The Roots of Fascism, by Owen Welsh

The Imposing Headquarters of the Fascist Party of Italy

In a nod to our current leader, I started the reading the book 1984 by George Orwell, which is about one thing. Fascism. It's a word that gets thrown around a lot by politicians so you may dismiss what it actually means, but fascism is much worse than just a buzzword to insult your opponent. At its core, Fascism is the idea of a single party controlling a country; it's a far right-wing ideal that started in the midst of World War One. It was during this time that the first notable Fascist party rose to power, lead by Mussolini in Italy. Benito Mussolini maneuvered his way to power as a legitimately elected official, then changed legislation so he would become a legal dictator and as he called it a "Duce of Fascism". The Italian people did not rebel as soon after he declared himself the permanent leader and ruler of Italy, he seized control of all media in Italy. By making all media state-controlled, there was no way for people to spread news of rebellion, especially as citizens were heavily encouraged to report "prohibited" behavior. After a dramatic loss in World War Two, the people smartened up and overthrew Mussolini and the Fascist party of Italy.

Fascism is an easier situation for a country to find itself in than you think, though it's not always as easy to spot as a party called the Fascist Party. For instance Russia, while they may operate under the guise of being a fair democracy with equal voices, look at their journalism. 26 journalists have been executed or otherwise killed since the year 2000, and most claim that all media outlets are threatened with monetary setbacks if they do not adhere to what the United Russian Party tells them to do and say. This alone does not make a country Fascist, but aggressive military movements "in the interest of the people" does, I'm sure everyone remembers the annexation of Crimea and its downright unlawful process. This occurred in the midst of Vladimir Putin's reelection to the office of President, which came under fire for massive voter fraud and unclear voting rules and restrictions. Overall, if President Putin suddenly declares martial law or something along the lines of making himself the ultimate ruler of Russia, don't say it was unexpected.

This presents us with a worrying omen, if there are truly Fascists among us, who's to stop them from taking control of the Governments of the world? We are lucky to currently not be controlled by a single person or power, as proven by the Federal Courts' decision to overrule a recent executive order. Though that doesn't mean we're safe quite yet. Both major American political parties have cried that fake news is to blame for all of their failures, but it is precisely this idea of fake news that allows state media to become normal. Imagine how easy it would be. Everyone is already in an uproar about major news outlets, so you propose a solution, a news network run by the government to keep everything truthful. Suddenly, you're able to dictate what people know, what they think of things, even how they should react to certain news being shared with them.

It is reminiscent of how in 1984 there is one party, simply known as "The Party" that rose out of the ashes of a great war, they control everything right down to how many shoelaces are produced yearly. This is an extreme case of Fascism, but not an entirely unrealistic one. Once you have control of the media, the majority in Government and the means of production, you can control everything. It first comes by banning "Unpatriotic" ideals, then comes the imprisonment of dissenters, and ends with the execution of those who still attempt to sow the seeds of doubt into the minds of the unthinking followers. Overall, instead of dismissing the concerns of the many as rampant imaginings and misplaced fear, maybe take another look at what your Government or elected officials are doing, as the only people able to prevent a tyrant from taking control are the people who voice their concerns, not the ones who sit back and do nothing.