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The characteristics that must be present within a society for it to be fascist are authoritarian leadership,suppression of democracy,scapegoating of certain minority groups, and propaganda. There are many other things that may be incorporated into a fascist society but in my own opinion I think that these are the most important because without them a society cannot be fascist. I believe the characteristics that represent the most danger to the ordinary people in society is the suppression of democracy, and the scapegoating of the certain minority groups. I think this is because with the suppression of democracy within a society people no longer have the freedom to do what they want within a society. These lack of freedoms take away from the differences within society and cause the group to conform into being all very alike, and within the likes of the leaders of the fascist movements. I believe that the scapegoating of the minority group also represents a lot of danger to the general republic because it puts the blame on just ordinary people for doing nothing wrong at all. Within this the fascist leaders are able to get away with a lot more terrible things, and just by putting the blame upon the minority group. An example of this would be Nazi Germany during WW2. The Nazi party which was led by Adolf Hitler did absolutely atrocious things to the society while leading there fascist movement, and put the blame upon the minority group which was the Jews. Although they did not do anything they were discriminated against, and sent to concentration camps where millions were slaughtered in cold blood. This movement shows how dangerous and affecting the fascist movement was to the ordinary people in society who did not affect any part of what was going on within the fascist movements. Facism was often accepted easily in past societies because it came more often in periods of severe economic instability, social fragmentation, and widespread disillusionment with existing political systems, which allowed for the leaders who gave good speeches or were charismatic to present the fascist movements as a good alternative for there society. They would present the movement as one that promised national pride,unity,and order which many of these past societies did not have during times of struggle. Many of the people were already exhausted from unemployment, and inflation and were drawn to the appeal that there society would become strong and discipline, and that just maybe they would be able to get out of the economic struggles. While the things that werent good with the fascist regime such as the scapegoating of minorities,violence, and complex problems were not presented as much as the other more positive things within the regime. This caused the citizens to underestimate how power the movement could become. Many of the citizens would comply to the fascist regime out of fear of intimidation, and political repression. Many also feared that they would be harmed or taken in by the regime do to going against the ideas. The rest of the citizens suffered from conformity due to it being the easy was out of the problems within there lives.

In order for a society to be considered fascist, it must be defined by hypernationalism, dictatorship, and conformity to a singular ideology. Although there are other aspects tied to fascist societies, these three components combined are the foundation and should serve as key indicators that civilization is turning towards fascism. Another key aspect of fascism is the way it has always historically begun: discontentment with a certain economic, social, or political issue. In the chaos of the issue, any group can swoop in and claim they have the solution to the issue. This group can easily transform the country into a fascist society if people aren’t wary of it. Conformity is especially dangerous when these developments are taking place, as resistance becomes impossible. A lack of intellectual thinking, or ideas that deviate from the norm, results from conformity. Once this happens, the government has full control over the thoughts of the people and can manipulate it however it pleases in order to maintain rule. In the past, fascism was easily accepted by people because humans tend to think simplistically. From a psychological point of view, people will prefer to think plainly before they are required to think critically. This creates a flaw as society modernizes because many will tend to fall back on simple solutions and conspiracies to answer much more complex issues. For example, the Nazi party pinned all the misfortune of Germany on the actions of Jewish people and communists. Creating an enemy to blame for the economic and societal disaster of post WWI Germany creates a unified, nationalist German identity. Umberto Eco, in his book Ur-Fascism, describes that “to those with no social identity at all, Ur-Fascism says that their only privilege is the most common privilege of all, that of being born in the same country [. . . .] the only ones who can provide the nation with an identity are the enemy” (Eco 21). Creating an us vs. them mentality through hypernationalist rhetoric allowed the Nazis to “provide the nation with an identity” and unite the people under a common ideology (Eco 21). The Nazi party took advantage of people’s preference to believe in conspiracies and hatred for a common enemy in order to consolidate power and influence within Germany.

Currently, the US also displays some characteristics of historic fascist societies, particularly intense nationalism. The Make America Great Again movement mirrors the same right-winged hypernationalistic rhetoric of fascist societies of the past. In addition, it emphasizes redeeming or enhancing the power of their country. The MAGA movement hopes to strengthen the economy through domestic manufacturing and creating a self-sufficient US. Similar to Nazi Germany, the followers of this movement have intense pride in their country and a savior figure that they believe will guide America towards glory. MAGA allows people to find a sense of belonging, supporting similar goals and conforming to one ideology. These aspects still appeal to people today because, again, people like to think simplistically. People in MAGA are typically seen by others as uneducated and unaware of what they’re supporting because they are so swept up in the movement and a desire for change.

For a society to be considered fascist, authoritarian control, nationalism, and violence must be present. These are just some of the many characteristics that make up a fascist society. Fascist societies will have a strong worship of a leader who influences all of the things present in society. Hitler in Nazi Germany is a huge example of a fascist society; he influenced everyone blindly with propaganda and fear. It is also seen in fascist societies that there is a scapegoat, a group of people that is easy to point the finger at, the “outsiders.” In the reading, “The Psychology of Fascism” from Comparative Civilizations Review, they explain, “The characteristics of Generic Fascism may include identity politics; the creation of a nationalistic authoritarian state; the positive evaluation of violence; the extreme stress on masculinity; the exalting of youth over other phases of life; an attack on individual thinking and egalitarianism; and an authoritarian, charismatic style of leadership.” This introduces even more characteristics that are necessary in which Ziegler introduces.

One of the most important elements is the establishment of a leader who has total control over a society. This control is achieved through a cult personality, propaganda, and fear. They are presented as the nation's savior, even though that is not the case, and they are putting more people in danger. They demand absolute loyalty, and it involves taking away human rights and privacy to make sure they receive it. They gain tight control over every aspect of life, including the media, the economy, and education, to ensure there are no rebels. A fascist society overall puts the interests of the nation over individual lives.

One of the other most dangerous parts of fascism is the leader's pick of the scapegoats or people who are easy for the leader to blame for the nation's failures. For example, in Germany, Hitler was the leader of the Nazis, and he would do anything to maintain his power. He put all the blame on the Jews, even though they were innocent, and they were killed for something they had no control over. When groups are singled out, it leads to discrimination and genocide. It is very dangerous for certain people to be targeted. Blaming others for problems gives ordinary citizens a sense of control in everything. People's freedom is stripped away from them, and innocent citizens are at a high risk of violence and imprisonment.

In the past, fascism was so easily accepted by societies because of economic instability, fear, propaganda, nationalism, and pride. Each of these reasons played a role in making citizens accept fascism in society. When citizens had economic instability, it made it easier for them to follow fake promises of making the nation better because they wanted to believe it was true. Glorifying the leader was also a way in which a leader with total control could remain in power. As leaders like this, they emphasize the nation's greatness and show pride in the nation's appeal to people's need to belong.

A fascist society and government are easy to identify, but they are hard to overthrow once they build momentum and gain both popularity, and power. When a fascist government rises to power and takes control of a country, its people, and its resources, there are very common practices and ideologies that they follow. First, they focus very heavily on their military and constantly improving it, they also often boast this massive military. Second, they are all right leaning and conservative , some more than others but all of them share it in a sense. And lastly, their governments all started as democracies and then slowly, or quickly, turned into a dictatorship where only one party was allowed in the government and they had total rule over all of its branches. This essentially lets them do whatever they want with the country, its military, land, citizens, and money. Obviously, this leads to greed, overspending, and overall poor treatment of the country and its economy. When these fascist dictatorships eventually crumble, they leave behind a broken shell of what was often a great and wealthy country. They destroy the economy, they brainwash their citizens with propaganda, and they often kill innocent civilians due to their race, sexual orientation, disability, and many other factors. “Hard right is a term that has been widely used by media outlets, including the Guardian. Rooduijn advised against it. “I think it’s more confusing than anything else,” he said. Often, the term is used to describe parties that may have moderated their tone or stances while campaigning for an election, or once they are in government. “Parties do change over time; they can become more, or less, moderate,” Rooduijn said.” Hard right parties are most certainly the most extreme, dangerous, and radical parties that have the abilities to bring war, death, and suffering to the entire planet. A great example of this is the Nazi party. They slowly crept their way into power with Hitler eventually being named as chancellor of Germany. From there, he dissolved all political parties but his, took full control of the entire government, and started his ethnic cleanse of Germany, slaughtering anyone who did not fit his physical criteria. What is most striking however, is how Hitler began his full dive into a far right and extremist dictatorship. When the Reichstag building, home to the German Parliament, caught fire, it allowed Hitler to place full and total blame on communists and led people to believe that there were people within the state that were trying to overthrow and topple Germany. Using this as a motive, he was allowed to publicly massacre millions of Jewish people, along with millions of other innocent civilians.

In today's climate, America is seeming more and more like a dictatorship to people. Donald Trump is often labelled as a fascist, and a villain, and America is seeming more and more divided every day. The actions of the government are increasingly getting closer to the fine line between Democracy and a Fascist Dictatorship.

Fascism is a right-leaning political movement that is complex. It’s compared to jello as it shifts to take many different forms depending on the time. There are many characteristics that could be present for a society to be considered fascist. When discussing this topic during class, I noted that my peers pointed out characteristics such as a strong leader, ultra nationalism, propaganda, the youth perspective, and manipulation. Although this list isn't every characteristic that could represent a fascist society, I think they are pretty important ones that represent the most danger to ordinary people in society. Stated by Umberto Eco in his Excerpts from Ur-Fascism “all you need is one of them to be present, and a Fascist nebula will begin to coagulate.” Umberto is suggesting that there are many aspects making up fascism and fascist societies, so even having just one of these traits present could lead to a fascist state. Furthermore, fascism was so easily accepted by people in societies in the past because it was easy to use a scapegoat, a group or person to point a finger at as the “outsiders” and blame them for problems and conflicts in society. If there was one group being blamed, ordinary people would just hop on board and believe what the majority was saying.

Whether the United States is currently experiencing characteristics of historic fascist societies is an ongoing debate. People argue that president Donald Trump is a fascist leader as he displays fascist characteristics. These characteristics include scapegoating, presenting himself as the best leader, and political violence. They say he points a finger at immigrants as threats to our country and then has them removed through programs like ICE. It’s also said that his MAGA movement creates a place for people to take immense pride in their country, having a strong sense of nationalism. On the other hand, others disagree with the idea that Trump is a fascist leader. He doesn’t point a finger at immigrants just because he feels like it. He supports legal immigration and wants the illegal immigrants removed from the country since they didn’t enter legally. He never tried to oppress his opposition and his policies are not race based, rather focused more on illegal immigration.

The current climate in the US is different from fascist societies that we have seen throughout history. Unlike North Korea where the citizens are strictly monitored and their media is all propaganda to only allow access to what the president wants them to see, the US government doesn’t block out certain perspectives and we are able to access different perspectives all the time. In addition, I don’t think our democratic society is immune to fascist ideology, but since there’s so much diversity in the US it’s definitely easier to resist it. Finally I’d like to say that right-leaning political movements aren’t inherently fascist, rather it’s hyperbolic rhetoric used to bring attention to conservative ideas that the left disagrees with. This is dangerous as the left is tossing around the term fascism which is diluting the meaning of it.

There are a number of different criteria that must be present for a regime to be considered fascist. However, not each aspect is necessary and different combinations of factors can be seen across different regimes. Additionally, many countries possess some of these characteristics, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are fascist. Some examples of these criteria include: ultra nationalism, worship of the leader, social conservatism, supremacy of the military, desire for territorial expansion, anti-intellectualism, obsession with “enemies within,” scapegoats, lack of human rights, propaganda, return to traditional gender roles, and glorification of the past. The criteria pertaining to traditionalism are also touched upon in Umberto Eco’s “Ur-Fascism” when he discusses the “cult of tradition” and its historical origins and how it ties into other aspects of fascism, such as no advancement of learning.

One of the aspects of fascism that represents one of the greatest threats to ordinary people is the desire for territorial expansion. In many cases, this will eventually lead to some sort of conflict, such as a war. This then causes unnecessary violence and puts the citizens in harm’s way. They may also then have to fund such wars, which could hurt the economy and the people. Another aspect of fascism that poses a threat to the people is the rise of anti-intellectualism. This is because it discourages the intellectual thought that allows people to question these fascist regimes and stop them from imposing laws and policies that are drastic and harmful. Two other criteria that represent a threat to the ordinary people are a lack of human rights and the identification of a scapegoat, which often go hand in hand. Fascist regimes typically choose a group to target, and then deprive them of their human rights, subjecting them to unimaginable atrocities. This has occurred on many different occasions, such as German antisemitism in the 1930s-40s eventually leading to the Holocaust. A final criteria that poses a threat is a glorification of the past. This is often what causes things such as traditionalism and a return to past gender roles to occur, and it erases the advancements that these countries have experienced before the regime, such as the granting of rights to a previously marginalized group.

Fascism was at its most popular in the mid to late 1900s. This was a century that faced a number of different conflicts such as both world wars or the great depression, and these had a huge impact on societies across the world. Because of this, a sense of demoralization arose, which allowed for these fascist regimes to take hold. They provided people with an outlet for their emotions and a cause that made them feel like they were a part of something big. These regimes also frequently honed in on a common enemy, and this also contributed to the rise of these regimes as it united people.

There are many criteria for fascist societies, which makes it easy to assume that a number of different societies are fascist, but in reality it is an incorrect assumption. The country may be facing issues, but that doesn’t mean that they will form a fascist regime. Many of these criteria also have the capacity to pose great threats to the common people, and many of them are interconnected. This also leads many to wonder why there would be any appeal for fascism if it so negatively affects people, but it is because it arises as a source of hope and belonging in times of great turmoil.

Facism consists of a variety of factors, and doesn’t follow a strict set of rules. It is hard to define, but rather relies on a cluster of recognizable characteristics that work together on people. It doesn’t rely solely on one factor but on the intensity of multiple factors. However there are a few key characteristics that can help to define these societies as fascist. These features include intense nationalism, the limitation of knowledge, as well as a hierarchy built off of the hate of others. Fascist societies often contain nationalism, which promotes unity and collective choices. Nationalism brings people to feel as though they are a part of a community and find a purpose in their lives, placing themselves in a feeling of safety and superiority. This can lead to people accepting harmful ideas and being easily manipulated. Fascist societies also use the community to gain control and from this there tends to form an idea of superiority in the country. From this, a fascist society tends to include a hierarchy that pushes people to scorn those at the bottom and strive to move up. From this grows a society full of pressure and distrust. Fascist societies tend to create a fear of people who may appear different or like “outsiders.” This can become super dangerous as it takes away from the humanity of individuals and the beauty of diversity. The Psychology of Fascism: Wilhelm Reich Et Al includes an important reflection from Ziegler, “ (Zeigler, 2021, p.24): At the center of the anti-enlightenment lies the idea that humans are all different, should not be treated equally, should not be handled according to their deeds, and should not be respected as individuals. (This idea) degrades the roles of freedom and individual human rights and promotes national myths and legends.” This emphasizes how society will move away from diversity and individuality and stray toward conformity and group decisions with easy influential people. This becomes very dangerous as it allows dictatorship, mass movements and groupthink. Another incredibly important factor is the societal push towards anti-intellectualism and disregard for facts and knowledge. As written by Umerto Eco in an excerpt from ‘ur fascism’ in How to spot a fascist (1997, 2001), “there can be no advancement of learning.” This allows people to be uncertain of a truth and therefore easier to manipulate. When citizens are denied access to information they cannot challenge government actions and access point of views. The danger of these characteristics is how unnotiable they may be to those living in the society. People fall into the trap of society and the masses when it is too late so it is always important to look out for these situations. In the past many societies have embraced these fascist ways not solely because the people desired a form of cruelty, but because these fascist ideologies offered simple solutions during complicated unpredictable times. Society becomes fascist from these dangerous traits and thrives of off the exploitation of human desires for certainty, identity and purpose.

Characteristics that I think must be present for a society to be considered fascist is ultra-nationalism, the restriction of civil liberties and freedom of speech, and a charismatic figure that is able to rally people together that are vulnerable due to their own experiences or are looking for a simple solution to a complex problem. These reasons that are listed are definitely some characteristics that represent the most danger to ordinary people in society, but some more characteristics that I think pose a great danger to ordinary people in society are political instability and the celebration and advertisement of militarism. Fascism was so easily accepted by people in societies in the past because they were in economic turmoil and political instability, this led the people to turn to whatever reason they could find to blame as the root cause of these events, even if that meant ostracizing a group of people, and this transition to fascism is usually led by a charismatic leader. I think the United States is experiencing characteristics of historic fascist societies but it is not a direct mirror of fascist societies in the past, because since it has been a long time since the last notable fascist society, these characteristics have definitely evolved and changed and this shows that current nations may embody some characteristics but it is different than any historic fascist regime. There is also polarization in the United States and even some very far left or right-winged groups blaming a certain group of people for their problems or scapegoating. These characteristics have evolved and appear differently than in the 20th century, and these are often expressed through media and political discourse instead of direct authoritarian control. These traits and other ones have remained appealing because they provide identity, belonging, and security. The nationalist rhetoric can make people feel valued and led by strong leaders who promise quick and easy fixes to appeal to those who are frustrated with slow democratic processes. In a world of economic inequality, cultural change, and political change, the simplicity and feeling of certainty offered by these leaders can feel reassuring, even if they carry dangerous consequences. This glorification of national pride and the promise of restoring greatness resonate with those who feel left behind, making these traits even more emotionally powerful despite their grave consequences. The current U.S. climate differs from historic fascist societies because democratic institutions, free elections, and civil society still function as guardrails. Unlike Germany or Italy in the 1930s, the U.S. has stronger checks and balances that make fascism less likely. Democracy is also not immune to fascist ideology since history has shown that even strong systems can erode if their citizens stop upholding the rules and barriers. Although this can happen, the U.S. system is more resilient than societies that collapsed or transitioned into authoritarianism. Right-leaning movements are not inherently fascist, conservatism emphasizes tradition, a limited government, and free markets. While fascism demands authoritarian control, suppression of oppression., and militarized nationalism. This label of conservative ideas as fascist is often exaggerated to discredit political opponents rather than an accurate description.

There are many different aspects of a fascist society that differ throughout time. However there are a few constants. One aspect that is essential in a fascist society is extreme nationalism. Nationalism is how the dictator garners support for his ideology, and he uses patriotic feelings in the mass to say that what they are doing is justified, because everyone else is not as good as them. It can also allow them to appear moderate to the people, so that more ordinary people start to support them. For example, when the Nazis were first rising to power, they severely toned down the anti Semitic rhetoric in their party and outwardly focused more on trying to restore Germany to its former glory. This is one of the most dangerous aspects of fascism, as it is how they rope in the regular people in a society and transform them into radicals.

For people to accept leaders like Hitler and Mussolini, there would have to be some level of civil unrest and upset in the people. A stable society does not vote for dictators. The people are looking for a quick and easy fix to a complicated problem, that’s why they want dictators. The burden they felt post World War I was a financial one caused by the Treaty of Versailles. This indebted Germany 33 billion dollars, along with cutting their army size in half. The people had to work to compensate for this burden, and now half of the men in the army have no way of getting pay to support their families. The German people had felt like they had been wronged by their previous government and by the Allies, which is what drew them to powerful figures like Hitler. He said what they wanted to hear and he was put into the seat of a dictator by the people.

`Since there are many different aspects of fascism in many different fascist regimes, there can be certain aspects that exist in a democratic society. For instance, there can be a strong pride in the country about their culture and heritage. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your nation and where you came from, the problem arises when it starts to become a feeling of inherent superiority to other people.

Right winged ideologies are therefore not inherently fascist, as even though they can share aspects. I believe it is more in the way that the beliefs are carried out more than anything else. Fascists seek to impose their ideas onto others in order to maintain control and keep chaos at a minimum, while ideas on the right do not seek to impose beliefs onto anyone forcefully