Fascism

In Political Science the term Fascism refers to an ideology that seeks to create a totalitarian state based around national belonging or ethnic identity, created by Italian leader Benito Mussolini.^[1]^[2] However, in popular culture, the term is applied to any ideology resembling Mussolini's fascism.

Fascist states subordinate the interests of individuals to those of the country, and are led by dictators.^[1] Fascism is closely tied to Social Darwinist thinking that imagines world politics to be an endless struggle between races.

Fascism conflicts with Communists.^[1]^[2] Both ideologies espouse the state controlling the economy. Under communism the means of production are nationalized -- stripped from the owners. Under fascism the state controls the economy in cooperation with the owners.

The clearest illustration of fascist ideology can be seen in the change of France's motto after the fascists took over following the German invasion in 1940.

Before: Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité (Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood)

After: Travail, Famille, Patrie (Work, Family, Fatherland)

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Olivia B. Waxman (2019-03-22). "What Is Fascism? What to Know About Its Brutal Origins". Time magazine. Archived from the original on 2026-05-21. Retrieved 2026-08-20. When Benito Mussolini debuted the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento, the precursor to his fascist party, on Mar. 23, 1919, in Milan, he wasn’t inventing the idea of violent authoritarianism. But he put a name on a new and terrible breed of it.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Nicholas Farrell (2022-10-22). "How Mussolini invented fascism: He understood that the masses need religion". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 2026-06-12. Retrieved 2026-08-20. The first world war had exposed a fatal weakness at the heart of international socialism whose mission was supposed to be world revolution and the abolition of the nation-state: people are more loyal to their country than their class. Mussolini made this cardinal rule the key to his version of socialism. It inspired him to replace international socialism with national socialism which he called fascism. Hitler, who would copy much from Mussolini, would call his version of fascism national socialism.

[Time-Fascism-2019-03-22-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Olivia B. Waxman (2019-03-22). "What Is Fascism? What to Know About Its Brutal Origins". Time magazine. Archived from the original on 2026-05-21. Retrieved 2026-08-20. When Benito Mussolini debuted the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento, the precursor to his fascist party, on Mar. 23, 1919, in Milan, he wasn’t inventing the idea of violent authoritarianism. But he put a name on a new and terrible breed of it.

[spectator-MussoliniFascism-2022-10-22-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Nicholas Farrell (2022-10-22). "How Mussolini invented fascism: He understood that the masses need religion". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 2026-06-12. Retrieved 2026-08-20. The first world war had exposed a fatal weakness at the heart of international socialism whose mission was supposed to be world revolution and the abolition of the nation-state: people are more loyal to their country than their class. Mussolini made this cardinal rule the key to his version of socialism. It inspired him to replace international socialism with national socialism which he called fascism. Hitler, who would copy much from Mussolini, would call his version of fascism national socialism.

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