Fascism vs Communism: Key Differences Explained
How Fascism and Communism differ, using sourced definitions and each model’s estimated position on the Atlas’s nine political dimensions.
Definitions
Fascism
Nationalism is an ideology based on the idea that an individual's loyalty and devotion to the nation-state should surpass other individual or group interests. Although often assumed to be very old, it became a decisive force in history only at the end of the 18th century.
Source: Britannica: Nationalism
Communism
Socialism is a political and economic system in which the major means of production, such as land, natural resources and factories, are owned or controlled collectively rather than mainly by private individuals or companies. Its aim is for members of society to share economic resources and wealth more fairly.
Source: Britannica: Socialism
Side by side on the Atlas maps
| Dimension | Fascism | Communism | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 43 | 14 | 29 (Fascism more market) |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 79 | 32 | 46 (Fascism more traditional) |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 62 | 41 | 21 (Fascism more authoritarian) |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 95 | 40 | 55 (Fascism more nationalist) |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 48 | 32 | 17 (Fascism more intervention) |
Fascism is shown as the average of the 19 socialist-family ideologies on the Atlas (including communism itself), because the Atlas has no single “socialism” model.
Map scores are estimates on the Atlas’s scale and can be debated. Read the full pages for Fascism and Communism.