Fascism

In academic and popular discussion, there is a great misunderstanding of how fascism functions and how it forms. Here I will discuss the precepts and the formation of fascist societies and governments, as this subject is largely misunderstood in popular discourse. What is fascism? Are European governments arriving closer and closer to fascism? The answer to these two questions is far less simple than they would appear.

The first element of fascism is nationalism. Nationalism and the nation-state are two fundamental elements of a fascist government—any government that sponsors the belief that the nation should come before the individual is nationalistic. This nationalism is a trait of right-wing organization and of fascism specifically. Often fascism evokes a national mythology which Öcalan (a Kurdish organizer) refers to as "pseudo-religious." The nation and the founders of the nation serve the same role that gods and scriptures did in the previous eras of state organization, where kings ruled by divine right. Now they rule with the support of the nation, no longer tied to gods, but to the founding mythology that theoretically is tied to the people, for now states are avowedly secular—the secularization has merely shifted the religious to a separate quasi-religious justification for the authority of the nation-state. As such, the state can retain the religious-esque authority it previously retained. The fascist state is fanatically dedicated to not only the nation, but the dominant vision of the nation—in white-majority countries this is white, often Christian, and "middle class." The aspects of the nation vary from country to country.

A second element of fascism is authoritarianism. Repression is necessary to retain order in fascist society. As such, those with dissenting political opinions, who are violent, and who speak against the state are often arrested or outright murdered by the state or its actors. Freedom of speech is frowned upon in fascist society because freedom of speech threatens the unity of the nation. The nation is to be held above reproach, to be held above anything which can corrupt it. To criticize the country is heretical in the pseudo-religious authority structure of the nation-state, and to criticize or disrespect its flag, symbology, or mythology is to bring upon oneself either censure, imprisonment, or death. To teach anything aside from the dominant nationalist mythology is to bring upon oneself censure or death, and if one is within the school system doing so, they will be removed and possibly killed. Those with dissenting opinions will be shunned from society.

A third element of fascism is nihilism. The nation-state is the only meaningful element of society, and in societies where the nation-state is the dominant moral power, there effectively becomes no morals, and all things are justifiable because anything that benefits the state becomes moral. Morality is skewed in societies under a fascist government. Humans can be worth less than animals. The nation is above reproach, nothing it does can be immoral, and as such, everything it does is moral. The morals of society include no recourse for decent individuals—freeing those imprisoned for no reason will bring the condemnation of society and possibly death implemented by the state. To read certain texts will be considered immoral or will lead to moral degradation, despite the fact that morals have already deteriorated far further than any book could degrade them. This utter lack of morality or compassion is often found in fascist states.

The fourth element is fear. If one has opinions contrary to the national narrative, they keep it to themselves, because nobody can be trusted. The nation-state has a secret police. If one expresses anti-government opinions or criticizes anything in society to anybody, that person could tell somebody who could tell the secret police, or that person themselves can tell the secret police. The secret police are everywhere, surveillance is common, and any and all communications are monitored by the state and secret police, especially the communiques of those who are suspected of "subversive" opinions or activity. The secret police will murder anybody they see fit with no recourse. Those who hold unsavory opinions will not be allowed in restaurants or other places of public accommodation for fear of bringing suspicions upon the place of accommodation. The public will present prejudice because to not do so will lead to death, imprisonment, or suspicion. The government will have the people in absolute fear—nobody will speak out. Dissent will disappear. Prejudiced elements of society will show themselves and make people further afraid to be something other than "normal" as the definition ranges for the country.