Since Donald Trump took office as President in America, historians have begun to debate whether to call him a fascist. I teach about World War II in my university and also write about fascism. As a writer and teacher of fascism, I have found some common ground among historians regarding fascism. This similarity is particularly evident in the definition of fascism in a broad sense. Currently, the word fascism is being used incorrectly, although its use has increased. In such a situation, I consider it important to distinguish between what fascism is and what it is not.
- The idea of prioritizing race
About a century ago, fascism was started in Italy by Benito Mussolini and his associates. They used the symbol called 'Fasces', prevalent in ancient Rome, to name their movement. It consisted of an axe bound tightly with wooden sticks around it. That symbol indicated the power achieved by uniting around a leader. However, the meaning of fascism is not just authoritarianism. It is different from general authoritarianism. Authoritarianism is generally a democratic government run by a strong leader or a small elite group. 'Stalinism' is an authoritarian rule run by a powerful bureaucracy and economic control. This name is derived from the name of a former Soviet leader. 'Anarchism' is the idea that society can be organized and managed without the presence of any state. Above all, fascism views almost everything through the lens of race. Fascists are not only committed to racial supremacy, but they are equally committed to maintaining what they call 'racial health'. This means maintaining the purity of their race and differentiating between races they consider inferior. This means fascists necessarily define who is a legitimate race in their country and who is not. They necessarily implement the concept of the 'real' race. Many people are aware of the Aryan race concept of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. Such a racial concept had no biological or historical truth. The Nazis sought to connect with mythical past and its heroes. In this way, the saga of their race's glory was created. Including some people in the group of 'real race' means that the rest of the people are excluded.
Fascists find capitalism to be good. Capitalism is positive about their belief that 'survival of the fittest'. The concept of survival of the fittest was put forward by the social Darwinist writer Herbert Spencer. Under capitalism, various companies also fulfill the needs of the fascist leadership and the people called 'folk'. In return for protecting private property, fascists demand that capitalists become their cronies. For example, if a company is producing weapons well for wars running inside or outside the country, it is considered good. But if a company is benefiting people who do not align with the regime or enriching a group imagined as a sub-race, fascists cannot tolerate it; they will seize the ownership of such a company and give it to individuals or groups committed to them. If the economy is weak, the fascists' approach is slightly different. They divert people's attention from the deprivations of daily life towards patriotic glory or plans for revenge against internal or external enemies.
For fascists, an idea holds great importance. They hold the view that the country's 'patriots' are weak, 'good people' are insulted, but 'bad people' are doing well. In response to such grievances, fascists do not have answers. They require a revolutionary change. This allows 'right people' to break through the barriers of existing laws or democracy and emerge. In the understanding of fascists, power determines truth. According to them, the law should function according to the needs of the people they designate. Also, socialism and liberalism must be destroyed. Fascists encourage the party's military wing. After that, they destroy various unions. They distort elections. They either intimidate and pressure the police force or incorporate them as collaborators into their system. Historically, fascists in Germany and Italy did not just use the concept of power determining truth within their countries; they imposed it on other countries as well. However, in the 1930s, the fascists organized under Oswald Mosley in Britain advocated for 'isolationism'. Declaring Jews as the imaginary enemy of the state, they emphasized waging an internal war against them.
Fascists' first target is socialists. They agitate against socialism. The reason for this is that socialism challenges the crony capitalism embraced by fascists. Socialism works to establish equal and equitable justice for all, regardless of caste or race. Moreover, many socialists hold the view that divisions between nations should be abolished and strive to act accordingly. Such a concept complicates the fascists' belief in a powerful nation-state. After bringing the dominant elites and aristocrats within the country under their control, fascists attempt to displace the church or prepare it to work together for common benefit. Italy's Mussolini, Germany's Adolf Hitler, and Spain's Falangists understood that it would be better to move forward together with the church rather than remove it. They did not interfere with the church to the extent that it would pose any threat to their rule. Fascists do not believe in democracy. They certainly do not accept democracy that can bring about socialism or, more broadly, liberalism. In a democracy, voters can choose welfare policies that suit them. They can move towards reducing inequality between different classes, genders, and castes. Fascists reject all such attempts.
Fascism is, logically, the highest form of nationalism. It is the ultimate result of the approximately 250-year-old idea that states should be built on the basis of race/ethnicity or historical peoples. Early fascists did not create these ideas and concepts from scratch. They took the existing concept of nationalism at the time and took it to an even more extreme level. For fascists, the nation is more important than anything else. They believe that the desires of the 'good and real' people and their leader should take precedence over all other concerns. They consider this to be above scientific evidence, facts, or logical reasoning. In reality, in fascism, people's desires, the people, facts, and evidence all mean their leader. The leader considers himself a representative of the 'true will' of the people. Consequently, the people's desires and the interpretation of the nation are shown as being the same as the leader's ideology. Facts and evidence are often suppressed or altered according to the leader's ideology. (The author is an associate professor at Western Reserve University.) (From The Conversation)
