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Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, refers to the authoritarian political movement founded by Benito Mussolini in 1919. The name comes from fascio, which may mean "bundle", as in a political group, but also fasces, the Roman authority symbol of a bundle of rods and axe-head.

A prime feature of Fascism was the Roman-style stiff-arm salute which was also adopted by the Nazis.

Uncapitalized it is a system of government resembling Mussolini's government, that exalts nation and often race above the individual and uses terror campaigns and modern techniques of propaganda and censorship to forcibly suppress opposition, engages in severe economic and social regimentation, and often violent nationalism and racism (ethnic nationalism).

Practice of fascism

Examples of fascist systems include Nazi Germany and Spain under Francisco Franco, in addition to Mussolini.

Fascism in practice embodied both political and economic practices, and invites differnt comparisons. Writers who focus on the politically repressive policies of fascism identify it as one form of totalitarianism, of which not only Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany are examples, but communist countries, such as the Soviet Union, Communist China during the Cultural Revolution, and Cuba, as well (although the Soviet Union opposed the self-described fascist states of Italy and Germany during World War II; during that war both fascists and communists identified each other as ideological enemies).

However, some analysts point out that some fascist governments were arguably more authoritarian rather than totalitarian. There is almost universial agreement that Nazi Germany was totalitarian. However, many would argue that the governments of Francoist Spain and Salazar's Portugal, while Fascist, were more authoritarian than totalitarian.

Writers who focus on economic policies of state intervention in the market and the use of state apparatuses to broker conflicts between different classes make even broader comparisons, identifying fascism as one form of corporatism (a political response to the social crises brought on by the global depression in the 1930s and 1940s), of which not only Stalinist Soviet Union and Hitler's Nazi Germany, but Roosevelt's New Deal United States and Juan Peron's populism in Argentina, are examples.

Italian Fascism

The following needs editing for NPOV and language

Any discussion regarding Fascism suffers the risk of being undermitted to political or ideological considerations and concepts which might underline with more evidence certain aspects of the fenomenon rather than other ones, so anything might regard this relatively recent epoque, immediately gets a dramatic temperature.

Italian Fascism was however for its country (and in its country) a deeply and widely appreciated social system in which on one side there were quite thrilling applications of individual controls and deprivations of freedom (even if this is what happened by other means in all Europe at that time); on the other side, during Fascism a poor country as Italy was, was built as a strong nation, finally unified below the same flag (still, after the Unity of 1860 there was no national feeling and no common language), economically brought up to self-sufficiency after decades of emigration abroad.

The growth of italian economical indexes (industrial development, average income, productivity, ...) coincided with an international political crisis that saw on unconciliable positions Italy and S.D.N. (Societé des Nations, first international global association from which UNO was born after WWII); this resulted in an "embargo" to italian goods (defense of commerce with Italy).

Italy, or should we say Fascism, answered with "Autarchia", a campaign meant to demonstrate that the nation, still not rich, would have been able to sufficiently survive without foreign economical or commercial contribution (this applied to German goods too).

So, as a curiosity, really everything was made or produced in Italy: coffee, the national liquid, had been substituted with "ciofega" (made with national cereals), wool was produced in Sardinia, there was an italian benzine, and every kind of product or component had to be completely italian. In case of unavailable goods, the State supported the creation of industries or other instruments to make it.

The expected weakening effect of embargo is still to be clearly verified, indeed. Italians were able to find petrol too in their territory, just before the beginning of WWII, and their economy was effectively self-sufficient. More, the effort to provide any particular product remaining inside the borders, gave this nation a productive system settled up in little time but still central in today's economy.

For the first time, besides, Italians were able to consider themselves a People with its proper identity, able to claim respect for their nationality.

Reformations and innovations were brought to everyday's life in an unexpectable manner. Poorness was fought with the first social interventions and suburbs were created and houses built for homeless and poors, actually living in sort of favelas.

Health system was invented, as well as pension national fund for retired workers, unmarried mothers were assisted and instruction was imposed as compulsory, new families were assisted with marriage bonuses and career preferences and tax reductions.

Unhealthy parts of territory were saned ("Bonifiche") and workers were incentivated to better distribute themselves for a better use of land.

Small rural ownership (Piccola Proprieta' Contadina) was helped to develop in order to share private property among workers; bigger proprietors (latifondisti) were legally fought so to beat down great concentrations of estate richness, while poor farmers were financed and had specially low rental fees or received a permanent use of farms.

Laws were organised in codes ("Codici") that still are a fundamental basis for latin right.

As an ethic political system, Fascism indicated a scheme of individual values in which merit and dignity represented, together with proudness of national origin (jus soli) and perhaps mixed into this, goals to achieve, better that economical or status (career, even in state administration) success. This is not meant as an achieved result, but it was the mentality.

The contuinity with own history, and the progress with no denial of past, was the reason of referring to latin system for icons and slogans.

Rural culture was strictly respected as a part of national origin and feeling, in spite of previously rigid rules that separated, in fact and by law, poors and "signori".

Foreign culture was considered obviously destructive on a political side, but Fascism always tolerated cultural relationship among nations, and inside gave protection to hundreds of leftist intellectuals. Exceptions became famous, as for Gramsci, founder of Italian Communist Party (PCI). Artists were protected until possible, even if the worse enemies of the system.

For the first time, and with little comparisons, a State organised the production of artworks in most of the fields, from painting to sculpture, from writing to music; a relevant effort was made to provide italy of movie prodution spaces, places, schools and finances.

About religion, an act is notably to be considered: the 1929's "Concordato" between Italian State and the Holy See (Vatican - Roman Catholic Curch).

By this act it was finally agreed that State and Church would have been definitely separated, in order to have a "free cult in free state" (libera Chiesa in libero Stato), each one with its competence, without interferences; The Popes' temporal power was ended after some 15 centuries of domain on central Italy.

The Fascism (at its origins a socialist movement) protected Catholic Church ensuring its concrete freedom of cult.

Fascism mostly coincides with the figure of the "Duce" (leader, from latin "Dux"), its leader Benito Mussolini, and did not survive at his death.

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