What Is Fascism?
Fascism is a political ideology and mass movement that dominated central, southern and eastern Europe between 1919 and 1945. It was marked by extreme nationalism, hostility to communism and socialism, rejection of… Part of the Nationalist family.
Definition
Fascism is a political ideology and mass movement that dominated central, southern and eastern Europe between 1919 and 1945. It was marked by extreme nationalism, hostility to communism and socialism, rejection of democracy, and belief in a natural social hierarchy ruled by elites.
Core ideas
- Opposition to Marxism and socialism, parliamentary democracy, and political and cultural liberalism.
- Totalitarian ambitions and a leadership principle.
- Conservative economic programs, including corporatism.
- Imperialism, military values and the glorification of violence.
- Extreme nationalism and the idea of a unified “people's community”.
Origins
Europe between 1919 and 1945, most prominently in Italy under Benito Mussolini and Germany under Adolf Hitler.
Associated thinkers and leaders
Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler
Definition based on Britannica: Fascism (checked October 20, 2026).
Where Fascism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 33 | toward collective / planned | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 93 | strongly toward traditional | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 89 | strongly toward authoritarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 100 | strongly toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 91 | strongly toward intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 45 | near the center |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 78 | toward state restrictions |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 100 | strongly toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 100 | strongly toward traditionalist |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 100 | strongly toward autocratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 92 | strongly toward hierarchical |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 85 | toward state planning |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 91 | strongly toward intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 78 | toward religious authority |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| A naturalized citizen can belong to the nation as fully as someone born there. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A single ruling party can govern more effectively than a competitive multiparty system. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Traditional values should guide what society considers right and wrong. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Foreign wars should be avoided unless national territory is directly threatened. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National security can justify restrictions on what journalists publish. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Markets generally distribute goods more effectively than government planners. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Raising the minimum wage significantly would do more harm than good. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Italian Fascism, Fascism sits 2 points further toward market on the economic dimension.
- Compared with National Socialism, Fascism sits 9 points further toward collective / planned on the economic dimension.
- Compared with Bonapartism, Fascism sits 17 points further toward collective / planned on the economic dimension.
Comparisons
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Fascism.
Sources
- Britannica: Fascism
- Wikipedia: Fascism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Nationalism
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.