Originally posted by mouse0 on December 03, 2024 20:31
Fascism manifests in society with the need for a solution. There must be a problem plaguing society, affecting the masses, whether it is economic, political, or social. One of the key characteristics of a fascist society would be the worship of the leader. This allows for a leader to not only have full authoritative control, but also an influence in the minds of the people. Depending on the characteristics of the leader, preferably that of charisma and charm, a strong leader is able to sway the views of society by promising a solution. Worship of the leader is especially harmful, as many will accept ideas presented by a fascist leader and honor them, possibly sacrificing their own moral code. However, fascism does not reveal itself immediately. People are more willing to accept such radical ideas if it is gradual. In the case of the Nazi party, the movement began as a nationalist-populist movement, appealing to the people by criticizing the dismissal of issues of ordinary people by the elite. A necessary characteristic for a fascist society is ultra-nationalism. This is defined as extreme nationalism, promoting the idea of one state or group of people above all else. Forms of exclusion is a notorious ideal of fascism, exemplified by the intense anti-semitism promoted by the Nazi party. Ultra-nationalism promotes xenophobia and attacks diversity, overall contributing to the division of society. This division is then intensified by offensive and problematic propaganda and laws that begin to infringe on the rights of the people. Fascist leaders utilize this development of hate to influence people. Hate can be used to create unity, increasing the support of the fascist leader and their party. Another necessary criteria for a fascist society would be anti-intellectualism. Intellectual bodies, like universities, are a threat to fascism, as in fascist regimes, only one opinion is acceptable, which is that of the ruler. In order to combat this, fascist regimes utilize propaganda to inaccurately portray dissent, as they cannot target freedom of speech, “Where speech is a right, propagandists cannot attack dissent head-on; instead they must represent it as something violent and oppressive…” (Stanley 37). With the lack of accurate views attacking fascism, fascist ideology becomes more appealing to the people. A prime example of such anti-intellectualism would be the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests of the modern era. As protests around the U.S. commenced, it was often criticized and classified as “violent” and “rioting”. The next necessary characteristic for a fascist regime would be the glorification of the “past”. This encompasses past “ethnicity”, gender roles, and sexuality. This is another form of exclusion like ultra-nationalism, that targets more people within society. With the government glorifying the past, rejecting non-conforming people of society in regards to gender roles and sexuality, people are then invited to also be against them. This overall limits the rights of people in society, creating a stricter and controlling environment, lacking self-expression. Such exclusion acts have begun to rise in the contemporary, with nativist policies stemming from the radical right advancing in Europe. Such radical right parties display opposition to people of different religions, sexual orientation, and gender, which are in accordance with fascist traits displayed in the past. Extreme right parties are also present, enacting violence and aggression. However, such traits may not be enough to fully classify this modern era of Europe as fascist. It is defensible to identify and label certain characteristics of European societies, or even that of the United States as fascist, as they coincide with such characteristics of past fascist regimes.
I thought your paragraph showed the detailed analysis of the different traits of fascism and how it arises with societal problems. I agree with your thoughts of fascism emerging from a perceived crisis and how the population feeling marginalized and threatened can create a fertile ground for radical solutions. The worshiping of a leader, as you said, can be a big role in consolidating power as the individuals abandoned their grounds of critical faculties and submit themselves to this authoritarian control. The leader's ability to sway the masses with promises of resolving societal issues is central to this process. Additionally, I liked your discussion of the ultra-nationalism and exclusion being crucial. I thought that fascist ideologies are often relying on the creation of the "us versus them" mentality through nationalism or other forms of identity based-divisions. This division fosters an environment of hate, where groups are scapegoated and their rights are increasingly stripped away. The historical example of the Nazi Germany. Propaganda, as you had brought up, plays a significant role in the shaping of public perceptions and stifling dissent. The concept of anti-intellectualism is an important characteristic fascist regimes due to the intellectual and dissenters posting as a threat or the singular narrative that fascist leaders seek to promote leading to the singular reason of why intellectual freedom is often suppressed. I really liked your comparison of modern-day Black Lives Matter protest and how it highlighted the fact that the dissent can be misrepresented. Overall, the analysis can provide a thoughtful understanding to the key components of fascism and how they are able to manifest their way into contemporary society.