How did fascist regimes gain the support of their populations?

Answer 1

By taking advantage of a failing system of government fascist regimes can take control. The people wanted something better and the Fascists promised so much as well as portrayed a strong leadership image. People always want to look to a strong leader. If people feel that there is an emergency, they will do almost anything to keep the unthinkable from happening

Answer 2

Fascism had a strong appeal in a variety of nations as a result of World War One. Fascism's main appeal is to nationalism in any particular situation. Additionally, when fascists were able to convince a portion of the population that other political parties or democratic methods were obstacles to getting a nation's affairs in order, they began to have an edge in public debates and framing public policies. Fascism is one form of totalitarianism. It may come in the form of an absolute monarchy, or a Dictatorship based on government control of the entire operation of a nation. The appeal always centers upon a particular "evil" and fascists distort reality and provide easy solutions to a nations problems. Additionally, fascist parties prefer to have a charismatic leader. A person who can articulate why problems exist and how the "leader" and his cohorts can solve the problems.

Typical problems to fix are unemployment, dominating foreign powers, and parties that have ties to other nations. In Germany in the 1930's, it was clear that the German Communist Party did have "solutions" but it was also clear that they followed the dictates of the Soviet Union.

Fascism was most prominent in post WW 1 Germany and Italy. On a worldwide basis, there were fascist parties in many nations after that war. For example, there was a British fascist party.

In Italy and Germany, democratic minded political parties were weak and disunited. There were real economic problems in those two countries that seemed unsolvable. Fascists offered solutions to real or imagined problems brought about by other nations or weak democratic ruling parties within their own nations. However, it bears repeating that the main appeal to fascism and other non-democratic political systems is the appeal to nationalism. All else follows from this.