sourced from ratical.org for reference (http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/fasci14chars.txt). 
                     The 14 Characteristics of Fascism
                             by Lawrence Britt
                                Spring 2003
                           Free Inquiry magazine


     Political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt recently wrote an article
     about fascism ("Fascism Anyone?," Free Inquiry, Spring 2003, page
     20). Studying the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini
     (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet
     (Chile), Dr. Britt found they all had 14 elements in common.  He
     calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism.  The
     excerpt is in accordance with the magazine's policy.

     The 14 characteristics are:

       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 to media is directly controlled by the government,
          but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by
          government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople 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 also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or
          control elections.


     Copyright © 2003 Free Inquiry magazine
     Reprinted for Fair Use Only.

 
     This article was based upon the article "The Hallmarks of Fascist 
     Regime" by Skip Stone, at www.hippy.com/php/article-226.html.


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