1. Discussions
  2. Facing History 2025-2026
  3. 25-26 Facing History Forum 1
posts 1 - 15 of 30
Login to Reply
Ms. Bowles
US
Posts: 76

Questions to Consider:


Please craft a well written response to one of the question sets that incorporates what we have discussed in class. You should also refer directly to the readings linked below as well, including at least one quote for reference to at least one of the readings in your response.


  1. Which characteristics must be present for a society to be considered fascist? Which characteristics represent the most danger to ordinary people in society? Why was fascism so easily accepted by people in societies in the past?
  1. Is the United States, or any other nation, currently experiencing characteristics of historic fascist societies? Which characteristics are present? Why do you think that certain characteristics of fascism are appealing to people today?
  1. How is the current climate in the US different from fascist societies that we have seen throughout history? Is our democratic society immune to fascist ideology? Are right-leaning political movements inherently fascist or is that hyperbolic rhetoric used to bring attention to conservative ideas that the left disagrees with?

Word Count Requirement: 500-750 words


Readings to Reference:


Please refer to the ideas, either using a quote or paraphrasing, from at least one of the readings in your response.


Excerpts from Ur-Fascism (Umberto Eco)


The Psychology of Fascism (Comparative Civilizations Review)


Populist, nativist, neofascist? A lexicon of Europe’s far right? (The Guardian)


Does American Fascism Exist? (New Republic)


No, Trump Is Not a Fascist (National Review)


With Trump’s Victory, Europe’s Populist Right Sees Return of a Fellow Believer (NYTimes)


The Rise of End of Times Fascism (The Guardian)


Rubrics to Review:


LTQ Rubric
D4T4ZOID
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 6

Despite facism being a very complex and ever shifting topic depending on context and time, there are main characteristics that make it what it is. That being dictatorship, scapegoating, and means to keep everything in its central government. From information kept secret from the public, to common knowledge for it to then be questioned as fact. It's a means to keep everything in the hands of those in charge. Letting the people know little so they can’t defy. An example of this is in 1984, where “big brother” is kept under totalitarian control through surveillance. Keeping everyone under his hand, as well as containing information about things he doesn't want them to know about. This is what draws a connection between facism and totalitarianism. For again, facism can shift into different forms of context, which in this case is different forms of control. This also branches out into other intense means of control. Another connection for this is shown in the Excerpts from Ur-Fascism, that being the topic of “Traditionalism. It implies the rejection of modernism. Both the Fascists and the Nazis worshiped technology.” When it comes to the mix of traditionalism and fascism it mainly dims down to the idea of hierarchy and the extent of how high authority should range to.

Coming back to the initial idea of the first set of questions, the fascist characteristics that I’ve mentioned were easily accepted in society because of the example I used before as well, it was accepted without the people even knowing it. Fascist ideals were hidden or tweaked to fit what everyone wanted for its time. Similar to the tactic Hitler used in his rise to power. He spoke of ways he would bring Germany to its formal glory, aka scapegoating. Making a different group seem like the problem, all the while that was the problem itself. Putting the blame on someone else instead of actually taking action and facing the hardships that happen naturally when trying to make a nation grow as a whole. But of course, the people of this time didn’t process this. So caught up in pinning the blame on someone else, they forgot about their own problems as a group. Because of course, humans by nature normally don’t want to hear and face something they don’t like. And normally, people don’t like considering that they may be the problem, that they may be the person holding themselves back. Because that's taxing on the brain, it means having to grow as a person. It isn’t easy, so people don’t like it. It shows why people were so unknowingly accepting of the fascist ideals, it's a blurred fine line that some people don’t face or look into. Because it doesn’t have a simple definition. It’s easy to put the hard work on someone else. It's why simplicity is so common when it comes to the people who are unwillingly accepting these views.
perfectbug
Boston, MA, US
Posts: 8
Fascism is a type of government, I guess one could say. This form of government has broad factors, broadly defined as a right-wing political dictatorship that includes extreme nationalism. Even still, my definition of fascism is argued to be wrong by some. But those are some of the core characteristics that spark the conversation for fascism. From the reading excerpts in “‘Ur-Fascism’ How to Spot a Fascist” written by Umberto Eco, he states that by “remov[ing] the imperialist dimension from fascism, and you get Franco or Salazar” (Eco 15). Eco is arguing that Fascism is such a broad term that it has overlap in many aspects of a lot of different governments. These examples of fascism are extremely fascist; however, at the same time, they are so close to not being fascist. This makes this term extremely interesting, as the level of depth this term has in its definition creates everlasting conversations and arguments. Similar to Eco’s idea, Fascism is very close to different governments today, yet I also think it is quite far. The U.S. is sometimes compared to a fascist country, as President Trump is compared to a fascist leader. But the U.S. is such a diverse country that fascism is impossible to become the form of government. The U.S. is mainly separated by two political parties, and I believe that with the ideological college parts of the country, along with the voting system, the possibility of fascism is impossible. Although aspects of it may come across. The time of chaos is needed for the chance of fascism, which Germany illustrates during the 1900s between the wars. Germany just lost a costly war, and with this came hyperinflation, and the public was displeased with the governing power in Germany. Soon came Adolf Hitler, who was a charismatic leader who promised to meet all the needs of the citizens. Morally or not, he was a huge part of the economic fix post-Great Depression, along with the rearmament of Germany’s military. Other powers around the world, despite making a contract that disallowed Germany from doing these things, did absolutely nothing; in fact, the U.S. supplied a huge part of Germany's economy and military needs. This is an example of powers in the world being completely immoral, even though it was a time of chaos. On the other hand, I believe that with this awful event that occurred, fascism will not return. Although I also think that the term fascism has changed and will change, therefore I one hundred percent think that forms of future fascism will definitely attempt to come to power. Right-leaning political movements are not inherently fascist; this is a stereotype. Additionally, the word is overused, similarly to genocide, as we learned about early this year, fascism is used in U.S. news, specifically in very left-leaning media, to describe the conservative part in the U.S. In a New Yorker article from November 2024, it stated, “Putin and Trump are both, in fact, fascists.” Well, maybe Trump himself is a fascist; however, this was a bold claim that was not defended as forcefully as it was stated. But this also goes back to my point about the U.S. and how fascism will not return; there could be a fascist leader in the biggest role of the entire country, and yet the U.S. is not a fascist country at all.
raybradbury12
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 9

Fascism is not one single or fixed ideology, but it is a collection of recurring political and social tendencies. In other words, it is like jello, taking the form of whatever period it is in. Umberto Eco’s “Ur-Fascism” argues that fascism is a “fuzzy totalitarianism" of fears like the cult of traditionalism, fear of difference, rejection of critical thought and the belief that the nation is under threat. These tendencies make fascism dangerous as they appeal to emotions over reason, especially during times of instability.

Historically, fascism was accepted because it promised order and identity to people who have often been living under a time of chaos. Ordinary people are drawn to fascist leaders because they offer "protection from chaos” and a sense of belonging. Especially when there are economic crises, rapid changes or cultural anxiety, fascism’s promise is more appealing. This psychology of wanting safety over liberty is one of the characteristics that is most dangerous to ordinary people.

Whether the United States, or other nations today show characteristics similar to history fascist societies is complex. The US is not a fascist nation, but there are definitely certain tendencies Eco identities that appear today. One is the emphasis and sentiment of being under attack and the scapegoating of minority immigrants. Another is the attack on intellectual institutions, whether it be higher education or research, in order to allow more reliance on the government. Another is the rise of conspiracy theories or obsessions with plots, which create more fear among citizens.

The New York Times article “With Trump’s Victory, Europe’s Populist Right Sees Return of a Fellow Believer” shows how these tendencies are resonated globally. The article says that Viktor Orban “gambled heavily and publicly on a Trump victory” and celebrated it as proof that populist, anti-immigration politics are gaining momentum across Europe. This shows how modern movements borrow energy from one another and use election victories elsewhere as validation of their own ideology. It also shows how appeals to unified national identity or border protection can unite populist leaders across the world.

It;s important to be able to distinguish between conservatism, populism, and fascism because though they may have overlapping or values in common, they mean drastically different things. Many conservative movements can emphasize national sovereignty or tighter immigration without rejecting democracy. The US today still has strong democratic institutions, a free press (for now) and active civil society. But these differences separate it from societies that succumbed to fascism in the 20th century. Democracy isn’t automatically immune because fascism thrives when people lose faith in democratic norms. Building sentiments can view opponents as enemies and accept machismo or strongman politics as a solution.

Another major danger in the United States today is that polarization is deepening and aspects of fear, tribalism, and idealization of the past can gain support. Being able to recognize these patterns can help us understand how democratic societies can drift toward authoritarianism if political culture weakens and citizens stop defending diversity and pluralism.

987654321
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 8

Although it doesn’t need to have these characteristics in order for a society to be considered fascist, there are some very common and important characteristics that show signs of fascism. In education, there are no advancements in learning. They teach the youth the truths set by the nation because the easiest way to influence the future of the nation is to have the power of the youth to grow up and lead. With this lack of knowledge, the people are unaware and unable to express outside beliefs and criticism towards the government and leaders. The cult of tradition is another characteristic of fascism because they reject a lot of modern ideas and keep and follow traditional beliefs and ideas. In the excerpt from, “Ur-Fascism” in “How to Spot a Fascist” by Umberto Eco, it states, “Ur-Fascism can not do without preaching a ‘popular elitism.’” This illustrates how a fascist society utilizes a hierarchy and sense of elitism. A fascist way of life also makes the people of the nation believe that it is a privilege to be a part of the society or in other words, nationalism. This also reinforces the idea of us versus them ideology which makes the nation tighter, but also turns them against outsiders and points blame to those outsiders. The characteristics of a fascist society that pose the most danger to ordinary people is that it uses fear to gain trust and following. In a time of instability, people often cling to the strongest leader and more stable route, making it dangerously easy for ordinary people to be submissive. Fascism uses tradition to build identity and goals so that is one way people may view characteristics present today. The characteristics of stability may be appealing to people today, but not to the extent of fascism. Fascism societies also would not allow for criticism or outside of the box thinking. The youth was taught one truth and this can be seen in similar instances like the Lost Cause in the South. In the United States today, opposing sides create tension, but nationalism is a large part of people’s lives. We see religion being weaved into government and politics, which can be seen as a characteristic of fascism. A sense of order and hierarchy may be appealing to groups of people because it can lead to a smoother running society. A lot of anxiety circling societies can lead to blaming others and pointing fingers at outsiders to find a way to scapegoat. Since society has learned from the dangers and consequences of a fascist society, we are more cautious about ending up with a system like that, but it doesn’t mean we as a society are immune. Despite the divide in the United States now, society wouldn’t turn to be fascist because we as a society know how terrible that would be. The more right leaning political movements are not inherently fascist, but it is rather just rhetoric to use against them. There are key differences, despite their few common similarities. In a time of weakness, it is easy to fall into it.

raybradbury12
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 9

Originally posted by 987654321 on November 24, 2025 17:56

Although it doesn’t need to have these characteristics in order for a society to be considered fascist, there are some very common and important characteristics that show signs of fascism. In education, there are no advancements in learning. They teach the youth the truths set by the nation because the easiest way to influence the future of the nation is to have the power of the youth to grow up and lead. With this lack of knowledge, the people are unaware and unable to express outside beliefs and criticism towards the government and leaders. The cult of tradition is another characteristic of fascism because they reject a lot of modern ideas and keep and follow traditional beliefs and ideas. In the excerpt from, “Ur-Fascism” in “How to Spot a Fascist” by Umberto Eco, it states, “Ur-Fascism can not do without preaching a ‘popular elitism.’” This illustrates how a fascist society utilizes a hierarchy and sense of elitism. A fascist way of life also makes the people of the nation believe that it is a privilege to be a part of the society or in other words, nationalism. This also reinforces the idea of us versus them ideology which makes the nation tighter, but also turns them against outsiders and points blame to those outsiders. The characteristics of a fascist society that pose the most danger to ordinary people is that it uses fear to gain trust and following. In a time of instability, people often cling to the strongest leader and more stable route, making it dangerously easy for ordinary people to be submissive. Fascism uses tradition to build identity and goals so that is one way people may view characteristics present today. The characteristics of stability may be appealing to people today, but not to the extent of fascism. Fascism societies also would not allow for criticism or outside of the box thinking. The youth was taught one truth and this can be seen in similar instances like the Lost Cause in the South. In the United States today, opposing sides create tension, but nationalism is a large part of people’s lives. We see religion being weaved into government and politics, which can be seen as a characteristic of fascism. A sense of order and hierarchy may be appealing to groups of people because it can lead to a smoother running society. A lot of anxiety circling societies can lead to blaming others and pointing fingers at outsiders to find a way to scapegoat. Since society has learned from the dangers and consequences of a fascist society, we are more cautious about ending up with a system like that, but it doesn’t mean we as a society are immune. Despite the divide in the United States now, society wouldn’t turn to be fascist because we as a society know how terrible that would be. The more right leaning political movements are not inherently fascist, but it is rather just rhetoric to use against them. There are key differences, despite their few common similarities. In a time of weakness, it is easy to fall into it.

Post your response here.

The most compelling idea in your post is the point you make about how fear and instability make ordinary people more susceptible to fascist leaders. I definitely agree with this, especially to your observation that people often ‘cling to the strongest leader’ when there are feelings of uncertainty. It is very interesting as it connects historical fascist movements to what we see in modern political psychology, so even as circumstances change, the emotional dynamics often don’t.

Your discussion of education as a tool of control also relates to ideas others mentioned about propaganda and the manipulation of national identity. Many of the posts highlighted how restricting information or higher thinking is central to fascism, which supports your point about the dangers of limiting youth exposure to the truth or diverse ideas.

I hold very similar opinions in that I think the US is not fascist, but shows isolated characteristics, especially with nationalistic behavior and scapegoating, that we should be on alert for and watch carefully. I like how you distinguish between right leaning politics and actual fascism as it is very important to not generalize. The one suggestion I might give is to expand the connection between historical examples and present day America because your Lost Cause example is strong, but adding another more recent case would deepen the argument. I also would love to hear more about your idea that ‘stability may be appealing but not to the extent of fascism’ since that idea feels a little incomplete.

pinkbluegreen
Allston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 7

For a society to be considered fascist it would be a far left regime that has an emphasis on nationalism. They also have a big “Us vs. Them” ideology that creates fear among citizens and the need to have a strong military. Other characteristics include, a strong desire for territorial expansion, anti-intellectualism, identifying a group of people as scapegoats, large amounts of propaganda, emphasis placed on youth to be the future of the regime, glorification of the past, and a distinct social hierarchy that’s based on race, religion, or ethnicity. I think the most dangerous characteristic of a fascist regime is the strong emphasis on military. This is because leaders of fascist regimes can utilize the military in any way they see fit, often times that includes the harm of civilians ot be able to have complete control over the movement of people. Fascism was so easily accepted by people in societies in the past because of how much instability there was regarding war, relations with other countries, economic instability, and fear of the uncertain future. People wanted simple answer to complex questions and so by giving their responsibility to one leader it dissolved them of any accountability and control over their lives and impacts in society. One of the most obvious examples of a fascist regime is North Korea. Kim Jong Un is a dictator and the North Korean government largely controls what people can and cannot do. They also have mass amounts of propaganda and filter what citizens perceive from the media and outside sources. North Korea is in many ways or completely isolated from other countries and their dedication to their military proves that it has similarities to fascist society. North Korean citizens are also unaware of their own government being a dictatorship while also having fascist characteristics because of the way their government controls their education system, very similar to anti-intellectualism. Most citizens aren’t able to access news form outside and isolate themselves into the confines of Kim Jung Un’s ideals. Certain characteristics of fascism are appealing to people today because of the growing economic instability caused by the relationship between governments. There is also a greater access to news from all over the world, with news outlets either spreading the wrong information or too much information, people are overwhelmed and it causes them to seek simple answers. The current climate in the US is different from fascist societies seen throughout history because there is a large push against dictatorship and an emphasis on civil liberties. Additionally because of how diverse our population in regards to religion, gender, ethnicity, and race it’s difficult to create unity under one leader. Despite “their shared racism, reliance on the petit bourgeois, hypernationalism, and xenophobia" among certain group the US is much more progressive and rarely focuses on past patterns. Right -leaning political movements are not inherently fascist but it could be very similar to conservative ideas. This is why many conservative regimes are consider fascist or are accused of being so. Conservatism doesn't necessarily have all the characteristics of fascism and but fascism has all the characteristics of conservatism.


abrahamlincoln2.0
Boston, MA, US
Posts: 9

The United States is experiencing characteristics of historic fascist societies. These characteristics involve anti-intellectualism, extreme nationalism, antisemitism, and an overuse of militarism.

Concerning anti-intellectualism and extreme nationalism, the United States suppresses ideas that oppose what the government wants the people to believe. Oftentimes the U.S. government will utilize misinformation to their advantage, taking the unknowing anger and hatred of the people and using it to promote extreme nationalism. Thus, these ideas go hand to hand when it comes to weakening democracy. Anti-intellectualism is especially dangerous because it normalizes supporting one idealized standard. When there are no people to point out the flaws in government imposed ideas, it poses a risk to all of society because it allows the government to get away with corrupt acts more easily. In turn, when everyone is forced to believe the same ideas, nationalism becomes increasingly praised because it radiates an “us versus them” ideology that causes people to believe their nation is inherently better than another. Although this isn’t necessarily a large problem, it can possibly cause divisions and disputes between nations, leading to economic and political feuds or even an all out war.

Similarly, antisemitism has become increasingly common in the United States with hundreds of ICE raids occurring daily nationwide. The current president of the United States, Donald Trump, encourages these raids and especially praises the violence that comes along with them. This rapid growth in militarism has quickly become problematic because it demonstrates the government’s glorification of war and military strength. Against contrary belief, the United States is engaging in more international wars than ever, even if it is indirect. Trump promotes this kind of intervention because he wants the United States to appear as a threat to any other country. This idea of his is inherently fascist, but Trump himself is not an entirely fascist leader.

According to Rich Lowry, “fascism [celebrates] violence in a nihilistic rejection of rationality and elevation of military struggle,” and although Trump said, “crude and unworthy things and behaved abysmally after the 2020 election,” he bears no resemblance to the cracked movements fascism promotes. Despite Trump presenting himself as a dictator, he still supports the United States’s democracy to some extent. However, Lowry’s take that Trump does not encourage protecting the rich and keeping the poor at the bottom of the classes is controversial as Trump, who ran as a conservative republican, has made it one of his largest goals as president to remove funding to less fortunate families. This cutting of funds has included draining money from FAFSA, undermining the Affordable Care Act, and targeting minority, poor communities or immigrants.

Regardless of this though, these ideas are so appealing to people today because, by nature, everyone is greedy. The majority of wealth in the United States only belongs to the top 10% of people. This means that, when it comes to making decisions, they have the closest say on what happens. Thus, because they have more authority, they tend to promote ideas like anti-intellectualism, extreme nationalism, and militarism not only as a way to show their economic ability, but also political influence on normal civilians. If these people successfully place these ideologies into normal society, they are able to keep their wealth and power, while those they manipulated will continue to struggle at the bottom of the food chain.

bigdah7
Boston, MA, US
Posts: 8

In the US today, I believe that the climate of the US would almost never be like the ones that support the growth of fascism. Today, we still have a stable democracy, albeit divided on party lines along with most of the US, but there are no calls across both spectrums of political belief to lead to a dictatorship. However, these dictatorial acts come from the top of the government, not the people. Often, when dictatorial or authoritarian regimes are not supported by the people, they are prone to collapse. Obviously, the past is very different from the present day; there is no drastic economic collapse or national resentment from humiliation in war. I feel that fascism was very easily accepted in the nineteen twenties and thirties because it seemed a promising alternative to democracy. At first, it was democracy, but it became dictatorships, and they were lied to by the leaders of the movements. What was so successful in convincing the masses to join and support them was the promise of nationalism, and the better alternative to communism, against which the fascist groups used very successful propaganda to persuade people. The lack of patriotism or love of your nation was definitely exploited in Germany after WW1, which was used to persuade the masses that some ulterior power was the cause of Germany’s defeat, not the German people themselves. In the US today, we are not recovering from a drastic loss in war; the closest we have been to losing national pride or feeling disenfranchised was the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, but that is about it. Say the US was invaded and conquered, a fascist state installed, I believe and hope that this would not be accepted by the population, save a very small minority. However, I believe that no nation is stupid enough to invade America; the immense size of the country, as well as the natural barriers of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, make it impossible, along with the amount of weapons in the country, more than people. Say fascism was to be implanted by an internal power, by some people. I believe that the sheer amount of different perspectives would make it impossible for a regime to cater to or convince everyone or a sizable majority of the population to accept it. In the USA today, some similarities are occurring to the times or historical fascist regimes, one of which is the targeting of minorities, who are blamed for economic problems, immigrants. Now, fascism, along with many words that carry a heavy connotation or history, is being overused and casually thrown around by many people, including politicians describing their opponents. Does American Fascism Exist?, in the New Republic describes such, “At one point or another, every political perspective in the United States has been identified as fascist. In the last two decades alone, Jonah Goldberg railed against “liberal fascism” as Chris Hedges dubbed the “Christian Right” “American fascists.” Dinesh D’Souza claimed that Hillary Clinton was fascist; Paul Krugman said the same about Trump. And even fringe ideologies weren’t safe: Sebastian Gorka linked socialism with fascism, while Nouriel Roubini made similar claims about libertarianism.” Thus, we have degraded the term fascist to some buzzword to highlight or draw attention to non fascist policies that we don’t like, which can make fascism harder to spot when it actually appears.

user1234567
Boston, Massachusetts , US
Posts: 9
There is a separation between patriotism and facism. Fascism is described as extreme nationalism, with an independent and controlling leader, that highlights violence in order to politically discriminate against people. The most dangerous characteristic to ordinary people is the normalization and prevalence of violence towards people for political reasons. This is the most dangerous aspect because it also turns into a way to justify violence, saying that it is fine because someone else did it, not because it is a norm for people to act violently, it spreads. In times before the holocaust, there was previous hatred and blame placed onto Jewish people for years, starting from the time of Jesus. However, no one ever was explicitly violent towards jewish people for just being jewish for a long time leading up to world war 2. Then, during the world war 2, Hitler regime, people saw violence from Nazi soldiers, and added to the violence, instead of doing the morally right thing and helping the jewish people. Facism is such an easily accepted by societies in the past because of economic disparity. During a collapse of an economy people are insecure, upset with the government, and scared. There is no trust in the government which leads to a revolt of the people, it is easy to shift the blame from a fascist regime to the government, and its lack of support for the people, and claiming that that is the only and most significant reason for their acts of fascism. Another large aspect to the acceptance of facism is due to the spread of propaganda, spreading false information to people and claiming certain things didn't happen. This is significant because it is a manipulation to history and peoples perception on historical times that are important to learn and reflect upon, taking away from the real problem of facism, and instead creating false information. I think in the USA today there are some characteristics of a fascist regime, but nothing compared to historical fascist groups. In today's world, there has been lots of force to one political party. Emphasizing the superiority of one group over another. This is an important aspect to note because it creates a stigma around other parties, causing conformity to one group, which in all could lead to a fascist ruling. Today we also see lots of misinformation, and contradicting bases over reaching and exaggerating certain aspects of things to make their side more convincing or seem more important. The spread of propaganda is detrimental because it does not allow people to make properly educated choices in today's world because there is so much confusion and no trust surrounding politics. Fascism can be an appealing aspect to life because of how simple it is. Like I discussed earlier, fascist regimes usually bloom in times of economic distress. If a charismatic powerful person comes and tells everyone that they will protect and fix the distress of the country, it is normal to follow adn support what they say because those powerful leaders are taken advantage of people who need order
funny bunny
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 9

A characteristic that must be present for a society to be considered fascist is no toleration for advancement of learning. This hinders the knowledge of the people in the society and makes it hard for them to see the truth and what’s actually going on around them. In addition to that, it also makes them rely on their government more since they are trained to think that only the government knows what the truth is and how to help them, and this is very dangerous as they will not realize how badly they are being mistreated as they are conditioned to think that it’s normal. This is mentioned in Ur-Fascism as Eco says that “the truth has already been announced once and for all,” which is a further example of how the truth of a fascist society is only revealed and shown by the government and no one can add onto it. Another characteristic that must be present is the rejection of modernization and advancement. A quote that exemplifies this characteristic is in Ur-Fascism, as it says that “the official Fascist intellectuals were mainly committed to accusing modern culture and the liberal intelligentsia of having abandoned traditional values.” This adds onto the idea that they don’t want advancements as the people who were considered the smart things accused and targeted those who tried to have advancements and changes, which further hinders the society from advancing and becoming more modern.

Between these two characteristics, I think that the anti-intellectualism characteristic represents the most danger to ordinary people. Although rejection of modernization is dangerous to ordinary people, anti-intellectualism is significantly more dangerous. I think that a society can still function without it being as modernized as other nations, but rejecting advancement of learning makes it easier for the government or a single person in the government to take advantage of the people of society since they don’t have any other learning to challenge what the government is telling them. This also makes it easier for the government to manipulate the people as they have the control on what society believes is true or not as they are the one providing them their knowledge. I also think this is why fascism was so accepted by people in societies in the past as the people of those fascist societies at the time only were able to believe what their fascist leaders were telling them as they were conditioned to believe that the government knew what was best for them. Adding onto this, I also think that it has to do with conformity since there could have also been a good amount of people who agreed with the fascist ideologies and people who were scared to go against the government. Although we do not live in a fascist country, this anti-intellectualism is shown a bit in the way Trump is challenging the Department of Education as he wants it to be dismantled. With this executive order, it shows a bit of his anti-intellectualism since the Department of Education helps extend the knowledge of the people of our society, and dismantling it will only hinder us and start to rely on the government more for our knowledge.
qwertyuiop
South Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 8
I believe for a society to be considered fascist there isn't a set of rules that it has to follow, like you said in class it takes the shape of the society that it is in. But I also believe that there is a list of things that are common in a fascist society. Like we talked about most of them have things like an obsession with the enemies within and how an outer group that everything gets blamed on. I believe for something to consider facism there has to be the identification of a scapegoat, and then the scapegoat whether it be a religion, race, etc gets singled out but propaganda that is circulating. I also believe there has to be persecution of said groups coming straight from the military or a special force, like ICE in America, and like the Schutzstaffel or similar groups in the nazi regime. In terms of whether America is a fascist society I don’t necessarily think so butI also saw a video recently of a reporter asking the mayor of New York City if he believes that Trump is a fascist and Trump stops him and says “That’s ok you can just say yes” I think that’s troubling. I don't believe America as it is right now has the ability to become like Nazi Germany but I also wouldn’t completely rule out some more tame version of it. I like to believe that the US government has checks and balances but at the same time I’m not sure. I believe that Trump does indeed have the following he needs if he decides to take it that way. I don’t believe he would or that it would work out or what that would even entail but it's something to think about. I believe fascism is easily accepted by people who are struggling whereas in America I don’t believe we are struggling that bad as to wipe out a whole race. And I don't believe America will ever see a Nazi level of facism but like Umberto Echo said in Ur-Facism that facism isn't one set strict set of rules but more like a collection of traits that tend to show up together so we could possibly see a version of it, I really don't think so any time soon. I also sometimes didn't agree with Echo. He doesn't believe that facism movements need a leader, I disagree, I think it's the same reason many religions have one God people want one person to worship, one person that's better than everyone else. Even though America is extremely polarized it's not the same as facism people are still able to critique the government, I mean we are discussing this in a public school right now where as in Hitlers Germany they would not have been able to do that. I also believe that just because the US has a pretty strong democracy doesn’t mean some facism movement can’t take hold, I mean right now the executive legislative and judicial branch all have republican majority making it all one party. I also believe that the US now would be hard to control considering people have different opinions and education is common and educated people are harder to trick with propaganda and they blindly follow one figure due to critical thinking college promotes. Although when we saw the Trump administration attack Colleges and Universities by withholding federal funding and the rules with title 9 sort of was the nail in the coffin for me, as Hitler was anti-intellectual and also changed universities to include things like “race science” and devotion to the state. I don’t think America as we see it today has the capability to turn into the Fascist Germany we talk about but I also can see the similarities.
123456
Boston, MA, US
Posts: 8

What we have been learning about Fascism in class is that it behaves like jello. It molds the situation that it is in. Thus, it is often difficult to pin down the exact characteristics of what makes a Fascist state. Some attempt to put clear labels on them. For example, “The Psychology of Fascism” bases its definition on the following 4 factors: The concept of a fascist personality, the concept of a fascist character structure, the right-wing authoritarian, and the authoritarian personality. However, there are a few that are, in my opinion, vital. The first is a good balance and combination of fear and nationalism. The two ideas more or less go hand in hand, and they create the same motives for the everyday citizen. Hypernationalism makes it so that one is completely bought into and supportive of whatever the country is doing, ultimately making it blind to the morality of the situation. This leads to fear, because even those who don't feel that strong sense of nationalism will be forced into it out of fear of social or political estrangement. This leads into the next charactaristic, which is a blind control over citizens by the government. Similar to the effects of nationalism, citizens must follow their leader without question, even contradicting themselves or dismissing logic and reason. The third characteristic of a fascist society is the presence of a scapegoat, one group that can be targeted and blamed. This serves two purposes. The first is to rouse up hate and intensity within the country - organized chaos. The second is to create a distraction within the country as to what is really going on at the top of it. The final crucial characteristic of a fascist regime is the presence of times of trouble prior to its rule. This can be a collapsing economy, racial and social divisions, or any situation that causes dissatisfaction with the current manner in which the country is being run. Fascism is then able to take root by promising a beautiful and utopian alternative to current, terrible times.

There are ways in which the United States holds some Fascist characteristics and ways that it does not. First, the most glaring argument for the former - President Trump. He is a leader with a lot of charisma, and one who knows how to influence a crowd. He has built up a prototypical far-right cult following in the MAGA movement. The most concerning element of that movement is that many seem to ignore reason or logic in addition to the blatant lies that he tells to the people of the country. Unreality is extremely present in the country at the moment. However, just because Trump may say damaging things does not necessarily mean he acts upon them. From the article “No, Trump is Not a Fascist”: “Obviously, Trump isn’t deploying a paramilitary wing of the GOP to clash with his enemies on the streets” The issue of immigration and immigrants themselves are most definitely being used as a distraction within the country. However, the United States is not nor will it ever be a fascist state. First, the majority of the country is not swayed. We have barriers set up within our democratic system specifically designed to prevent such a thing, and thus I believe the country is immune to falling into the fascist trap. While the country is swinging conservative at this time, right-leaners are not inherently fascist. Thus, while there are elements of Fascism in the United States today, they have not combined, nor will they, into a Fascist state.

user1234567
Boston, Massachusetts , US
Posts: 9

Originally posted by pinkbluegreen on November 25, 2025 09:22

For a society to be considered fascist it would be a far left regime that has an emphasis on nationalism. They also have a big “Us vs. Them” ideology that creates fear among citizens and the need to have a strong military. Other characteristics include, a strong desire for territorial expansion, anti-intellectualism, identifying a group of people as scapegoats, large amounts of propaganda, emphasis placed on youth to be the future of the regime, glorification of the past, and a distinct social hierarchy that’s based on race, religion, or ethnicity. I think the most dangerous characteristic of a fascist regime is the strong emphasis on military. This is because leaders of fascist regimes can utilize the military in any way they see fit, often times that includes the harm of civilians ot be able to have complete control over the movement of people. Fascism was so easily accepted by people in societies in the past because of how much instability there was regarding war, relations with other countries, economic instability, and fear of the uncertain future. People wanted simple answer to complex questions and so by giving their responsibility to one leader it dissolved them of any accountability and control over their lives and impacts in society. One of the most obvious examples of a fascist regime is North Korea. Kim Jong Un is a dictator and the North Korean government largely controls what people can and cannot do. They also have mass amounts of propaganda and filter what citizens perceive from the media and outside sources. North Korea is in many ways or completely isolated from other countries and their dedication to their military proves that it has similarities to fascist society. North Korean citizens are also unaware of their own government being a dictatorship while also having fascist characteristics because of the way their government controls their education system, very similar to anti-intellectualism. Most citizens aren’t able to access news form outside and isolate themselves into the confines of Kim Jung Un’s ideals. Certain characteristics of fascism are appealing to people today because of the growing economic instability caused by the relationship between governments. There is also a greater access to news from all over the world, with news outlets either spreading the wrong information or too much information, people are overwhelmed and it causes them to seek simple answers. The current climate in the US is different from fascist societies seen throughout history because there is a large push against dictatorship and an emphasis on civil liberties. Additionally because of how diverse our population in regards to religion, gender, ethnicity, and race it’s difficult to create unity under one leader. Despite “their shared racism, reliance on the petit bourgeois, hypernationalism, and xenophobia" among certain group the US is much more progressive and rarely focuses on past patterns. Right -leaning political movements are not inherently fascist but it could be very similar to conservative ideas. This is why many conservative regimes are consider fascist or are accused of being so. Conservatism doesn't necessarily have all the characteristics of fascism and but fascism has all the characteristics of conservatism.


One of the most compelling ideas in this person's post was their idea of what facism is and its acceptance in history. Specifically, when they discuss the instability of countries and how that impacts a leader to step up and take total control of a mass of people. This person's ideas were really similar to mine , especially in aspects such as their opinions on propaganda and its impact on the influence of people and how that allows for the spread of misinformation and the dangers of that. One place where we disagree is that facism is a far left ideology. I think that facism can go both ways. I think that facism is a large spectrum and there are large categories of people that fall into that. I think overall this was a really good response, however I think that this person could expand on their comparison to the USA today compared to fascism in history. I think that they could talk about their opinions on racism's prevalence in today's world, or if they don't think there is any. Being able to compare today's word to history is a really important aspect that I think would benefit this person's response

qwertyuiop
South Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 8

Originally posted by bigdah7 on November 25, 2025 09:30

In the US today, I believe that the climate of the US would almost never be like the ones that support the growth of fascism. Today, we still have a stable democracy, albeit divided on party lines along with most of the US, but there are no calls across both spectrums of political belief to lead to a dictatorship. However, these dictatorial acts come from the top of the government, not the people. Often, when dictatorial or authoritarian regimes are not supported by the people, they are prone to collapse. Obviously, the past is very different from the present day; there is no drastic economic collapse or national resentment from humiliation in war. I feel that fascism was very easily accepted in the nineteen twenties and thirties because it seemed a promising alternative to democracy. At first, it was democracy, but it became dictatorships, and they were lied to by the leaders of the movements. What was so successful in convincing the masses to join and support them was the promise of nationalism, and the better alternative to communism, against which the fascist groups used very successful propaganda to persuade people. The lack of patriotism or love of your nation was definitely exploited in Germany after WW1, which was used to persuade the masses that some ulterior power was the cause of Germany’s defeat, not the German people themselves. In the US today, we are not recovering from a drastic loss in war; the closest we have been to losing national pride or feeling disenfranchised was the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, but that is about it. Say the US was invaded and conquered, a fascist state installed, I believe and hope that this would not be accepted by the population, save a very small minority. However, I believe that no nation is stupid enough to invade America; the immense size of the country, as well as the natural barriers of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, make it impossible, along with the amount of weapons in the country, more than people. Say fascism was to be implanted by an internal power, by some people. I believe that the sheer amount of different perspectives would make it impossible for a regime to cater to or convince everyone or a sizable majority of the population to accept it. In the USA today, some similarities are occurring to the times or historical fascist regimes, one of which is the targeting of minorities, who are blamed for economic problems, immigrants. Now, fascism, along with many words that carry a heavy connotation or history, is being overused and casually thrown around by many people, including politicians describing their opponents. Does American Fascism Exist?, in the New Republic describes such, “At one point or another, every political perspective in the United States has been identified as fascist. In the last two decades alone, Jonah Goldberg railed against “liberal fascism” as Chris Hedges dubbed the “Christian Right” “American fascists.” Dinesh D’Souza claimed that Hillary Clinton was fascist; Paul Krugman said the same about Trump. And even fringe ideologies weren’t safe: Sebastian Gorka linked socialism with fascism, while Nouriel Roubini made similar claims about libertarianism.” Thus, we have degraded the term fascist to some buzzword to highlight or draw attention to non fascist policies that we don’t like, which can make fascism harder to spot when it actually appears.

I don’t know much about Hilary Clinton but I also think it’s unfair to compare Paul Krugman who called Trump a fascist and Dinesh D’Souza who called Clinton a fascist. Paul Krugman won the Nobel prize in economics for his work on international trade, and is an author who publishes opinion pierces that explain the economy, politics and inequalities in the world, and specifically writes about public policy in a way that normal people can understand, he’s known for being direct and clear with his words and sometimes sarcastic he is center left, not far left. He is controversial because some of his economic predictions have been off. Whereas Dinesh D’souza is a Far right conservative filmmaker and author who in 2014 pled guilty to campaign finance fraud. Who was then later pardoned by the Trump administration. He claimed democrats are fascist whereas a legitimate factor of facism is that it has to be conservative. He believes Trump's actions are justified because “democrats are worse”. Many of his claims about facism, racism, and even non opinion pieces like his statements about US history are widely proven to be false. Although I do believe calling someone a fascist when they show zero signs of it diminishes the word, sometimes it can be true. Paul Krugman said "The modern Republican Party is increasingly indistinguishable from the kind of movements that led to fascism in 20th-century Europe." which I’m not sure what you are exactly quoting from Krugman but many of his statements aren't calling his a fascist but pointing out the similarities between the actions where are, whereas D’Souza makes dramatic films like 2016: Obama's America, Death of a Nation, Hillary’s American, which is very emotional and dramatic but has been proven it contains many many inaccuracies. So while you are correct willy nilly name calling does dilute the word, I don't think it’s fair to compare D’Souza and Krugman.

posts 1 - 15 of 30
Login to Reply