The 14 Characteristics of Fascism

When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross.
                                                  --Sinclair Lewis,
                               It Can’t Happen Here. (1935)


By Gregory Patin--Activist Post

Fascism’s principles can be found in many nations. History tends to repeat itself because leaders and nations fail to learn from history, or they draw the wrong conclusions. Sadly, historical amnesia is the norm in the world today.

In the U.S., leaders, teachers, media and citizens proudly claim that America is a democratic society with certain freedoms and rights guaranteed to all citizens by the Constitution, Bill of Rights and rule of law. But is that really the case?

A close look at the 14 characteristics of fascism in light of what has changed in America in the past few years may raise some questions as to whether or not Americans truly live in a democratic society.

1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. From the prominent displays of flags and bunting to the ubiquitous lapel pins, the fervor to show patriotic nationalism, both on the part of the regime itself and of citizens caught up in its frenzy, was always obvious. Catchy slogans, pride in the military, and demands for unity were common themes in expressing this nationalism. It was usually coupled with a suspicion of things foreign that often bordered on xenophobia.

2. Disdain for the importance of human rights. The regimes themselves viewed human rights as of little value and a hindrance to realizing the objectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, the population was brought to accept these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. When abuse was egregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation.

3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. The most significant common thread among these regimes was the use of scapegoating as a means to divert the people’s attention from other problems, to shift blame for failures, and to channel frustration in controlled directions. The methods of choice—relentless propaganda and disinformation—were usually effective. Often the regimes would incite ‘spontaneous’ acts against the target scapegoats, usually communists, socialists, liberals, Jews, ethnic and racial minorities, traditional national enemies, members of other religions, secularists, homosexuals, and ‘terrorists.’ Active opponents of these regimes were inevitably labeled as terrorists and dealt with accordingly.

4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism. Ruling elites always identified closely with the military and the industrial infrastructure that supported it. A disproportionate share of national resources was allocated to the military, even when domestic needs were acute. The military was seen as an expression of nationalism, and was used whenever possible to assert national goals, intimidate other nations, and increase the power and prestige of the ruling elite.

5. Rampant sexism. Beyond the simple fact that the political elite and the national culture were male-dominated, these regimes inevitably viewed women as second-class citizens. They were adamantly anti-abortion and also homophobic. These attitudes were usually codified in Draconian laws that enjoyed strong support by the orthodox religion of the country, thus lending the regime cover for its abuses.

6. A controlled mass media. Under some of the regimes, the mass media were under strict direct control and could be relied upon never to stray from the party line. Other regimes exercised more subtle power to ensure media orthodoxy. Methods included the control of licensing and access to resources, economic pressure, appeals to patriotism, and implied threats. The leaders of the mass media were often politically compatible with the power elite. The result was usually success in keeping the general public unaware of the regimes’ excesses.

7. Obsession with national security. Inevitably, a national security apparatus was under direct control of the ruling elite. It was usually an instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond any constraints. Its actions were justified under the rubric of protecting ‘national security,’ and questioning its activities was portrayed as unpatriotic or even treasonous.

8. Religion and ruling elite tied together. Unlike communist regimes, the fascist and protofascist regimes were never proclaimed as godless by their opponents. In fact, most of the regimes attached themselves to the predominant religion of the country and chose to portray themselves as militant defenders of that religion. The fact that the ruling elite’s behavior was incompatible with the precepts of the religion was generally swept under the rug. Propaganda kept up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the ‘godless.’ A perception was manufactured that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion.

9. Power of corporations protected. Although the personal life of ordinary citizens was under strict control, the ability of large corporations to operate in relative freedom was not compromised. The ruling elite saw the corporate structure as a way to not only ensure military production (in developed states), but also as an additional means of social control. Members of the economic elite were often pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of ‘have-not’ citizens.

10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated. Since organized labor was seen as the one power center that could challenge the political hegemony of the ruling elite and its corporate allies, it was inevitably crushed or made powerless. The poor formed an underclass, viewed with suspicion or outright contempt. Under some regimes, being poor was considered akin to a vice.

11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts. Intellectuals and the inherent freedom of ideas and expression associated with them were anathema to these regimes. Intellectual and academic freedom were considered subversive to national security and the patriotic ideal. Universities were tightly controlled; politically unreliable faculty harassed or eliminated. Unorthodox ideas or expressions of dissent were strongly attacked, silenced, or crushed. To these regimes, art and literature should serve the national interest or they had no right to exist.

12. Obsession with crime and punishment. Most of these regimes maintained Draconian systems of criminal justice with huge prison populations. The police were often glorified and had almost unchecked power, leading to rampant abuse. 'Normal' and political crime were often merged into trumped-up criminal charges and sometimes used against political opponents of the regime. Fear, and hatred, of criminals or 'traitors' was often promoted among the population as an excuse for more police power.

13. Rampant cronyism and corruption. Those in business circles and close to the power elite often used their position to enrich themselves. This corruption worked both ways; the power elite would receive financial gifts and property from the economic elite, who in turn would gain the benefit of government favoritism. Members of the power elite were in a position to obtain vast wealth from other sources as well: for example, by stealing national resources. With the national security apparatus under control and the media muzzled, this corruption was largely unconstrained and not well understood by the general population.

14. Fraudulent elections. Elections in the form of plebiscites or public opinion polls were usually bogus. When actual elections with candidates were held, they would usually be perverted by the power elite to get the desired result. Common methods included maintaining control of the election machinery, intimidating and disenfranchising opposition voters, destroying or disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort, turning to a judiciary beholden to the power elite.

Anthem*

By Ayn Rand

Before you read this summary of Anthem, keep in mind that this is Paul Ryan’s bible! Now, is this a phuque or what?

Summary
As the story opens, Equality 7-2521 states that it is a sin to do the writing he is doing. It is a sin to do things that do not involve others, and the words he thinks and writes are for no eyes or ears but his. This is not his only crime. He has committed one far worse and does not know what his punishment will be if discovered.

One day, as he sweeps the streets with International 4-8818, they find an iron grill buried beneath the weeds and papers blown from the nearby theatre. When they pull at it, the earth falls in and they find a series of steps leading into the darkness below. Equality 7-2521, though frightened, descends. He finds an abandoned tunnel, which he immediately realizes is a remnant of the Unmentionable Times, the ancient, evil period prior to the establishment of the current collectivist state. Though it is unthinkable, Equality 7-2521 tells International 4-8818 that they will not report the tunnel to the Council; rather, it belongs to him.

Each night after that, when his brothers sit in the darkened theater watching plays about the virtue of toil, Equality 7-2521 steals away to his secret tunnel. There, hidden beneath the ground, he has three hours in which he does scientific research and performs experiments. He also steals manuscripts from the Scholars, and every night he studies. This activity goes on for two years.

Analysis
Equality 7-2521 is a freethinker living in a slave state. The state requires blind obedience to its decrees, which he refuses to render. He will not sacrifice his mind to the state's commands, the essence of the story's conflict. In Anthem, Ayn Rand shows the full reality of the ideals held by the Communists, Fascists, and their intellectual supporters. The underlying principle is collectivism: Society is paramount, and the individual must be subordinated to its dictates. Collectivists hold that an individual exists solely to serve the state and has no "inalienable right" to a free life or to the pursuit of happiness. Thus the citizens of this story are like mindless robots. They are not permitted to think for themselves; they must blindly obey the commands of the Councils.

In his conscious thinking, Equality 7-2521 accepts collectivism, because it is all he has been taught; nobody in this society has ever heard any different ideas. But implicitly, at the subconscious level, he holds and lives by the opposite premise, individualism: the theory that individuals have the right to think for themselves, to use their own minds and judgment in the pursuit of truth. Further, Equality 7-2521 believes that individuals have the right to choose what they want out of life — in this case, he has the right to pursue a career as a scientist because it is what he loves. Individuals, as Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence, have an "inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." In his individualism, Equality 7-2521 espouses the same ideals that form the heart of the American political system. In his rejection of collectivism, he shuns the principles of the Nazis and Communists.

The collectivism of this society explains why Equality 7-2521 is not permitted to think. If the individual must serve an all-powerful state, then it requires obedience from him. Collectivism values a blind, unquestioning allegiance—a willingness to follow orders unthinkingly. The Councils are in no danger from the mindless brutes of a society, whose strong backs are harnessed for manual labor. The Councils must fear only one foe: the freethinking mind. Equality 7-2521 represents a danger to them for he has the brainpower to question the moral rectitude of their regime—and the courage to stand by his convictions, even though his life is in danger.

Ayn Rand suggests that the reason dictators of all kinds—Fascist, Communist, or religious—always prohibit freedom of speech and of the press is that they are expressions of a deeper freedom of thought and encourage the free dissemination of ideas that collectivist societies dread. Dictators know that, in a free market of ideas, their arbitrary commands will be unable to withstand logical scrutiny. Therefore, they must ruthlessly suppress the right to think freely and to criticize their policies. Thus Equality 7-2521 is not allowed to think and is forbidden to study science.

Instead he is made a Street Sweeper. The teachers and Councils knew from his youth that his intelligence and eagerness to learn stood out. He was beyond his brothers and sisters in this respect. Because his questioning mind would not be stifled, he was punished continuously by the teachers—he was lashed more often than all the other children. Two things were clear to the Councils: Equality 7-2521 had a mind of his own, and such a dangerous commodity was not to be encouraged. Therefore, he is consigned to the mindless task of sweeping the streets. Because he has the best mind, he is forbidden to think. Such is the inversion of collectivism, where things are the opposite of how they should be. Instead of glorifying the independent mind that invents the electric light and other advances—as they should—collectivist societies do everything in their power to stifle it.

The collectivist rulers understand that the essence of collectivism is conformity to the group. It is not just that individuals must serve the group in action. Deeper, they must accept and surrender their minds to its teachings. The foundation of Equality 7-2521's individualism is not pursuing his own happiness—this is a secondary consequence—but following his own mind. An individualist, such as Equality 7-2521, does not conform; he does not surrender the sovereign judgment of his own consciousness. He understands that to be a human being is to be a thinker. What makes someone an individual is a commitment to live by one's own best thinking—a refusal to betray one's mind, to yield the truth in order to follow the group. "To thine own self be true," says Polonius to Laertes in Hamlet. In Anthem, Ayn Rand shows that commitment to one's self is fundamentally commitment to one's mind.

A striking aspect of this society's war on the individual is its collectivization of the language, its eradication of all singular first-person references such as "I" or "me." By extirpating these words, the rulers have removed the possibility of even thinking in individualistic terms. From infancy, children are raised to think and speak of themselves only as "we." They are not permitted to know such a concept as "I." They know of an "Unspeakable Word," that to discover and speak that word is death, but they do not know what it is. In a brilliantly original indictment of collectivism, Ayn Rand points out that to fully subordinate the individual mind to society, collectivists must wipe out the very concept of an individual. If they succeed at this, there is no possibility of standing up to the stifling call for obedience; there is no independent mind to defend and no means by which to do so. The collectivists have wiped out individualism in language and in thought, as well as in action.

A further point raised in this chapter, which recurs throughout the story, is the struggle of an innovator against a society resistant to new ideas. Equality 7-2521 is like many of the great thinkers and scientists of history who have met hostility from the leaders of their times. Socrates was put to death by Athenian society for the originality of his ideas. Galileo was threatened with torture by the Inquisition for defending the heliocentric theory in astronomy—and his earlier colleague, Giordano Bruno, was burned at the stake for the same reason. In free societies such as the United States, inventive thinkers such as Robert Fulton, the Wright brothers, and innovative architect Frank Lloyd Wright, merely face opposition from private citizens who follow tradition, but are not confronted with an all-powerful dictator who demands obedience. Such innovators are often mocked and ostracized, but not put to death. But Equality 7-2521 faces a collectivist state in which freethinking has been outlawed—much like an independent person in Nazi Germany or in Soviet Russia—and pursuit of new truths will result in his execution if apprehended. This risk is the fate of an innovator in a Fascist or Communist society. All who do not kneel and obey shall be imprisoned or executed.

So, do you really want to see this freak become the Vice President of this great country? And, don't forget Mittens would be at the helm.