egalitarian society would need very little "governing." The people are the state. Fascism believes in an all powerful government of unlimited power. (It's important to note that what Marx said and what Lenin did are two very different things).
There should probably be a few more bullet points but I'm working off of memory from college. The main thing to remember is mass political movements of the left vs mass political movements of the right, though both essentially look the same if you're staring down at them from a third story window. The real fascism, derived from the "fasces," a bundle of sticks used to protect the Roman tribunate (symbolically, I believe), is Italian in nature via Mussolini. Hitler's version was far more optimized but is uniquely German. Basically after WWI wiped out an entire generation of young men, ended the Enlightenment, ended the monarchal system, and ended the European military caste system (particularly in Germany), it left all these broken societal elements that found themselves adrift in failing liberalism. Some of the ingredients coalesced into Communism while others reacted with fascism. Kind of a fight fire with fire thing. The commies were rallying and making noise so the right had to do the same.
