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Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:
(read HERE at this fiscally conservative online magazine for full, unexcerpted details)
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism – …make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia.
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights …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 4. Supremacy of the Military…the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected.
5. Rampant Sexism…traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is (portrayed as) ultimate guardian of the family institution.
6. Controlled Mass Media – Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, (or) the media is indirectly controlled by regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives.
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… 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 are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies.
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…tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. ..not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested.
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment…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.
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption…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.
14. Fraudulent ElectionsSometimes elections are a complete sham. Other times manipulated by smear campaigns against opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media.