Defining Fascism
Scholarly frameworks and objective criteria for identifying fascism
Fascism isn't a political label—it's a scholarly term with specific meaning. Leading academics have developed rigorous frameworks for identifying fascist movements based on historical analysis. These frameworks were established long before Trump's presidency.
Why Definitions Matter
Without clear criteria, "fascism" becomes mere insult. Scholars use precise frameworks to distinguish fascist movements from other forms of authoritarianism. These definitions aren't arbitrary—they're based on decades of historical research analyzing actual fascist regimes.
The frameworks below come from leading experts in fascism studies. None were created to target Trump specifically. They exist to help us recognize dangerous patterns before they become irreversible.
📘Framework 1: Umberto Eco's "Ur-Fascism" (1995)
About Umberto Eco: Italian philosopher and novelist who lived under Mussolini's fascism as a child. His essay "Ur-Fascism" (1995) is one of the most widely cited frameworks for identifying fascist movements.
Key insight: Fascism has no single defining feature, but rather a cluster of characteristics. A movement exhibiting many of these traits warrants the fascist label.
Source: "Ur-Fascism" by Umberto Eco, The New York Review of Books, 1995
1. Cult of tradition
Belief that all truth has already been revealed by tradition
2. Rejection of modernism
Views Enlightenment rationalism as descent into depravity; anti-intellectualism
3. Action for action's sake
Action valued without intellectual reflection; "thinking is emasculation"
4. Disagreement is treason
Critical thinking viewed as betrayal; dissent equals disloyalty
5. Fear of difference
Intolerance of diversity; fear and hatred of outsiders
6. Appeal to social frustration
Exploitation of economic or social anxiety; channeling resentment
7. Obsession with a plot
Followers feel besieged by internal and external enemies
8. Enemies simultaneously strong and weak
Foes depicted as overwhelming threat yet easily defeated
9. Pacifism is trafficking with the enemy
Life is permanent warfare; peace is treason
10. Contempt for the weak
Elitism; celebration of strength, disdain for vulnerability
11. Cult of heroism and death
Hero worship; willingness to die for the cause
12. Machismo and weaponry
Disdain for women; cult of masculinity and weapons
13. Selective populism
Leader claims to speak for "the people" (selectively defined)
14. Newspeak
Impoverished vocabulary limiting critical thinking
📙Framework 2: Lawrence Britt's 14 Characteristics (2003)
About Lawrence Britt: Political scientist who analyzed fascist regimes of the 20th century (Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, Pinochet) to identify common patterns.
Key insight: Despite different cultural contexts, all fascist regimes exhibited remarkably similar characteristics.
Source: "Fascism Anyone?" by Lawrence Britt, Free Inquiry Magazine, 2003
1. Powerful and continuing nationalism
Constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and rhetoric
2. Disdain for human rights
Fear used as motivational tool to ignore rights abuses
3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats
Unifying cause against perceived threat or foe; scapegoating
4. Supremacy of the military
Military funded disproportionately despite domestic needs
5. Rampant sexism
Traditional gender roles; opposition to abortion/homosexuality
6. Controlled mass media
Media directly or indirectly controlled; censorship and propaganda
7. Obsession with national security
Fear used to justify policies; suspension of liberties
8. Religion and government intertwined
Religious rhetoric by leaders; appearance of religiosity
9. Corporate power protected
Business elite protected; labor suppressed
10. Labor power suppressed
National labor movement suppressed; organizing power eliminated
11. Disdain for intellectuals and arts
Hostility toward academia, artists, and education; censorship
12. Obsession with crime and punishment
Police given unlimited power; law and order rhetoric
13. Rampant cronyism and corruption
Appointees are friends and associates; no accountability
14. Fraudulent elections
Elections manipulated by smear campaigns, legislation, vote rigging
📕Framework 3: Robert Paxton's Definition
About Robert Paxton: Columbia University historian, world's leading expert on fascism, author of "The Anatomy of Fascism" (2004)—the definitive scholarly text on the subject.
Paxton's Definition
"Fascism may be defined as a form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation, or victimhood and by compensatory cults of unity, energy, and purity, in which a mass-based party of committed nationalist militants, working in uneasy but effective collaboration with traditional elites, abandons democratic liberties and pursues with redemptive violence and without ethical or legal restraints goals of internal cleansing and external expansion."
Key elements:
- Sense of overwhelming crisis beyond conventional solutions
- Primacy of the group, with individual rights subordinated
- Belief that one's group is victim, justifying any action
- Need for closer integration through violence if necessary
- Need for authority by natural leaders (not institutions)
- Beauty of violence and efficacy of will
- Right of chosen people to dominate others without restraint
📗Framework 4: Jason Stanley's 10 Pillars (2018)
About Jason Stanley: Yale University philosopher, author of "How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them" (2018). Analyzes how fascist politics function in practice.
Key insight: Fascism is not just about what leaders believe, but how they manipulate politics, language, and social divisions.
1. Mythic past
Nostalgia for fabricated glorious past; promise of restoration
2. Propaganda
Repeated lies creating alternative reality; entertainment replaces news
3. Anti-intellectualism
Attack on universities, experts, and "elites"; celebration of ignorance
4. Unreality
Replacement of factual reality with conspiratorial fiction
5. Hierarchy
Natural social order with dominant group; others inferior
6. Victimhood
Dominant group portrayed as victims of minority groups
7. Law and order
Selective enforcement protecting dominant group
8. Sexual anxiety
Panic about threats to traditional gender/sexual norms
9. Sodom and Gomorrah
Urban corruption vs. rural purity; city vs. country
10. Arbeit macht frei
Work dignifies; laziness explained by racial/ethnic characteristics
🎯Commonalities Across Frameworks
Despite different methodologies, all four frameworks identify the same core characteristics. This scholarly consensus gives us confidence in these criteria.
Ultranationalism
Present in: Eco #1,5; Britt #1; Paxton; Stanley #1
Obsessive focus on national glory, "us vs. them" mentality, xenophobia
Scapegoating of Outgroups
Present in: Eco #5,7,8; Britt #3; Paxton; Stanley #5,6
Blaming minorities for problems; dehumanization; "enemies within"
Cult of Personality/Strongman
Present in: Eco #1,13; Britt #14; Paxton; Stanley #7
Leader above law; personality worship; demand for loyalty
Rejection of Democratic Norms
Present in: Eco #4; Britt #14; Paxton; Stanley #7
Disagreement is treason; election denial; attacks on institutions
Use of Violence/Threat of Violence
Present in: Eco #9,11; Britt #12; Paxton; Stanley #7
Political violence encouraged; law and order rhetoric; paramilitary groups
Mythic Past
Present in: Eco #1; Britt #1; Paxton; Stanley #1
Nostalgia for fabricated golden age; promise of restoration
Attacks on Truth/Reality
Present in: Eco #14; Britt #6; Paxton; Stanley #2,4
Propaganda; alternative facts; attacks on press and experts
Victimhood Narrative
Present in: Eco #7,8; Britt #3; Paxton; Stanley #6
Dominant group portrayed as victims; persecution complex
Key Takeaway
These aren't cherry-picked characteristics designed to target Trump. They're scholarly frameworks established through decades of historical research. The fact that they all identify similar patterns gives us confidence these are genuine markers of fascist movements.
Now That We've Defined Fascism
With these objective, scholarly frameworks established, we can now examine Trump's actions against these criteria. The next section documents how Trump's words and behavior align with these characteristics.
Next: See comprehensive documentation of Trump's alignment with these fascist characteristics →