Posted on 09/13/2025 1:25:15 PM PDT by doug from upland
Fascism, as an ideology and system of governance, has no single universal definition. Scholars generally describe it authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.
Historical examples, primarily from Mussolini's Italy (1922–1945) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945), illustrate its core traits, though variations exist across regimes.
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Below, I address each question based on these examples and scholarly analyses.Does the leader take away guns? Fascist leaders typically implemented strict gun control to disarm potential opponents and consolidate power, though enforcement varied and often favored regime loyalists. In Mussolini's Italy, the 1931 Public Safety Act restricted civilian firearm ownership, though it was largely ineffective due to widespread non-compliance.
In Nazi Germany, the 1938 Weapons Act expanded on Weimar-era restrictions by banning Jews from owning firearms or ammunition, while easing some rules for "reliable" Germans (e.g., party members) to arm paramilitary groups like the SA.
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Overall, these measures targeted minorities, political enemies, and the general populace to prevent uprisings, rather than a total ban for all. Does he allow peaceful protests? Peaceful protests were generally not allowed, as fascist regimes viewed any dissent as a threat to national unity and the leader's authority. In Mussolini's Italy, opposition was suppressed through violence by Blackshirt militias, with strikes and protests broken up aggressively, leading to the establishment of a one-party state by 1925.
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In Nazi Germany, the regime outlawed labor unions and leftist groups, sending dissenters to concentration camps; the SA clashed with protesters before 1933, and post-power consolidation involved mass arrests.
Protests were only tolerated if state-orchestrated to demonstrate regime support. Is there freedom of speech? Freedom of speech was severely curtailed through censorship and propaganda to enforce ideological conformity. In Mussolini's Italy, media was state-controlled, with criticism of the regime outlawed after 1925, and the Luce Institute produced propaganda glorifying the Duce.
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In Nazi Germany, Joseph Goebbels' Ministry of Propaganda regulated all media, banning "degenerate" art and dissenting views, with education indoctrinating youth in Nazi ideology.
Dissent could lead to imprisonment or death, though speech aligning with the regime was encouraged. Is there freedom of religion? Freedom of religion was limited and subordinated to state interests; religions were tolerated or co-opted if they supported the regime but suppressed if they conflicted. In Mussolini's Italy, the 1929 Lateran Treaty allied with the Catholic Church for legitimacy, granting Vatican sovereignty, but tensions arose, leading to anti-clerical rhetoric and suppression of dissenting clergy—Mussolini called the papacy a "malignant tumor."
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In Nazi Germany, the regime promoted "Positive Christianity" while persecuting Jews (leading to the Holocaust), arresting over 2,700 Catholic clerics, and confiscating church property; some Protestant churches were Nazified.
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Fascism often functioned as a "political religion" itself, demanding absolute loyalty over spiritual beliefs.
Is there private enterprise or is the economy totally state-controlled? Fascist economies were neither fully capitalist nor socialist but corporatist, allowing private enterprise under heavy state direction to serve national goals like autarky (self-sufficiency). In Mussolini's Italy, the 1925 Palazzo Vidoni Pact and 1927 Charter of Labour created state-supervised corporations integrating business and labor, with the Institute for Industrial Reconstruction nationalizing failing firms; by 1935, three-quarters of the economy was state-influenced.
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In Nazi Germany, private firms like Krupp and IG Farben operated but were directed toward rearmament, with about 500 companies nationalized by the 1940s; Hitler supported "productive capitalism" tied to national interests.
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Private property existed but was subordinate to the state, rejecting both laissez-faire capitalism and Marxist collectivism.
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Good to see you posting!
But the assistance to the Reds in China by Communist agents at Treasury and State (and their blocking aid to Chiang Kai-shek) is well documented.
Large scale war usually results in a government of national unity and suspension of many civil rights, as it did in the US in both WWI and WWII.
I think we can see Trump's election as an attempt to reverse the fascistic tendencies of Big Government.
‘anti-’ fa, as the more correct ‘ante-’ fa
an upped/increased/more extreme version of facism,
/
And speaking of them
EPISODE 360: THE TRUE HISTORY OF ANTIFA - PT. 1 Run Time 24m 2s
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rfN3M7sE75U
EPISODE 361: THE TRUE HISTORY OF ANTIFA - PT. 2 Run Time 24m 10 s
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rezL74LIVp4
“Communist governments never came to power without considerable arms and financial assistance from an already Communist power. The exceptions are Russia”
And Lenin had considerable help from the Kaiser & Germany. The one strategem that the Germans employed in WW1 that was wildly successful (from their standpoint).
Thank you, my FRiend.
Call me old fashioned, but I remember when people who used German Mauser rifles to brutally gun down dissenting political voices in front of their families were the fascists.
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