Is it easy to answer the question: what is fascism?

After the Second World War died down, a word like "fascism" acquired a uniquely negative meaning, and now this term is abused, calling its political opponents and labeling them like that. On the other hand, such a vague definition of this unconditionally terrible phenomenon makes it possible to revive ultra-right parties, which, however, do not call themselves that, although in their doctrine they are very close to fascism or contain some elements of this ideology. But is it so easy to clearly define what is fascism, and to designate the boundaries of this term?

Classical fascism, that is, in the narrow historical meaning of this word, in 1922 became the dominant in Italy after the famous "march to Rome" black-shirts Benito Mussolini. The name "fascism" has Italian roots, derived from the word "fasco" (fascio), that is, a corporation, an alliance. A radical political organization, headed by Mussolini, was called the Union of Struggle (Fascio di combattimento). Fascio, in turn, is associated with the Latin fascis (bundle, bundle) - the so-called honorable weapon of the lictors, guards of the Roman Republic. By the way, the fascia is still present in the symbols of state power of some countries (for example, in the emblem of the Russian Federal Bailiff Service). But symbols are symbols, and now it is customary to regard as a symbol of this movement the swastika of the German Nazis. But what is the ideology of fascism, and what are the main features of this ideology?

The movement of blackshirts can be called definitely authoritarian, nationalistic, and using extreme violence as an ordinary form of political struggle. But, for example, anti-Semitism and racism in Italian fascism did not stand at the head of the corner of their ideology, as was the case with the German Nazis. However, since the Italian fascists had a clear ultra-right orientation, the left parties considered it necessary to brand this political ideology, sometimes bending the stick and calling their opponents, even competitors from the leftist camp, for example, some Communists called the Social Democrats "Social Fascists." The classical "left" definition of what fascism was at the VII Congress of the Comintern was given by Georgi Dimitrov: "... this is a terrorist dictatorship of the reactionary structures of financial capital ... In foreign policy, fascism is a chauvinism in the most crude form that cultivates the uterine hatred of other nations."

However, in this definition, the features of the ideology of this movement are not clearly distinguished, which prevents us from clearly describing what fascism is. Modern science has tried to fill this gap and compiled a list of features, the presence of which in the program or ideology of the party makes it possible to call it fascist. This is an ardent anti-communism, radical nationalism and even extremism, militarism, traditionalism, leaderism, etatism, exaltation of the "titular nation" and open discrimination of national minorities, elements of populism and declaration of protection for the general public. But the main distinguishing feature of the fascist party that has come to power is totalitarianism, that is, the total control of the state, penetrating into all spheres of human life.

However, even such a definition of features of fascism makes it possible to call such a word many nationalist parties and regimes (for example, the Taliban regime in Afghanistan), and even puts into the arena such a term as Jewish fascism, applying it to the openly discriminatory policy of the State of Israel.

To understand (define) what fascism is, it helps to study such adjacent ones, which originated approximately in the same way with the Italian classical type of movements with which Mussilini cooperated or who placed the movement of blackshirts as a model of their own struggle. In Germany, it was National Socialism (or Nazism), in Spain - phalanxism and Francoism, in Portugal - the New State, in Hungary - "Crossed Arrows", in Romania - "Iron Guard", in Brazil - integralism (although in his ideology There was no racism), Bulgarian, Austrian, Japanese and Belgian versions of fascism.