Authoritarian Leadership: Fascism is characterized by a strong, centralized authority where power is vested in a single leader or a small group of individuals. This leader often has a cult of personality.
Nationalism: Fascism strongly emphasizes aggressive nationalism and patriotism, often with a focus on racial purity or cultural superiority.
Total Control of Society: The government under fascism seeks to control all aspects of public and private life, including the economy, education, arts, and personal beliefs and attitudes.
Militarism: Fascist governments typically glorify military strength and often organize society in a militaristic fashion, with a large investment in the military and security apparatus.
Control of the Media: Propaganda is widely used in fascist systems to control public opinion, and the media is heavily censored and often state-controlled.
Suppression of Opposition: Fascist regimes are notorious for their intolerance of political dissent, often resorting to harsh measures to suppress opposition parties, labor unions, and civil society groups.
Regimentation of the Economy: While not always socialist, fascist systems do often involve strong state control over the economy, with close ties between government and industry, sometimes referred to as corporatism.
Anti-Liberalism and Anti-Communism: Fascist systems are explicitly against liberal democracy and communist/socialist ideologies, positioning themselves as an alternative to both.
Scapegoating: Fascism often promotes scapegoating of certain groups (e.g., ethnic, religious, political) as a means of unifying the majority population and diverting blame for societal problems.
National Renewal: Fascist ideologies often call for a rebirth or renewal of the nation, implying a return to a past state of supposed glory and purity.
