What do we mean by fascism?

The meaning of terms like racism or fascism are lost in the mists of time, and these days many people just use them to mean whatever they please

Since the end of the Second World War, the word ‘fascist’ has been used indiscriminately as a catch-all, pejorative expression which is liberally applied alike to military dictators, unpopular politicians and even ordinary police officers going about their duties. The real meaning of fascism seems at times to have been all but forgotten. The fascist movements though which were seen in in Europe during the 1930s shared distinct features which enable us to distinguish genuine ‘fascists’ from other political groups. First, and most importantly, such groups have a mistrust of democracy, which borders on contempt. Even when they exploit the machinery of democracy to achieve their ends, they have no respect for it. Fascist movements tend to be financed by the wealthy, rather than getting their money from small donations and membership fees from their rank and file. Aristocrats and bankers are likely to provide the money, often because they hope to exploit the group for their own purposes; perhaps by using them to combat socialism, an ideology which they think might damage their business interests. There is a fierce intolerance of any opposition to their political aims; either from within the party or in society at large. Opposition or dissent within the group typically results in purges of rebellious members; when those outside set themselves against the movement, this is often met with terrorism, either in the form of attacks on individuals or by more indiscriminate means.

      In addition to the above, there is what the Nazis called the Führerprinzip, or ‘leader principle’. This means that the leader of the party or movement is the ultimate arbiter of what is and is not acceptable; his or her word has unshakable authority and overrules everybody else’s views and opinions and even the law of the land. This of course is why fascist leaders prefer to be dictators, rather than to depend upon the constantly changing wishes of a fickle electorate or unreliable legislature.

     There are other notable characteristics of fascism, such as fervent and bellicose nationalism, often combined with racism and anti-Semitism, but these are not integral to fascist movements.

It goes without saying that the meaning of words change and mutate over the course of time, and we cannot try to pin them down and preserve an original meaning for all time. Language does not work like that. Nevertheless, words must be capable of some definition, otherwise they become meaningless babble. The word ‘fascist’ is more popular in western society today than it ever has been, but those fond of using it are very reluctant to be pinned down about what they mean by the term. We are assured that in America, Donald trump is a fascist, and the same is asserted of British politician Nigel Farage, but when one asks those describing those two men in such a way what they actually mean by the term, they tend to grow uncomfortable or angry. This is an indication that the word has changed from being a useful descriptor of a specific political system into a pointless expression of disapproval. In other words, it is not an objective description, but a personal opinion.