History UsefulNotes / Fascism

This definition has now largely supplanted the older ones, that mostly focused on "mature" fascism (ie ones that had managed to establish themselves into the political mainstream and maybe even taken power) and on the characteristics of the various fascist movements. The two most well-known such were worked out by Umberto Eco and Stanley Payne. Umberto Eco's essay ''[[http://www.themodernword.com/eco/eco_blackshirt.html Eternal Fascism: Fourteen Ways of Looking at a Blackshirt]]'' can be recommended.

Please do not use the word ''fascist'', ''nazi'', or its variations in this way here on Wiki/TVTropes, unless a work itself uses the term this way. See also [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascist_(insult) The other wiki]].

!So, what about Wiki/TVTropes?

->''Here I wish to reaffirm with no weaker energy, the formula I expounded at the scala in Milan '''everything in the state, nothing against the State, nothing outside the state.'''''

Anti-liberal and andi-individualism:

->''Fascism is definitely and absolutely opposed to the doctrines of liberalism, both in the political and the economic sphere. The importance of liberalism in the XIXth century should not be exaggerated for present day polemical purposes, nor should we make of one of the many doctrines which flourished in that century a religion for mankind for the present and for all time to come.''

Quite a mouthful, isn't it? Lets try to shed some light on it.

Some have claimed that the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan holds the distinction of being the first fascist movement. However, while there are some similarities, most reject this idea. This due to three major differences. First, while fascism is generally secular (at least in theory), the Ku Klux Klan was heavily intertwined with religious or at least supernatural influences from the very beginning. Second, while many fascist movements have made appeals to nostalgia for a real or imagined past, fascism is a revolutionary ideology at its core, not a reactionary one. The Klan, on the other hand, was aimed at recreating the old order of the South by putting the freed slaves, carpetbaggers and scalawags in their place. Finally, fascism is very statist, while the First Klan was born out of a ''regionalist'' backlash against the statist policies of Reconstruction. Because of this, the Klan has historically had a very adversarial relationship with fascism. This includes Nazism, despite the Klan and the Nazis both being white supremacists.

Perhaps more representative of the type was the Silver Legion of America, more commonly known as the Silver Shirts, was an underground American fascist movement founded by William Dudley Pelley. An ultranationalist group modeled after Mussolini's blackshirts, the Silver Shirts hoped to seize power in a "silver revolution" and set up Pelley as dictator of the United States, whereupon he would claim the title of "Chief". However, the Silver Shirts never managed to gain the widespread support of fascist organizations in Continental Europe, and it's generally believed that they never had more than about 15,000 members. The day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the police raided and occupied the Silver Shirts' national headquarters in the Los Angeles hills, effectively dissolving the group.

!!!The American Silver Shirts

The Silver Legion of America, more commonly known as the Silver Shirts, was an underground American fascist movement founded by William Dudley Pelley. An ultranationalist group modeled after Mussolini's blackshirts, the Silver Shirts hoped to seize power in a "silver revolution" and set up Pelley as dictator of the United States, whereupon he would claim the title of "Chief". However, the Silver Shirts never managed to gain the widespread support of fascist organizations in Continental Europe, and it's generally believed that they never had more than about 15,000 members. The day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the police raided and occupied the Silver Shirts' national headquarters in the Los Angeles hills, effectively dissolving the group.

For purposes of these notes, ''fascism'' will be considered as a political movement that encompasses Italian Fascism, German National Socialism, Spanish Falangism, and other political traditions.

Like the Italian fascists, they had a cultural view of race. Like the German national socialists, they were proponents of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics eugenics]]. It is quite possible that they (or at least some segments of them) were fiercely anti-Semitic, but due to the Spanish history there were hardly any Jews present anymore, so that didn't develop. Falange is also believed to have had strong ties to the Spanish Catholic Church.

!!!German national socialism

!!!Italian fascism

For purposes of these notes, ''fascism'' will be considered as a political movement that encompasses Italian fascism, German national socialism, Spanish falangism, and other political traditions.

Officially named the Legion of the Archangel Michael, the Iron Guard was founded in 1927 by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu. Garnering a large support base from among the country's peasantry and ''intelligentsia'', the Iron Guard rejected Romania's traditional Francophilia[[note]]France and Romania had long been treated as "Latin sisters", with France as the "big sister" and Romania as the "little sister" following its lead[[/note]]; instead promoting a xenophobic, exclusive ultranationalism where Romania would follow its own path opposed to French ideas about universal values and human rights. After eleven years of struggle with the Romanian government, culminating in Codreanu's death in suspicious circumstances while in government custody, Romania's King Carol II decided to crush the Iron Guard. Within a year, most of the Legion's original leadership had either been eliminated or fled into exile in Germany and Italy.

Quite possibly the most infamous of the non-German, non-Italian fascist movements, the Ustaše started out as a Croatian separatist terrorist organization. Their most famous terrorist attack was the assassination of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia while he made a state visit to France. As the Axis Powers invaded Yugoslavia, the Ustaše seized control of Zagreb and declared themselves the government of a free Croatia. The Independent State of Croatia was officially established shortly thereafter. Once in power, the Ustaše waged a campaign of severe ethnic and religious persecution, especially against Serbs, Jews and Romani. Their sheer sadism during these acts of genocide at times [[EvenEvilHasStandards horrified even Nazis]].

However, the regime never recieved widespread support from ordinary Croats. While it tried to force support by persecuting dissident Croats and Bosniaks, this and its other brutal practices turned more and more people against it. Occupied Yugoslavia had some of the largest and most effective resistance movements during the war, with the Yugoslav Partisans being especially successful. When the Partisans eventually won, the remaining Ustaše would attempt to either go underground or escape to other countries. A small [[TheRemnant resistance group]] called the Crusaders attempted to re-establish the Independent State of Croatia, but they accomplished very little and were effectively defeated by 1950. Other Croat ultranationalist terrorist organizations likewise failed to achieve much of note. The Ustaše's founder and leader Ante Pavelić tried to form a GovernmentInExile in Argentina, but as was the case with the surviving Ustaše in general, it was plagued by infighting and he died from injuries sustained in an assassination attempt.

Established in 1913, when Slovakia was part of Austria-Hungary, the Slovak People's Party sought to earn the Slovaks democratic liberties, along with sovereignty or even independence. While not initially fascist, it swung towards the far right after losing its faith in democratic procedures and institutions, with one faction becoming openly pro-Nazi. After the Invasion and division of Czechoslovakia in 1939, the party governed the First Slovak Republic, a partially-recognized client state of Nazi Germany.

Unlike many other fascist parties, the BUF was known for its support of women's rights, and women constituted at least 25% of its membership. In fact, many of its female members were former suffragettes. The BUF promised equal pay for men and women, an end to restrictions on the employment of married women, support for new mothers, and representation of homemakers in their planned corporatist state. While these policies stemmed more from pragmatism than any ideological support for feminism or female equality, they still proved a draw for many women who believed in greater rights for their gender.

Founded in July 1930, the National Union was the sole legal political party under the Estado Novo regime led by Salazar. Unlike most political parties in one-party states, it was an arm of the government rather than holding power over it. While some consider it to be fascist, it's generally considered an authoritarian conservative party. Even though it borrowed some ideas from Italian Fascism (most notably corporatism), Salazar was a noted critic of fascism, considering it a Caesarist system that recognized no limits on its power. There were many key differences between it and fascism. For one thing, it lacked the radicalism inherent to fascism; while a fascist party acts as a revolutionary vanguard, the National Union was set up to control and restrain public opinion rather than mobilizing it. It also lacked the totalitarian tendencies of fascism, as government officials were not compelled to join the party. Perhaps the biggest factor preventing it from being considered fascist is the fact that it had no real consistent political positions or philosophy outside supporting the regime. Because of this lack of ideology, it disappeared after the Carnation Revolution of 1974. No attempt has been made to revive it, and no party claiming to be its heir holds any political power.

Once one leaves the interwar era of Europe, the differences become even more pronounced. Using Paxton's list above, lets take a look at some historical fascist movements

%%!!!The British Union of Fascists
%%

Founded by former members of the French Communist Party, the French Populist Party (PPF) gained backing from Italy in 1937, advocating for closer ties with the fascist powers of Europe in a grand alliance against the Soviet Union. After the French defeat in 1940, the PPF increased its activities. It was critical of Vichy France under Philippe Pétain, viewing the neotraditional authoritarian state as too moderate and advocating it collaborate more closely with Nazi Germany. Seeking to model French government after Germany's, the PPF collaborated with the Gestapo in persecuting Jews and the Nazi's political enemies. Some of its members volunteered to fight on the Eastern Front and even joined the Waffen-SS.

Ironically, the rise of the more pro-Nazi Pierre Laval resulted in the marginalization of the PPF. While Laval failed to have the party absorbed into his own support base, him bringing Vichy France into a closer relationship with the Nazis meant the PPF's advocacy for greater collaboration was no longer needed by the German government, and so its role was seriously diminished and it found itself sidelined. By late 1944, the PPF was effectively non-functional as a political movement. Doriot's death in an allied strafing attack finished off the party, and no attempt was made to revive it after the war.

%%!!!Greek Metaxism

Founded in July 1930, the National Union was the sole legal political party under the Estado Novo regime led by Salazar. Unlike most political parties in one-party states, it was an arm of the government rather than holding power over it. While some consider it to be fascist, it's generally considered an authoritarian conservative party. Even though it borrowed some ideas from Italian Fascism (most notably corporatism), Salazar was a noted critic of fascism, considering it a Caesarist system that recognized no limits on its power. For one thing, it lacked the radicalism inherent to fascism; while a fascist party acts as a revolutionary vanguard, the National Union was set up to control and restrain public opinion rather than mobilizing it. It also lacked the totalitarian tendencies of fascism, as government officials were not compelled to join the party. Perhaps the biggest factor preventing it from being considered fascist is the fact that it had no real consistent political positions or philosophy outside supporting the regime. Because of this lack of ideology, it disappeared after the Carnation Revolution of 1974. No attempt has been made to revive it, and no party claiming to be its heir holds any political power.

!!Italian fascism

While Austrofascism claimed to be a unifying movement and sought to overcome political and social divisions, it never enjoyed the full support of Austrian society. Nevertheless, it was more inclusive than many other fascist movements, and even had Jewish paramilitaries incorporated into it. The Austrofascists advocated continued independence from Germany on the basis of protecting Austria's Catholic identity from what it saw as a neighboring country dominated by Protestantism, and was strongly linked with the Austrian Catholic clergy.

Founded in 1937 by Ferenc Szálasi, the Arrow Cross Party was one of many fascist political parties and factions in Hungary. However, thanks to an effective recruitment system, it was by far the most prominent. When it contested the May 1939 elections, it won 15% of the vote and gained 29 seats in the Hungarian Parliament. This success was short-lived; when World War II broke out later that year, Hungary's government -- led by Admiral Miklós Horthy, who acted as the country's regent -- banned the Arrow Cross Party, forcing it to operate underground. The party's fortunes changed again when the German military occupied Hungary in March 1944 and forced Horthy's prime minister Miklós Kállay to flee, replacing him with Nazi proxy Döme Sztójay; Sztójay legalized the Arrow Cross Party, enabling it to gain significant influence in Hungary's government and military. Their efforts, however, were frustrated by Horthy.

However, when Horthy's attempts to secretly negotiate a ceasefire with the Red Army were discovered in October 1944, the Arrow Cross Party overthrew his government in a Nazi-backed coup called Operation Panzerfaust. Szálasi replaced him as head of state. His rule lasted only 163 days before he fled to Germany to escape capture as the Soviet and Romanian forces began closing in, and Arrow Cross rule over Hungary didn't last much longer.

%%!!!The Mexican Gold Shirts

%%!!!The Slovak People's Party

%%!!!The French Popular Party
%%
%%Ironically, the rise of the more pro-Nazi Pierre Laval resulted in the marginalization of the PPF. While Laval failed to have the party absorbed into his own support base, him bringing Vichy France into a closer relationship with the Nazis meant the PPF's advocacy for greater collaboration was no longer needed by the German government, and so its role was seriously diminished and it found itself sidelined. By late 1944, the PPF was effectively non-functional as a political movement. Doriot's death in an allied strafing attack finished off the party, and no attempt was made to revive it after the war.

%%!!!The Portuguese National Union

Please do not use the word ''fascist'', ''Nazi'', or its variations in this way here on Wiki/TVTropes, unless a work itself uses the term this way. See also [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascist_(insult) The other wiki]].

!!German national socialism

Italian fascism developed into a much less racist ideology than national socialism. More accurately, instead of a biological view of race and national unity, they used one that was mainly based on culture. If someone spoke Italian, embraced the Italian culture and the Roman heritage, they were viewed as good Italians no matter what their genetic heritage was. The main exceptions were Croats (who, strangely enough, were firmly allied with German nazis) and Slovenes, both of whom were placed in concentration camps. Jews, on the other hand, were comparatively well treated.

!!Spanish falangism

The falangism of Spain was one of the political movements that took part of the UsefulNotes/SpanishCivilWar, though they were later integrated into and suborned under UsefulNotes/TheFrancoRegime (which was a more classic far-right dictatorship).

Like the Italian fascism, they had a cultural view of race. Like the German national socialists, they were proponents of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics eugenics]]. It is quite possible that they (or at least some segments of them) were fiercely anti-Semitic, but due to the Spanish history there were hardly any Jews present anymore, so that didn't develop. Falange is also believed to have had strong ties to the Spanish Catholic Church.

!!The Hungarian Arrow Cross Party

However, when Horthy's attempts to secretly negotiate a ceasefire with the Red Army were discovered in October 1944, the Arrow Cross Party overthrew his government in a Nazi-backed coup called Operation Panzerfaust. Szálasi replaced him as head of state. His rule lasted only 163 days before he fled to Germany to escape capture by Soviet and/or Romanian forces, and Arrow Cross rule over Hungary didn't last much longer.

!!The Romanian Iron Guard

!!The Croatian Ustaše

However, the regime never recieved widespread support from ordinary Croats. While it tried to force support by persecuting dissident Croats and Bosniaks, this and its other brutal practices turned more and more people against it. Occupied Yugoslavia had some of the largest and most effective resistance movements during the war, with the Yugoslav Partisans being especially successful. When the Partisans eventually won, the remaining Ustaše would attempt to either go underground or escape to other countries. A small [[TheRemnant resistance group]] called the Crusaders attempted to re-establish the Independent State of Croatia, but they accomplished very little and were effectively defeated by 1950. Other Croat ultranationalist terrorist organizations likewise failed to achieve much of note. The Ustaše's founder and leader Ante Pavelić tried to form a government in exile in Argentina, but as was the case with the surviving Ustaše in general, it was plagued by infighting and he died from injuries sustained in an assassination attempt.

The Ustaše were fiercely Catholic and persecuted Orthodox Christians, though they praised Islam and allowed Bosniaks to practice it. They adopted Nazi racial theories, even endorsing the ideas that Croats were a Germanic ethnic group, not a Slavic one, and that Bosniaks were "Muslim Croats" rather than a distinct ethnicity.

!!The American Silver Shirts

Please do not use the word ''fascist'', ''nazi'', or its variations in this way here on Wiki/TVTropes, unless a work itself uses the term this way. See also [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascist_(insult) The other wiki]].

The Silver Legion of America, more commonly known as the Silver Shirts, was an underground American fascist movement founded by William Dudley Pelley. An ultranationalist group modeled after Mussolini's blackshirts, the Silver Shirts hoped to seize power in a "silver revolution" and set up Pelley as dictator of the United States. However, the Silver Shirts never managed to gain the widespread support of fascist organizations in Continental Europe, and it's generally believed that they never had more than about 15,000 members. The day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the police raided and occupied the Silver Shirts' national headquarters in the Los Angeles hills, effectively dissolving the group.

Perhaps the most comprehensive and easily understood study of fascism on the Internet is written by journalist David Neiwert, as ''[[http://cursor.org/stories/fascismintroduction.php Rush, Newspeak and Fascism: An exegesis]]''. Especially part III, The Core of Fascism, is very much recommended.

Italian fascism developed into a much less racist ideology than national socialism. More accurately, instead of a biological view of race and national unity, they used one that was mainly based on culture. If someone spoke Italian, embraced the Italian culture and the Roman heritage, they were viewed as good Italians. The main exception was Croats (who, strangely enough, were firmly allied with German nazis) and Slovenes, which were placed in concentration camps. Jews, on the other hand, were comparatively well treated.

Another difference was that Italian fascism was strongly oriented towards the Catholic church.

The falangism of Spain was one of the political movements that took part of the UsefulNotes/SpanishCivilWar, though they were later integrated into and suborned under UsefulNotes/TheFrancoRegime (a more classic conservative dictatorship).

Like the Italian fascism, they had a cultural view of race, and had strong ties to the Spanish Catholic church. Like the German national socialists, they were proponents of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics eugenics]]. It is quite possible that they were fiercely anti-semitic, but due to the Spanish history there were hardly any Jews present anymore, so that didn't develop.

!!The American Ku Klux Klan

UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan might have the distinction of being the first fascist movement. Born out of a reaction against the Reconstruction after UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, it aimed at recreating the old order of the South by putting the freed slaves and the carpetbaggers in their place (which should be understood as lynching and intimidation).

The importance of religion in shaping the American view of self also meant that Christianity (understood as Protestantism) played a much larger role within the Ku Klux Klan; they combine the religious views of falangism (but pro-Protestant instead of pro-Catholic) with the racial views of national socialism.