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'''Fascism''' is a [[totalitarian]] economic and political ideology that arose in early twentieth-century Europe and came to dominate the social and political systems of Italy under [[Benito Mussolini]] and Germany under [[Adolf Hitler]]. Like [[Communism]], it was anti-religious. It was influential in Portugal as well, and had followers in most European countries and in Argentina. The last fascist regime, that of [[Francisco Franco]] in Spain, came to an end in 1975.

'''Fascism''' is a [[totalitarian]] economic and political ideology that arose in early twentieth-century Europe and came to dominate the social and political systems of Italy under [[Benito Mussolini]] and Germany under [[Adolf Hitler]]. Like [[Communism]], it was anti-religious. It was influential in Portugal as well, and had followers in most European countries and in Argentina. The last fascist regime, that of [[Francisco Franco]] in Spain, came to an end in 1975.

The name "fascism" derives from an ancient Roman symbol, the ''[[fasces]],'' a group of birch rods bundled together with an axe. It symbolizes strength in unity; the rods are weak by themselves but strong when bundled together.  Historian [[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.]] has stated, "The Fascists were not conservative in any very meaningful sense. They did not wish to preserve the existing order, or even to turn back the clock to some more stable century. They purposefully planned to transform the existing order into a new and all-absorbing authoritarianism, based upon the energies and frustrations of modern industrialism. The Fascists, in a meaningful sense, were [[Revolution|revolutionaries]]."<ref>[http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/schlesinger-notrightleft.html Not Right, Not Left, But a Vital Center], [[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.]], ''New York Times Magazine'', April 4, 1948.</ref>  

The name "fascism" derives from an ancient Roman symbol, the ''[[fasces]],'' a group of birch rods bundled together with an axe. It symbolizes strength in unity; the rods are weak by themselves but strong when bundled together.  Historian [[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.]] has stated, "The Fascists were not conservative in any very meaningful sense. They did not wish to preserve the existing order, or even to turn back the clock to some more stable century. They purposefully planned to transform the existing order into a new and all-absorbing authoritarianism, based upon the energies and frustrations of modern industrialism. The Fascists, in a meaningful sense, were [[Revolution|revolutionaries]]."<ref>[http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/schlesinger-notrightleft.html Not Right, Not Left, But a Vital Center], [[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.]], ''New York Times Magazine'', April 4, 1948.</ref>  

==See Also==

==See Also==

*[[Nazism]]

*[[Nazism]]

==Further reading==

==Further reading==

* Eatwell, Roger. ''Fascism: A History.'' (1996). 432 pp.

* Eatwell, Roger. ''Fascism: A History.'' (1996). 432 pp.

[[category:Dictators]]

[[category:Dictators]]

[[category:World War II]]

[[category:World War II]]