Fascism is an authoritarian and anti-democratic ideology that originated in Italy in 1919 and was implemented by Mussolini.
Fascism officially emerged in Milan on March 23, 1919. In an Italy gripped by economic crisis, the dilemma at the time was between social revolution and an authoritarian regime. After coming to power following the March on Rome on October 27, 1922, Mussolini and his Italian Combat Groups (“fasci” in Italian) resorted to violence and suppressed all democratic life (the highly fascist laws of 1925).
Fascism is a form of political control that emerges in industrial capitalist societies: it draws its support from the social classes hardest hit by the crisis and presents itself as the historical solution to a capitalist system in disarray.
This one-party regime aims to move beyond the class struggle by establishing vertical structures that bring together both employers and workers and by eliminating horizontal structures, such as unions.
Several variations of fascist regimes emerged depending on the political, economic, and material conditions of each country.
In its Nazi form, fascism—in addition to a policy of scapegoating—is accompanied by xenophobia, racism, and anti-Semitism. The genocide of which the Jews were the primary victims during World War II is proof of this.
References:
— Larry Portis, 2010, What Is Fascism? Éditions d’Alternative Libertaire.
— Paxton, Robert O., 2004, *Fascism in Action*, Éditions du Seuil.
