We can speak of dictatorship when the governance of a society is determined by the intentions of a minority of its members, while the clas...
We can speak of dictatorship when the governance of a society is determined by the intentions of a minority of its members, while the classic form of dictatorship is autocracy, when the will of a single person has a decisive influence on the communal life of a society.
A defining characteristic of how society functions is the social potential, which shows what a given society is capable of achieving. It is obvious that, in the case of human society, social potential is greater when the intentions of the members of a society, with their own will, are more aligned, the more the society functions on the basis of a common will. Theoretically, a society's maximum potential can be achieved when, ideally, the will of all members of society serves the same purpose.
In human society, this ideal state, the theoretical maximum potential, can never be achieved in practice due to the existence of human free will, and striving towards greater potential can only be a realistic goal. Even in the case of democratic social governance, only a lower limit, the enforcement of the will of the majority, is defined as a minimum requirement, and the realization of which is already capable of forming a successful society with great potential, as human history demonstrates.
Due to the nature of their functioning, dictatorial societies inherently do not apply this condition, which concerns the majority of society, in their governance of society. However, even in a dictatorship, the decisive factor in the existence of society is the extent to which its social potential is realized.
Countless historical examples show that dictatorships and dictators do not necessarily aim to increase social potential. Most dictators are simply satisfied with exploiting the society they rule for their own selfish interests, which, if sustained over a long period of time, obviously results in a decline in the potential of society, causing it to wither away, and ultimately leading to the collapse of society.
Reasonably functioning dictatorships also pay attention to social potential, as greater social potential is useful to dictatorships, which the minority leadership can use to achieve its own goals. However, a dictatorship does not have an inherent mode of operation that in itself results in an increase in social potential, as is the case with the majority rule of democratically functioning societies, which is a fundamental and defining feature of their existence.
A properly functioning dictatorship that increases the potential of society must employ special operating mechanisms so that the ruling minority's intentions, which determine community action, can be extended to as large a part of society as possible, ideally to the whole of society.
The efforts of dictatorships to apply mechanisms that increase social potential are clearly observable. They typically attempt to bring together the divergent free will of individuals using manipulative and sometimes violent means, with varying degrees of success, but typically in an unsustainable manner in the long term.
A reasonably functioning dictatorship also has the goal of maximizing social potential, preferably reaching the maximum social potential of as many members of society as possible, ideally by directing the free will of all members of society at the service of achieving the goals of the dictatorship. The type of dictatorship that successfully accomplishes this task can be given the distinctive name of fascist dictatorship, and the social system that results from it can be called fascism.
Currently, there is no clear definition of fascism in the literature that defines its essence; there is only a general description that lists the tools used by fascist dictatorships to control and direct society, even on an individual level.
According to the relevant literature, fascism is a political ideology and social system characterized by dictatorial leadership, centralized autocracy, militarism, violent suppression of opposition, and extreme nationalism, which places the interests of society (in fact, the dictatorship) above those of the individual.
Fascist states are usually ruled by a single leader who has unchecked and unlimited power and allows little or no tolerance for dissent or criticism. Fascist regimes violently suppress political opposition, restrict individual freedoms, and promote a rigid social hierarchy and national unity defined by dictatorship.
The characteristic ideology of fascism is ultranationalism, promoting aggressive militarism and the creation of a mass movement aimed at mobilizing society on the basis of the supremacy of the state.
Under fascism, economic and social life is strictly regulated by the state, with the workforce and the economy primarily serving the goals set by the state.
Fascism is an extreme form of militaristic nationalism characterized by the rejection of electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, belief in the rule of an elite, and the desire to create a people's community in which individual interests are subordinated to goals defined by the state as the common good.
The ideology employed by fascism typically focuses on the myth of national rebirth and the mobilization of society as a unified force under the leadership of an elite representing fascism.
Fascist movements oppose any deviation from their defined ideal in human thinking and typically use populism, racism, and violence as methods of social and political control.
Fascism implements a totalitarian system, seeks to exercise complete state control over society, and enforces centralized power led by a dictator.
The main emphases of fascism are militarism, national rebirth, racial identity, and absolute state control over all spheres of life.
The main ideological elements characteristic of fascism:
Mythical nationalism
Fascism is characterized by a mythical, idealized vision of the nation's past glory and a belief in the need for national rebirth or renewal. This myth places the nation above individual interests.
Authoritarian leadership and the cult of the leader
Fascism typically centers on a charismatic leader who embodies the national will and is often portrayed as infallible and the sole source of guidance. The authority of this leader is unquestionable and plays a central role in the legitimacy of fascist rule.
Ultranationalism and exclusionary populism
Fascism promotes a powerful, often exclusionary nationalism that identifies internal and external enemies threatening the national unity represented by the state as traitors and scapegoats. This includes claims of racial, ethnic, or religious superiority and emphasizes the creation of a homogeneous "people's community."
Militarism and the glorification of violence
Fascism supports militarism as a means of strengthening the nation and glorifies violence, including war, and warriors, who purify society, promoting social-evolutionist views of strength and weakness.
Anti-egalitarian and hierarchical society
Fascism rejects egalitarianism and insists on a strict social hierarchy based on race, bloodline, or other criteria. It promotes elitism, often coupled with contempt for intellectuals, the arts, and groups considered weak or deviant.
Anti-liberalism
Fascism strongly opposes liberal democracy and political pluralism. It rejects political freedoms, democratic institutions, and egalitarian values in favor of a single-party state exercising total control.
State control with private ownership and corporatism
Fascism supports the retention of private ownership, but keeps major owners under state control in order to harmonize the use of wealth with state objectives.
Mass mobilization and propaganda
Fascist regimes seek to influence the population through propaganda, mass demonstrations, and control of the media, creating emotional appeal and mythical national narratives in order to maintain loyalty and suppress dissent.
Sexism and traditional gender roles
Fascism enforces traditional gender roles, glorifies male dominance, warrior masculinity, and traditional subordinate roles for women, while oppressing or scapegoating non-conforming gender and sexual identities.
These elements combine to form a revolutionary ideology that rejects the status quo, proclaims national rebirth through force and unity, and legitimizes violence and exclusion in order to achieve its goals.
When examining the characteristics of fascism listed above, it can be seen that the essence of fascism as a social system is the homogenization of the will of members of society in accordance with an external intention, harmonizing them to accept an external will. Fascism, the fascist dictatorship, uses methods to shape the will of members of society in accordance with an exclusive external will, which, in addition to the general dictatorial characteristics, is actually described in the literature as the social system of fascism.
The main characteristics of fascism, which aim to shape the will of members of society:
The targeted reduction of diversity in society in order to make it easier to manage, even through "improvement," which is achieved through positive discrimination of suitable individuals and negative discrimination of those considered unsuitable, such as during the Nazi era in the form of the Holocaust of Jews and Gypsies, or through the selection of genetic traits considered defective or advantageous, or in more modern times, for example, through the targeted differentiation of social financial family support, highlighting social groups considered appropriate for dictatorship and oppressing inappropriate groups.
By shaping free thought, which can manifest itself, for example, in the centralized regulation of education and information dissemination, or even in the violent negative discrimination of ideas and thinkers that do not conform to the central authority.
Militarism is also a recognizable tool for shaping community will. A characteristic of militarism is obedience to orders, even at the expense of one's own intentions. The militarization of society, including the inculcation of a military mindset from childhood and the application of a military mindset in public administration, promotes the acceptance of external, dictatorial power and obedience, thereby facilitating the functioning of dictatorship and the emergence and maintenance of fascism.
External militarism is not a necessary characteristic of fascist society, but rather a consequence of it. If the personal intention of the dictator leading fascism is to extend his power to other societies through the greater social potential created by fascism and the ingrained militaristic behavior of society, the realization of this intention with the enhanced potentiality of the ruled society provides an attractive temptation, even if it means waging war.
In education, in shaping the individual's own will, the emphasis on community and the suppression of individualism is characteristic of fascism, which manifests itself in the centralized propaganda of community theologies, myths of origin, ideologies emphasizing the superiority of community members, and the suppression of behavior that contradicts this.
The general definition of fascism that corresponds to the above description and defines its essence is as follows: Fascism is the ideal realization of dictatorship, i.e., the maximization of social potential under dictatorial conditions, where the goal to be achieved, and ideally the state that has been achieved, is the unlimited cooperation and voluntary obedience of the entire society, all members of society, to a single will represented by the dictatorial state.
The goal of reasonably functioning dictatorships is to achieve a fascist social order. If the methods listed above are recognizable, then the dictatorial society is tending toward fascism.
The social counterpoint to fascist dictatorship is where society is guided by the will of the real majority, which we can call social democracy, which inherently implements democratic principles that increase society's potential. In contrast, fascism is the most dangerous form of exploitation of society, which creates opportunities for the realization of the unlimited intentions of a single individual and the fulfillment of that individual's free will by exploiting the maximum potential of an entire society.
Human history has seen a number of influential but typically short-lived fascist dictatorships that fit the definition given here, such as the empire of Julius Caesar, the reign of Alexander the Great, the Mongol Empire, the rule of Napoleon, and Hitler's Nazi empire. Certainly, ancient societies with significant achievements, such as the construction of the pyramids, and with the social potential to achieve them, functioned as fascist dictatorships according to the definition given here. Their lasting stability was created by a generally accepted religion that permeated society and inherently favored the will of a single leader as divine discrimination, as a divine distinction.
In more modern times, the view that presupposes and accepts the existence of a superior will is no longer so pervasive in society, so although attempts at religious discrimination by fascist dictators can still be observed, these typically lead only to superficial results and are unable to significantly increase the lifespan of fascist dictatorships.
A currently sustainable fascist system can be achieved either through totalitarian social control or through the continuous maintenance of social welfare growth, but both methods have obvious limitations.
It can be observed that, already at the beginning of its formation, fascist dictatorship represents an attractive form of government for a significant part of society, sometimes even for the majority of society. The establishment of the power structure of a fascist dictatorship is often accompanied by significant social support, which the dictatorship needs until it becomes impossible to change the power structure using internal social means.
The decisive social appeal of fascist dictatorship stems fundamentally from the fact that the dictator does not impose his will against the will of the members of society, but rather through the will of the members of society. The realization of the common will, which is not only achieved by setting attractive social goals, not only by the fascist dictatorship providing social order and security to those members of society who accept the common will, instead of the often chaotic social processes resulting from democratic functioning, which lead to uncertainty, it is not only the appeal of increasing prosperity resulting from the growth of social potential that is decisive in the acceptance of fascist dictatorship, but also the realization of individual intentions, typically manipulated by the fascist system.
It is obvious that the success of a fascist dictatorship depends on the competence of its leaders. Since dictatorships are not typically characterized by the transfer of power being linked to competence criteria, even if fascist dictatorships can function successfully, as historical facts demonstrate, if a fascist dictatorship is unable to link leadership change to real criteria of competence, its survival across generations of power is typically not achieved.
A stable, sustainable human social system that maximizes social potential can only be achieved through social democracy based on the will of the majority, the functioning of which is discussed in several of the thoughts presented here.
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