What is the definition of Fascism?

Question

Am curious to learn the difference between fascism and communism and a country ruled by a dictatorship

Answer 1

Technically, Fascism refers to the government of Benito Mussolini in Italy between 1922 and 1943.

The word comes from the old Roman word 'fascio', which generally refered to the bundle of sticks the legions would carry around as a mark of their authority. Mussolinin picked the word as it summoned up the grand Roman Empire in the minds of Italians, an Empire which he promised to surpass.

The trouble with Mussolini's style of government was that it changed rather rapidly and continually, depending on what he thought was necessary at the time. The consistant factors, however, have helped to lend some sort of defination to the term and through that people have used the word broadly.

Defining factors include:
one absolute ruler of the politcal state, with no higher authority;
absence of any sort of democratic process;
the desire of the state to control every aspect of individual's lives;
a harsh, repressive, and often violent response to disent;
an extremely nationalisitic, often racist, world view;
a tendency towards equating military strength with national pride and necessity;
and the belief that the nation is more important than the individual.

Still not so clear on the differences? It's understandable. The main differences, rather than being in the way people do things, is in the reasons why they do things.

A communist state, in theory, is run for the people, by the people. A fascist state is run by the state, for the state.

A communist state doesn't need all the apparatus of a democratic state because everyone works for the comman good. Everyone needs food, so there are people who grow it, people who harvest it, people who make it and people who distribute it. Everyone's worked hard to make the food, so everyone along the chain gets a fair share. And then there's the people who built your house for you - they need food, so you trade your food-making skills for their house-building skills. See how it's meant to work?

In a facist state, people still need food, but it comes from the state. The workforce needs food in order to produce goods, and so part of the workforce is allocated the job of producing food. When the food is done, the state then takes it and distributes it among the workforce, as it feels necessary. Once the workforce have the basic necessities of life - food, shelter, etc. - the rest of the workforce can make things the state feels are important, such as weapons.

That's the theory, anyway. In practice, Communism only works in small communities, and when it becomes nationwide, it takes on many facist characteristics. People over the other side of the country need food, so the state takes it from one side to the other and the people making the food are left wondering why they're still starving. They get upset, restless and eventually angry. They start revolting, and stop producing food, and so the rest of the country begins to starve. The state sends in the troops, and forces the workers to go back to work. Prevention, of course, is better than cure, so the troops stay there and beat down anyone who starts to question why they're starving when they spend all day every day making bread.

A dictatorship is a country ruled by an absolute ruler, a single person with no higher authority and absolute control over all aspects of policy. It doesn't necessarily imply any degree of ideology or governance style. The referee in a football match is a dictator as far as the game goes, as there is no authority on the pitch who can over rule them and his final decision is absolute. However, he works to a set of rules that all in the 'state' know and understand, and works for the commanly accepted idea of what is best for the state. So, a dictator can sometimes be a good thing. The Pope is a dictator, technically.

Answer 2

Fascism is a radical totalitarian political philosophy that combines elements of corporatism, authoritarianism, extreme nationalism, militarism, anti-anarchism, anti-communism and anti-liberalism.

The original fascist (fascismo) movement ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. In time, the generic term fascism came to cover a class of authoritarian political ideologies, parties, and political systems, most notably Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler but also Hungary's Arrow Cross Party, Romania's Iron Guard, Spain's Falange and the French political movements led by former socialists Marcel Déat and Jacques Doriot and others.

Answer 3

Fascism is a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation (nationalism, patriotism) and often race (we don't want immigrants here) above the individual; and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader (Bush), severe economic and social regimentation (tax breaks for the rich, misery for the rest), and forcible suppression or denigration (Karl Rove is great at this) of the opposition (saying bad things about them and putting them down)...In other words, fascism is the current American form of gvernment.

Answer 4

Fascism is not necessarily a dictatorship - it is inflexible rule by, and in the sole interests of, an established elite.
Join that elite and you can rule too... i.e., be part of a tiny dog wagging an enormous tail...

Communism is really the opposite... Just aan enormous tail...! - and no dog at all...!!! Or it was originally meant to be - (not by the Soviets, but by revolutionary France - and, later, Karl Marx)

Answer 5

Fascism is a radical totalitarian political philosophy that combines elements of corporatism, authoritarianism, extreme nationalism, militarism, anti-anarchism, anti-communism and anti-liberalism.

The original fascist (fascismo) movement ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. In time, the generic term fascism came to cover a class of authoritarian political ideologies, parties, and political systems, most notably Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler but also Hungary's Arrow Cross Party, Romania's Iron Guard, Spain's Falange and the French political movements led by former socialists Marcel Déat and Jacques Doriot and others.



Communism is a political ideology that seeks to establish a future classless, stateless social organization based upon common ownership of the means of production. It can be classified as a branch of the broader socialist movement. Communism also refers to a variety of political movements which claim the establishment of such a social organization as their ultimate goal.

Early forms of human social organization have been described as "primitive communism" by Marxists. However, communism as a political goal generally is a conjectured form of future social organization which has never been implemented. There is a considerable variety of views among self-identified communists, including Maoism, Trotskyism, council communism, Luxemburgism, and various currents of left communism, which are generally the more widespread varieties. However, various offshoots of the Soviet (what critics call the "Stalinist") and Maoist forms of Marxism-Leninism comprise a particular branch of communism that has the distinction of having been the primary driving force for communism in world politics during most of the 20th century. The competing branch of Trotskyism has not had such a distinction.

Karl Marx held that society could not be transformed from the capitalist mode of production to the communist mode of production all at once, but required a state transitional period which Marx described as the revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat. The communist society Marx envisioned emerging from capitalism has never been implemented, and it remains theoretical. However, the term "Communism," especially when the word is capitalized, is often used to refer to the political and economic regimes under communist parties which claimed to be the dictatorship of the proletariat.

Answer 6

fascism is a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition"

Communism is often mistaken as fascism, due to anti-communist propaganda. Communism is a political ideology that seeks to establish a future classless, stateless social organization based upon common ownership of the means of production.

Fascism is anti-communist.

Answer 7

George Bush and his band of war mongers are a good example of fascism. However they have not acheived dictatorship yet as we do have elections no matter how rigged they were in the last two presidental elections.

Answer 8

Facism is a one part system of govt., where the people are subjected to the control of the military, or secret police, rigid censorship, and government brainwashing(regimentation). Dictatorship is whereby one person is in TOTAL control of the government.

Answer 9

Fascism is a radical totalitarian political philosophy, it is a governmental method, whereas Communism is in reality an economic system.

Answer 10

often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition