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Facism is generally defined not by a single characteristic but by various political, social, and cultural traits that reinforce one another. Most agree that the following elements are part of a fascist society: ultranationalism rooted in a mythic identity, a strong centralized authoritarian leader, suppression of dissent and free thought, militarization and the glorification of violence, propaganda-driven control of information, scapegoating of minority groups, and collective “good” being prioritized over individual rights. Of these characteristics the greatest threat to the ordinary citizen comes from the combination of authoritarianism and scapegoating. When a regime blames vulnerable groups for national problems and at the same time demands complete loyalty to a leader or party, then ordinary citizens may become targets of persecution or even complicit enforcers of the regime. Because Facism has often been associated with an emergence in societies facing economic instability, social change, or feelings of humiliation over national decline, facism has easily found acceptance in certain conditions. Leaders such as Mussolini and Hitler promised order, unity, and revival when democratic institutions seemed incapable of overcoming crises. Facism appealed emotionally though providing answers in simple terms, through strong leadership, and with the reassurance of restoring greatness. Debates about whether the United States or other modern day nations exhibit characteristics of historical fascist societies should be treated carefully. While the U.S. is not currently a fascist nation, certain elements that resemble early stage fascist tendencies can be observed. These include: rising political polarization, demonization of opponents as existential threats, a us vs them mentality, conspiracy driven distrust in institutions, the elevation of strongman political figures, and the use of nationalist rhetoric that divides society into “real citizens” and “outsiders”. These traits are appealing to so many because they provide clarity in a complex world. People facing uncertainty in their economic, cultural, or technological lives may gravitate toward leaders who promise simple solutions and a return to imagined stability. However, the current climate of the U.S. distinctly differs from past fascist societies in many ways, most notably the resilient democratic institutions such as separation of powers, freedom of the press, active civil society, and regular competitive elections which make it more difficult for any one leader or movement to consolidate absolute power. Instead, American political identity is not cohesive but instead fractious, pluralistic, and composed of an array of social movements whose resistances to authoritarian cohesion should not be discounted. No single party controls the military, media, education systems, or judiciary as was the case in 1930s Europe. The US however is not immune to fascist ideology. Democracies decay when citizens become disengaged, institutions erode, or political actors succeed in normalizing extreme rhetoric. In history, fascism grew in democratic societies that underestimated its appeal until it was too late. That's a risk that makes civic awareness essential. Finally, right wing movements are not fascist by nature. Conservatism in its traditional form limits government to protect individual liberty and gradual change instead of authoritarian rule. Labeling all conservative ideas as fascist is inaccurate, however conservative movements that become more and more extreme will naturally drift to Facism as it is the only thing that exist when a rightwing movement becomes extreme past conservatism.

A fascist society by definition is a system, characterized by a dictatorial, centralized government that places the nation or race above the individual. This is the standard definition. There are many factors that drive a fascist nation but there are specific characteristics. There needs to be some sort of ultranationalism, the idea of the nation itself being superior than any other nation out there. Secondly, the nation must hold a authoritarian leader, one they worship like a god and one who drives the center of fascist ideology. Take Mussolini for example, his oratory skills and driven face was written over Italy. It takes a social hypnosis for a nation to become fascist. In such societies there is a certain level of commitment only achieved through a collective effort to spread misinformation and propaganda. The characteristic that is most dangerous to people in society is the social panic and corruption that makes many citizens’ minds so feasible. The most prominent leaders of fascism rose to power under social conditions caused by the war or political corruption. Many do not consider that fascism only rises under the right conditions. Currently, in the US sits a leader that has the same factors that draw in clueless voters and feeds on those uneducated of the political climate right now. Furthermore, there are still figures that support morally wrong ideologies like white supremacy and anti-semitism. Although these are a number of characteristics found in fascist societies, the US lacks the political chaos and downturn that many of those fascist nations faced when their leaders came into power. In the current day and age, there is too much diversity amongst society to completely hold one belief over a substantial population of society. In an excerpt from Ur-Fascism (Eco), there is a mention of “traditionalism” that must be prominent among fascist societies. Especially in the US, there is a long standing history of excluding a particular group of people from the mainstream group. This is seen in racial segregation in the 1990s to the view of the LGBTQ community in the 2020s. The excerpt also goes on to state that the “idea of traditionalism implies the rejection of modernism” and usually “reject technology as the negation of traditional spiritual values.” In terms of the idea of traditionalism, I think that countries can have a long standing history of morally wrong ideologies but that doesn’t necessarily make them susceptible to becoming a fascist society. In some retrospect, it is the fact that you cannot simply discount a nation’s history that provides the point being made in the excerpt. Nations aren’t exactly immune to fascist ideology. In a similar manner to anti-semitism, fascism is a shape-shifting ideology that can adapt to local contexts, emerging with different characteristics varying on the nation. It feeds on the former beliefs of its people, creating a sense of nationalism that prides itself on being better than others. It goes back to the point of why fascism is so appealing to people, even today. I believe that the ideology provides simple answers to complex questions. In times of perceived social unrest, the fascist “promise” of restoring power to the nation seems attractive to those disillusioned with the perceived ineffectiveness of democracy and compromise. The ideology also provides adherents with an immediate, non-contingent sense of purpose by defining them as part of a superior group with a supposed “glorious destiny.” It is most effectively conveyed in times of political chaos like World Wars or civil conflicts. There are many more factors that drive this appeal however it ultimately comes down to an emotional aspect within people. Fascism offers hope and a clear path to power and meaning for those who feel marginalized, worried, or anxious about their own society.

In a way, fascism is not just dictatorship but a political allegory. It’s broader than what many Americans could probably describe to you as “fascism,” and if you went on the street asking passersby what it was, you probably wouldn’t get any definite responses. By it’s nature, fascism is malleable, undefined. To be classified as a fascist society, a society needs to have certain characteristics of its culture and political environment- one of which particularly paramount to the other, which we discussed in class. That is, the idea of a cult of the leader. I believe that nearly every other characteristic of fascism and any authoritarian regime is the central emphasis on the leader; every other warning sign follows suit. With a hyperintensive following leads to characteristics we saw in the 1920’s and 1920’s, like heavy militarization, emphasis on the working class, and identification of an internal enemy. In the earlier societies of Germany, Italy, and Spain, the subversal of earlier democracies to an authoritarian regime was particularly appealing due to widespread political dissatisfaction. We saw it manifest in Germany with the population sneered by the Treaty of Versailles, leaving a sort of national shame, alongside economic turmoil, which affected the lives of nearly every working class German, further exacerbating class divides. That most certainly can be one of the reasons that the internal enemy at the time, Jewish people, were so heavily targeted. Because of their cultural and political history in Europe, they were often economically higher class than the average German, and held roles in finance, banking, and bureaucracy that was seen as elitist in the eyes of many rural laborers. Like the excerpt we read from Umberto Eco’s How to Spot a Fascist, unstable democracies beg for a fascist upheaval that preys on the disillusionment of many lower class citizens. However, one criticism I had of that same text was that it didn’t discuss the social emphasis of a charismatic leader- while I don’t regard that as a particularly necessary characteristic of fascism , I think that it is almost always one of the greatest agents of change in the advancement of existing fascist ideologies within societies.

Right now in modern America, we are more vulnerable to these ideologies alternative to democracy than almost any time in history. With the advent of social media, interactive technologies, we have a weakness. It’s a double edged sword: with the ability to see and interact with people across the world and find supported ideologies in almost every facet of online society, we can observe broad-sighted ideas that we would have almost certainly never been exposed to. Although, there comes with it a certain level of psychological maturity that is presupposed on the end of the user, not the creator of those technologies. Indeed, children and adults alike are watching the rise of ultra-right ideologies, especially on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, short-form media aggregates that allow for quick and lengthy exposure. But this anomaly can further be excluded not only to world societies, but the United States as well. I see a lot of parallels between modern America and, for example, Jacksonian America, with the rise of sort-of cult of personality with the existing president, Donald Trump, and his administration. With one particularly popular leader, many working class Americans have ceded some of their personal values for a leader that they purport will keep their neighborhoods safe from economic turmoil and increasing tax/interest rates and from internal enemies, most notably, illegal immigrants. Trump’s America has given rise to millions of people fiercly abiding tooth-and-nail to his policies, and unfortunately with that comes a ferocity against many people. We all see the same scenes across America of ICE forcibly arresting and deporting people en masse, and it all depends on what we make of it. True, many of these people can be illegally (for lack of a better term) draining internal resources, but many are productive Americans. Furthermore, they aren’t just brashly-labelled “aliens,” but “parents,” “sons,” “daughters,” “brothers,” and “sisters.” Overall, Fascism in the modern day has emerged on the event horizon as a defense mechanism from many working class Americans, but unfortunately has led to hate upon a massive scale. With these in mind, we have to consider the greatest burden upon us citizens: how do we react to this?

I think that some characteristics that need to be there, in order to be considered fascist is traditionalism, modernism, and a sense of nationalism. I think that with nationalism, the leader needs to be very proud in their country. This will help convince the people of that nation that their leader wants a unified country. Even though being a nationalist is not as bad as other characteristics, I do believe that it can turn into one of the most dangerous to ordinary people. Big pride in your country can create a division in it. It typically tends to create a “us vs. them” aspect in the country, turning people against each other. Traditionalism is another useful characteristic for fascist leaders. It helps those leaders create their authority which can help them manipulate people to their traditional values. Elitism also helps leaders enable their decisions. I think that fascism was so easily accepted in society because it gave the answers that a lot of people wanted to hear, in such times of difficulties and hardships. This was because many countries are already distressed and unstable. It also started to give many a place to run to, with a sense of community after the war occurred.

Yes, I personally do believe that the U.S. is starting to develop more characteristics of fascist societies. But, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it is completely fascist. In the U.S. we do have “leader”(aka our president), which fits the fascist aspects, but as citizens, many people don’t centralize themselves around them. What also makes our society similar is that our “leader” claims to be nationalist about our country. Nationalism I think is a big part of fascism, and taking pride in your country is what many people look for. I think that it is also easy for citizens to conform to their “leaders” of society. I think that certain characteristics of fascism are appealing to people today because of traditionalism. A lot of people now who have certain values, tend to learn into going back to the U.S.’s traditional way. For example many southerners now want that traditional value back in the U.S. This includes people wanting to become stay at home parents again. This necessarily isn’t a bad thing, but it is the fact that we are trying to age backwards in society. I also think that now many people are starting to become more and more openly prejudiced today.

I think that our society isn’t immune, but also isn’t gullible enough to just turn into a country with a big fascist ideology. I think that the U.S has a big division politically, and with this it will be hard I think to convince each side. I think that political movements aren’t inherently fascist. I do think that some of these movements are heavily influenced by traditionalist values. I also think that society plays a big role in it. This is because many people learn about things from social media, which will most likely would make others want to conform to other peoples ideas.

For a society to be considered fascist, characteristics such as extreme nationalism, the worship of & loyalty to a powerful and charismatic leader, emphasis of social conservatism with traditional roles, anti-intellectualism, the establishment of a common enemy or scapegoat, widespread violence, loss of rights, the spread of propaganda, media control, glorification of the past, and a supremacy of the military must be present. These aspects alone do not determine if a society is fascist, but many of them combined do. In my opinion, the violence and lack of rights pose the most danger to ordinary people in society because they are the most directly affected by this. While things like nationalism and propaganda do have an ultimate impact, on the level of an individual’s day to day life, brutality and less rights would affect them more. In past societies, fascism was so easily accepted by people due to desperation and the unfavorable circumstances many nations found themselves in. People didn’t like the system they were living in and craved reform, resorting to extreme measures no matter what that might have entailed.

I believe that the United States is facing characteristics of historic fascist societies, such as devotion to a leader, social conservatism, and a glorification of the past. This can be seen through many citizens’ relentless support and defense of Donald Trump despite some of the unarguably nasty things he has said and done. The issue is not inherently in supporting a political leader, but in refusing to acknowledge the idea that criticism may be needed. Additionally, Trump’s entire campaign is built off of the idea of “making America great again”, insinuating his desire to return to aspects of the past. These societal traits may be appealing to people today because in times of disorder and complication, they provide a promise of improvement, pride, clarity, and stability.

The current climate in the U.S. is different from fascist societies that we have seen throughout history as we are not too focused on key aspects of the ideology, such as the large mobilization of a military. In the article “No, Trump Is Not A Fascist”, Rich Lowry writes “Trump isn’t deploying a paramilitary wing of the GOP to clash with his enemies on the streets” to defend his belief that America is not in or heading in the direction of a fascist regime. I agree with his conclusion because the involvement of an army is a large, impactful factor in determining whether or not a society is fascist. Moreover, despite the fact that our country is not in its best economic standing, the situation is nowhere near as bad as those of societies in the past that allowed for the development of fascism. I don’t think any democratic society is necessarily immune to fascist ideology because fascism morphs into different forms and can change depending on the time and place. Right-leaning political movements are not innately fascist, but they may share similar qualities. This comparison may be used to bring attention to ideas that the left wishes to condemn.

Fascism is defined by multiple important characteristics that distinguish it from other authoritarian regimes. At its core, fascism requires absolute centralized power, usually in a single leader, and strict control of media and culture. It needs extreme nationalism, which is often connected to myths of racial or religious roots, and also relies on militarism and the idolization of violence as tools for unity. Economic life is usually led by the state as well. The most dangerous characteristics for ordinary people are the undermining of civil liberties and the use of fear and propaganda to silence political disagreement. When free speech and minority protections are taken away, individuals lose the ability to resist or question authority. This creates a climate where persecution and violence against vulnerable groups can often occur, threatening the safety of everyday civilians. Fascism was often accepted in past societies because its initial cause promises order, stability, and the regaining of national pride during times of hardship and crisis. Economic depression and political fragmentation made populations more willing to embrace the strong leadership of a charismatic leader. Propaganda paints fascism as a solution to chaos, and many people who need economic and political security often overlook its destructive consequences in the long run. Jon Henley, a European correspondent on the "Populist, nativist, neofascist? A lexicon of Europe’s far right"Article says, “Authoritarianism is 'the belief in a strictly ordered society' in which infringements are 'punished severely.” Understanding authoritarian regimes helps us as humans recognize them before it is too late and end them immediately.

Some nations today exhibit characteristics that rhyme with historic fascist societies, though not always to the full extent. In the United States and other nations, things like intense nationalism and polarity in government show signs seen in fascist regimes. The glorification of national identity, connected with the persecution of smaller minorities, shows the fascist native that fascism historically needed to become a thing. Additionally, the spread of propaganda and disinformation through social media has connections to the controlled media environments in the past. The characteristics most visible today show authoritarian tendencies, like when leaders seek to expand power in the executive branch, and the accruing of minority groups to gain support for a cause. These traits are dangerous because they take away democratic safeguards and normalize intolerance, which creates divisions that weaken social cohesion. Certain aspects of fascism remain appealing because they promise simple answers for complex problems. When people feel overwhelmed by economic, cultural, or political chaos, the need for strong leadership and a clear national identity is heightened, and provides comfort for these people. Fascism gives a sense of belonging and order, even when freedom is at risk.

The current situation in the United States is different from historical fascist societies, but different things can rhyme with certain traits of fascism. Unlike fascist regimes in this day and age, the US still remains primarily democratic, which includes free elections, separation of powers, and constitutional protections for speech and assembly. Fascist societies have eliminated these things and are usually under the centralized power of one person or a small group of people. This is different in the US because the voices of every citizen play a huge part in our politics. Even though our democracy is very strong, it is not immune to fascism and fascist ideology. Fascism thrives in times of fear and instability, which are very common in the United States, whether that be economically, politically, socially, or culturally. The need for strong leadership and nationalism can lead to democratic unrest, especially during times of chaos. While the US has predictions against this, history shows that no system is entirely immune to authoritarian regimes if its institutions are weakened. The US differs from historic fascist societies because its institutions stay intact, but care is necessary. Fascist ideology can seem good to people today by determining the difference between real conservative positions and authoritarian impulses that threaten American democracy.

Fascism is a right wing extremist view. There are a few primary examples of fascism that society prioritizes in education, such as the Holocaust, Mussolini, and more. However, what standard curriculum lacks is teaching the qualities of fascism. The root of the cause of this is the fact that it is a very difficult ideology to label, given the complexity within it. It looks different in every society it takes over, however a few key qualities remain. In my opinion the most important one is the fact that it stems from a place of chaos. Whether manufactured, environmental, political, etc, authoritarian leaders rise when society yearns for stability. Present day in the United States, polarization between political parties has been harsher than ever. Both sides are fighting over basic rights and common policy. A prime example of modern chaos is the government shut down. Spending an extended period of time with the government shut down, just to fabricate more arguments with a partial resolution, does not exemplify stability and power. However, even with the opportunity in addition with the fascist qualities that are present in our president and Department of Justice, I do not currently think we live in a fascist state. The main reason I think this is because Trump does not prioritize the working class. Previously, dictatorships have thrived when they lift up blue collar workers and working people and fascism centers around traditionality and work ethic. Instead he finds his support in both the elite and the uneducated (and where the two overlap). The elite support him because his economic reforms lift them up and provide them with even more power and resources that they don't need, but want. While the uneducated conservatives support him because of his traditionality and propaganda they so easily believe. This ties into the NY Times article because Europe is removed from everyday life in the states and has a similar view point. It depicts the social climate of our country and the global view on our current state.

One distinction I think it is important to make, is the fact that not all right wing conservatives are Trump supporters and/or fascists. Believing in little involvement from the government does not imply believing in removing human rights for women, LGBTQ+ people, people of color, and more. Some extreme rightists support those ideologies but not all. In order to decrease polarization and political hate crimes, separating the specificities can be incredibly important. With that in mind, avoiding the themes of totalitarianism that are present in the current day would be irresponsible and ignorant. I think aspects of fascism are appealing when people are in need of a simple solution. However, simple solutions do not accurately solve such complex issues. I don't think fascists wish to lose control, but rather fully internalize the ideals. Embodying the ideology and aligning oneself with the actions of the party mean that they feel like the individual is in control. Educating, especially young, minds with open viewpoints and varying perspectives is vital. Being a unified society and prioritizing democracy is crucial at a time like this to ensure we don't take steps backwards in our progressive country.

A lot of characteristics need to be present for a society to be considered fascist. Some of the ones that must be present, in my opinion, are a return to traditionalism, suppression of political majorities, and appealing to the majority. Lots of fascist societies want to bring back past views and former glory, all fascist parties try to silence people who agree with them, and all of them have to appeal to the majority in a society. These characteristics can be present in a society, and the society isn’t fascist, but a combination of all the fascist characteristics needs to be present. The characteristics that present the most danger to ordinary people is the appeal to the majority. Powerful leaders use this to gain support and control people, which can lead to dangerous social psychological theories like groupthink and us vs them, which are very dangerous. In the past, fascism was accepted because people wanted solutions to their problems, so they looked up to a leader who promised them change, but had other intentions and took advantage of the chaos. I think the US, like almost every other nation, has some characteristics of Fascism. I think the US has characteristics such as a return to traditionalism, targeting of enemies, and if you disagree with a group, you are targeted, among some others. People are drawn towards these ideas because they think it will be a simple fix to their problems, but in the past, fascism hasn’t fixed problems in those countries; it has made them worse. I don’t think the US resembles a fascist state. I agree with this quote from No,Trump Is Not a Fascist “The F-word is one of the Left’s favorite swear words, and applying it to Trump must be emotionally satisfying, whether it makes sense on the merits or politically.” I agree because you shouldn’t just throw around the word fascist. After all, it takes away its important meaning, and it is like the boy who cried wolf; if we did actually have a fascist movement in the US, people wouldn’t take it seriously because the word has been used pretty often for cases it didn’t apply to. The US is different from 1930s Germany and Italy in many ways. The US isn’t in a state of chaos or economic despair. People aren’t looking for radical change in the government. The US isn’t in a one-party system, and we don’t have all the characteristics of a fascist society. We aren’t immune to fascist movements because, although the Weimar government was weak, it was a democratic institution that was taken over. There were also fascist movements inside the US during the Great Depression. All it takes is one period of despair, and I think we could be susceptible to a fascist movement. I don’t think all right-wing movements are inherently fascist. I think the far right can be considered fascist, but now this word is thrown around by make people seem bad. The same can be said about the far left, they could be considered communist.

For a society to be considered fascist, there must be an in-group and an out-group; a fear of change, often coupled with a belief that the past was better than the present; and a sense of hopelessness. Fascist societies are built off of the human fear of change, where the world is moving too fast and the people don't know what to do about it. This, when paired with a sense of hopelessness, leads the people to entrust their fates to a leader, willingly giving up many rights, who blames the problem on an out-group. As Umberto Eco says in Ur-Fascism, "the only ones who can provide the nation with an identity are the enemy." A fascist state is built off of fear, and not becoming everything they fear - the out-group, or the perceived enemy - is what drives its people.

There are many fascist elements in the present-day United States. There is a deep fear of people with the perceived wrong ideologies taking control, on both sides of the political divide. On the right, people are afraid of being forgotten in the tide of being woke and focusing on minorities - they're afraid that there won't be enough of the country left for them, and they blame it on minorities stealing it from them. On the left, there is a fear that identities will be suppressed and people will never be able to live freely, which is blamed on the right taking away these rights. This fear makes current American society much more susceptible to fascism. Additionally, we have Trump, who seemingly wants to be a fascist leader, getting hoards of people to trust him as the only person who could possibly make things better for them.

The Ur-Fascism reading basically says that Fascism is not just one aspect, but it is a bunch of aspects that even if you take one away something can still be recognizably Fascist. Fascism is a collection of challenging takes that go against the majority views. This is usually during an already struggling period where people are just searching for any answers they can find. Fascism creates this political group based on fear, exclusion, and obedience, which over time can take over. The main characteristics that are used in a fascist society are irrationalism and appealing to the middle class. The middle class is usually people that feel threatened by the current government when times are tough. Fascism begins from individual or social frustration, so ordinary people are usually drawn to it. This causes people looking for simple solutions which are usually promised by these fascist movements. When in these uncertain times, these words make people feel safer and attempt to stand up against everyone else. This goes back to the “us vs. them” idea where they get the middle class or minorities to unify through pure hatred. This is extremely dangerous because once discrimination becomes something normal, violence becomes justified for everyone with no real consequences. These fascist societies come up with these crazy critical thinking because it threatens the current authority. People are more likely to follow orders rather than actually thinking for themselves. This is bad because now everyone is all over the place and can’t recognize when their freedom is being taken away. These characteristics are viewed as normal which is why in the past it was easy for people to accept. People don’t see the rise and problem before it's already taken over. Fascism spreads the idea that basically says “we are the best” which can feel positive and with no harm, when in reality it leads toward dangerous nationalism. People accepted fascism because they felt belonged and part of something, because that's essentially the message they send to its followers. It's all just a fake sense of unity that feels comforting for all these people when in reality they don’t know the damage they are actually causing. It's hard to say that the United States is experiencing a rise of fascism but there are definitely signs. One example I see is just from the current political movement of “MAGA.” Honestly I don’t really see this as an issue, but if you think about it there is a powerful/looked up to leader who leads this group of people who exclude everyone not part of the republican party. I guess you can say this about both sides because I think both sides hate one another and are easily manipulated. There is also this growth of anti-semitism or maybe anti-Israel in America right now. It seems people realize America is so divided right now and they are just looking for someone else to blame for our country's problems. At the end of the day we could be experiencing a rise of fascism but we just don’t realize it yet, as shown from the rest of history.