The 14 Characteristics of Fascism
Dr. Lawrence Britt, Free Inquiry, Spring 2003, p.20
http://www.secularhumanism.org/fi/

Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, studied the fascist
regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto
(Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile). He found the regimes shared 14 identifying
characteristics of fascism:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to
make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other
paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing
and in public displays.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of
enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are
persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of
"need." The
people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary
executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The
people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to
eliminate
a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities;
liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic
problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government
funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service
are glamorized.

5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost
exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender
roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia
and anti-gay legislation and national policy.

6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes the media is directly controlled by
the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by
government regulation, or sympathetic mediaspokespeople and executives.
Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool
by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist
nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to
manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from
government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are
diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy
of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into
power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and
power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor
is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either
eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote
and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not
uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even
arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments
often refuse to fund the arts.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the
police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are
often willing to overlook police abuses, and even forego civil liberties in
the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with
virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always
are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other
to government positions and use governmental power and authority to
protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist
regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even
outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are
a  complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear
campaigns  against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of
legislation  to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and
manipulation of the media. Fascist nations alsotypically use their
judiciaries to
manipulate or control elections.