Johnnie Ray Norman Jr.

Professor: Colin Moore, PhD

Pols 2300-400
April 3, 2016
(Essay 2)

The Elements of Fascism

Some of the elements of a fascist regime are characteristic of what it brings to the table.
According to Lawrence Britt he states in his article the 14 characteristic of fascism such as:
Controlled mass media, which in some instances it can be controlled by government, but in
other scenarios it may be an indirect result of a controlled government regulation (Lawrence
Britt). This can be true during war time propaganda. Some other elements of this regime would
be fraudulent elections, which we have seen in the past with smear campaigns designed to
defame their characters, or in some cases assassination which we saw with the Kennedys.
Corruption, is also another point in fascism due to governed groups of friends and
associates who appoint each other to government positions, as well as they use those positions to
protect their friends from any accountability (Lawrence Britt). Corporate protection, is designed
to put these leaders or politicians into power so that they may mutually benefit from the spoils.
Also, the need for a supreme military and obsession for national security, are other factors that
play an important role in fascism. We can see how the need for national security here in the USA
has risen to fanatical obsession, such as military drones. The need for more homeland security,
and data tracking on all our personal accounts, another words the patriot act.

Fascism and the state major views would be that of totalitarian ideology, followed by
corporatism and modernization. The totalitarian idea would incorporate, extreme collectivism,
unlimited authority of a leader and single value belief system. This would also, allow Nazism to
use states as a means of establishing a dominance of the Aryan race, not to mention other posing
factions like the Italian fascist would use state as a means of extreme worship.
Fascism was frequently bred from racialist ideas, and easily can support them with its
provision for a strong nation. Nazi Germany was the prime historical example of how racial
theories intertwined with fascism. Nazi Race Theories included a combo of racial anti-Semitism
and social Darwinism. Anti-Semitism had deep roots in Europe, however it intensified in the late
19th century, by the spreading of nationalism and imperialism this led to pseudo-scientific ideas
about Jews as a separate race (Patrick G. Zander).
Anti-Semitism was therefore elaborated into a racial theory, or a philosophy of sorts. This
philosophy would be assign to the Jews as a destructive and degrading racial stereotype, the first
attempt to develop a scientific theory of racialism was undertaken by Joseph Arthur Gobineau.
Gobineau argued that there is a hierarchy of races, with a very different qualities and
characteristics. The most developing creative race is the white peoples whose highest element
Gobineau referred to as the Aryans. The Jews on the other hand, were thought to be
fundamentally uncreative. Unlike the Nazis, however, Gobineau was a pessimistic racialist
(Andrew Heywood).

Works Cited

Heywood, Andrew. Political Ideologies: An Introduction. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan,

2003. Print.

"The 14 Characteristics of Fascism, by Lawrence Britt, Spring 2003." The 14 Characteristics of

Fascism, by Lawrence Britt, Spring 2003. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.

Zander, Patrick Glenn. The Rise of Fascism. History, Documents, and Key Questions. Santa
Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2016. Print.