There’s a lot going on in the political realm right now, both on the state and national level.
As the Wyoming legislature debates hot-button topics in the general session and President Trump continues to issue executive orders in his first two weeks, there are lots of discussions, and lots of strong feelings, connected to politics. In the midst of discussions and strong feelings, words tend to get thrown around, often without people having a full understanding of what the terms they’re hearing and using actually mean.
Some of the terms that have come up recently refer to types of government and rule, such as “oligarchy” and “plutocracy.” Oligarchy is defined as “government by the few,” while “plutocracy” is “government by the wealthy.”
But one of the main words that has been going around, which is often misunderstood, is “fascism.” In some ways, it’s one of the easiest go-to insults for political opponents. During the presidential election, both Trump and Kamala referred to each other as fascist. Sometimes the term is used by people who are simply trying to criticize those they disagree with. Other times, people are trying to point out valid concerns about policies and ideologies that do line up with historic examples of fascism.
So, if we’re going to be using this word, let’s make sure we know what it actually means.
“Fascism” is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a populist political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual, that is associated with a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, and that is characterized by severe economic and social regimentation and by forcible suppression of opposition.”
Ok, that’s a lot, and as usual there are other words that also need to be defined within the definition. “Populist” means “relating to or characteristic of a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups.” “Autocratic” refers to “autocracy,” which is “government in which one person possesses unlimited power.”
While there are some definitions like this available, many have agreed that fully defining fascism is difficult, but there are often several similar features among fascist regimes. The most well-known examples of fascist rulers and regimes in history are Benito Mussolini in Italy, the first fascist country, and Adolph Hitler in Nazi Germany.
The Encyclopaedia Britannica notes that fascist parties and movements have differed throughout history, but pointed out that some of the common features include “extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the rule of elites...”
There is a picture and post that has circulated online with a list of “early warning signs of fascism,” which is usually said to be from the US Holocaust Museum. For the sake of clarity, it’s been pointed out that the list was on a poster that was at one point sold in the Holocaust Museum gift shop. The list comes from an op-ed written by Laurence W. Britt in 2003 which listed “common threads” between seven historic fascist regimes.
The list is: powerful and continuing nationalism, disdain for human rights, identification of enemies as a unifying cause, supremacy of the military, rampant sexism, controlled mass media, obsession with national security, religion and government intertwined, corporate power protected, labor power suppressed, disdain for intellectuals and the arts, obsession with crime and punishment, rampant cronyism and corruption, and fraudulent elections.
The Holocaust Encyclopedia notes that fascism “combines elements of nationalism, militarism, economic self-sufficiency, and totalitarianism. It opposes communism, socialism, pluralism, individual rights and equality, and democratic government.”
One point that is made here but is often misunderstood is that fascism is not connected to socialism or communism, and in fact is usually opposed to it.
Obviously, both fascism and other political terms going around all have whole libraries of books written on them. It’s probably not a bad idea to check out some of those books. But at the very least, we all need a basic understanding of the terms we’re hearing, especially if we want to use them to meaningfully contribute to the conversation.
But beyond just talking about these concepts, what’s most important right now is to pay close attention to whether we can see these terms in action and understand how these concepts can be applied to our nation.
We all know that history is doomed to repeat itself, so it’s important to take the time to look at history – from a variety of perspectives and sources – to see if patterns are repeating, and consider what we can do about them.
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