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  3. 25-26 Facing History Forum 4
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microwavedpizza
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 9

LTQ Post 5 Peer Response

Originally posted by Thequeen3 on November 25, 2025 09:41

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.

I think the most compelling idea in this post (which I agree with) is that fascism provides an “easy way out” for people who are struggling. This is interesting because it shows the unstable basis needed for the establishment for a fascist movement to take place, as well as brings attention to the desperate lengths people are willing to go to in times of hardship. I agree with the thought that a leader in a fascist regime needs to be extremely nationalistic and charismatic in order to convince others to be as well. While nationalism isn't inherently a bad thing, it is important to make sure it doesn't reach an extreme level. Adding onto the idea that nationalism can create division, I also think that it can cause issues between different nations and one might see themselves as superior to another. Another good point from this student is that people's comfort levels with being outwardly discriminatory seems to be increasing. This can partially be attributed to a societal return to more traditional values in my opinion, as people use it to justify oppression or as a way to combat change. This peer and I share many similar beliefs, and overall this post is well developed and presents some intriguing ideas. The only suggestion I have is to clear up the phrase “which will most likely would make” in the last sentence to make the grammar/flow a bit smoother.

IliaElMatadorTopuria
Hyde Park, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 8

I think that the main requirement for fascism is inherent and deep-seated unrest within a given nation. I think that fascism only arises in nations that have nothing left to turn to or lose. At the end of the day, fascism is the most restricting for citizens, which makes it infinitely more difficult to enact onto a population with much to lose. For example, the people in Weimar Germany, who were in a state of dire chaos, were promised reform and a return to the great German past, ultimately leading to their quick adoption of fascist government under Hitler. I think that it is important to note the incremental rise of fascism. Hitler did not immediately start his political career calling for the death of all Jewish people, but there was a slow gradual rise to that. Through subtle propaganda, constant bombardment of antisemitism, and ultimately, the normalization of hating the Jewish race led to these policies being accepted. This goes for all other aspects of Fascism that are extremely radical. While some radical policies are immediately adopted, many aspects slowly come into being through slow incremental rise and manipulation on a massive scale. Fascism also promotes unity, strength, and power. All of these aspects are vague, but flagrant language that invigorate the population. In times of chaos and disunity, the idea of a united nation that is powerful, is very appealing. This offers a sense of purpose and ties back to back to the idea of desperate people accepting anything. Finally, the most common thing for a fascist government to have is a charismatic leader. The leaders of fascist governments are generally very popular due to their personality, which makes them appealing to the masses. One of the most dangerous characteristics for ordinary people is the scapegoating of a chosen group. In many fascist governments, a chosen group is alienated and scapegoated for all the chaos in the given period. This contributes to the aforementioned unrest and internal chaos. Ultimately, the hard times are blamed on these people and they are subsequently persecuted. Another dangerous characteristic is the removal of rights for the average citizen. Fascism is inherently very restrictive in terms of rights, but especially because of the common policy of blaming scapegoats for any number of crimes, their rights are generally heavily restricted. In addition to this, the state has total control over media and censors all opposers, which restricts freedom of speech and press. Liberties like this are generally suppressed and human rights are neglected. Fascism in the past was so easily adopted because of the horrible economic and political conditions of the past. Looking at Germany as an example, we can see that Weimar Germany was in a horrible economic situation with intense inflation and a general feeling of national humiliation. Germany was in crisis, nationally humiliated, and they had a scapegoat in Communists and Jews. The main cause for fascism in Germany though, was the Treaty of Versailles and how it humiliated and imposed harsh sanctions and restrictions on the government that crippled it and the German people.
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