Umberto Eco's 1995 essay "Ur-Fascism" outlines 14 common features of fascism based on his experience growing up as a boy in Mussolini's Italy and his analysis of fascist movements throughout history. He begins his essay:
In 1942, at the age of ten, I received the First Provincial Award of Ludi Juveniles (a voluntary, compulsory competition for young Italian Fascists- that is, for every young Italian). I elaborated with rhetorical skill on the subject "Should we die for the glory of Mussolini and the immortal destiny of Italy?" My answer was positive. I was a smart boy.
He argued that while there was "only one Nazism," fascism appears in many different forms and it always has 14 features:
- Cult of tradition
- Rejection of modernism
- Action for action's sake
- Disagreement viewed as treason
- Fear of difference
- Appeal to social frustration
- Obsession with plots
- Enemies portrayed as both strong and weak
- Pacifism seen as trafficking with the enemy
- Contempt for the weak
- Cult of heroism
- Machismo and weaponry
- Selective populism
Look familiar?
Eco argues that fascism seems to be a default state for humanity. "Freedom and liberation are an unending task" to counter it, he said.
Open Culture has a more in-depth look at the 14 features.
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