Transcription
Hey, it's Dan Zimmerman. Welcome to Illustrate to Educate. Don't forget to like and subscribe to support more simple and objective videos on topics that matter.
What is fascism? In this video, we'll dive into everything you need to know about it. Fascism is a complex, immutable political ideology, but is typically defined as a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the perceived good of the nation and race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.
The word comes from the Italian "fascio," meaning a bundle or a group, and is considered a term for a militant brotherhood. The word "fasces" means an ax tightly bound with sticks, an image that became a symbol of the fascist movement. The symbolism of fasces suggests strength through unity; a single rod is easily broken, while the bundle is difficult to break.
Fascism came to prominence in the 1920s and 1930s in Europe. The most notorious examples of Fascist governments have been Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party in Italy from 1922 to 1943 and Adolf Hitler's National Socialist German Workers' Party, the Nazi Party, from 1933 to 1945. Other countries have also been ruled in the 20th century by fascist regimes, such as Francisco Franco in Spain and Juan Peron in Argentina.
According to some definitions, fascism rejects assertions that violence is inherently bad and views imperialism, political violence, and war as a means to national rejuvenation. Fascists often advocate for the establishment of a totalitarian one-party state and for a deregulated economy with the principal goal of achieving total national economic self-sufficiency through protectionist and economic interventionist policies.
Fascism's extreme authoritarianism and nationalism often manifests as belief in racial purity or a master race, usually blended with some variant of racism or bigotry against a demonized other, such as what was seen with Jews during the Hitler era. Ideas such as these have motivated fascist regimes to commit genocides, massacres, forced sterilizations, mass killings, and forced deportations.
Since the end of World War II in 1945, few parties have openly described themselves as fascists. The term is more often used derogatorily by political opponents. The descriptions of neo-fascists and post-fascists are sometimes employed to describe contemporary parties with ideologies similar to or rooted in 20th-century fascist movements. Core fascist ideologies and goals similar to those of Hitler and Mussolini are still present in populist organizations today and continue to shape fascist movements in countries around the world, particularly where their leaders are: number one, someone who claims to speak for a whole nation or group; two, is utterly unconcerned with the rights of others; and three, is willing to use violence and whatever other means are necessary to achieve the goals he or she might have. Some opposition groups have adopted the label anti-fascist or antifa to signify their stance.
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