fascism

a political and governmental ideology featuring:

• an authoritarian leader, often centered on a cult of personality that portrays the leader as uniquely capable both to save the nation from doom or humiliation, and to restore the state to some concept of past greatness
• a focus on a singular national identity and the superiority of that identity
• a conflation of the ruling party with the state in general in an effort to portray party opposition as state opposition
• collaboration between the state and corporate industry to serve the goals of the state, usually including the suppression of independent labor groups
• hostility toward academic inquiry and critical theory that challenges the status quo
• elements of domestic surveillance as a means of controlling private life, sometimes including the restriction of movement within the nation’s own borders
• the glorification of a strong military as an core national virtue, along with a general portrayal of violence as necessary or cleansing
• the centralization of institutions like education, news media, firearms access, and local police
• the belief in a natural social hierarchy that is usually patriarchal, and is often elitist in other ways (economically, ethnically, etc.)
• the use of various forms of media to shape public opinion as a means of maintaining and displaying power, especially with depictions of rallies and other political spectacle to portray mass, unified support
• the suppression of political dissent, including hostility toward political diversity and efforts to dismantle systems of checks and balances
• the promotion of rigid, state-endorsed social values, often at the expense of both individual freedoms and the rights of minority populations – dissenting and minority populations are often scapegoated
• the state-supported mobilization of organized groups, often youth wings with elements of militia or paramilitary groups
• the co-opting of religious institutions to bolster nationalism, often with the use of religious or quasi-religious rituals and symbolism