Fascism
A political system built on ultranationalism, authoritarian leadership, and the active suppression of opposition. Usually recognized afterwards.
How We Say It
fashยทizยทษm
Where It Comes From
Italian fascismo, from fascio โ bundle, group. From Latin fasces โ a bundle of rods with an axe, carried before Roman magistrates as a symbol of authority. Mussolini's movement took the fasces as its symbol in 1919.
How It's Been Used
The original fascist movements โ Mussolini's Italy, Hitler's Germany, Franco's Spain โ shared specific features: ultranationalism, a charismatic leader claiming to embody the nation's will, suppression of political opposition, use of political violence, and corporate-state partnership. The word is now applied so broadly in political argument that historians argue it has lost analytical utility. When everything is fascism, nothing is. The precision matters.