What is the appeal of facism?

Answer 1

There are a number of reasons that fascism is appealing. Fascist movements usually arise in periods of war and/or economic crises. Although there have been many variations of fascism, these are the main components of most fascist political movements:

1. They promise to save the country from its current problems if given sweeping powers for themselves. They warn of apocalyptic disaster that only they can save the country from.

2. They often appeal to sentimentality by promising to restore a glorious past, which almost always highly idealized, if it ever existed at all. The Nazis, for instance, played up the symbolism of ancient Germanic mythology, the Italian fascists evoked the glory of imperial Rome, the Japanese fascists use the medieval imagery of samurais and feudal warriors.

3. They tell the masses that by virtue of belonging to a certain nation, ethnicity, and/or race, that they are superior to others and deserve to have this glorious past restored. They cloak this chauvinism by portraying themselves as patriots.

4. In order to explain why this glorious past has been lost, fascists resort to finding a scapegoat that is the obstacle to the superior group re-attaining this glory. This creates another unity of purpose-hatred towards the enemy group, whether Jews, Communists, liberals, homosexuals, immigrants, Muslims, etc.

5. Usually(but not always), fascist movements have a cult of personality established around a charismatic leader, who is depicted as a savior.

6. All of these elements together create a powerful appeal. Frightened and confused people, their faith in the traditional order shaken by political and economic upheaval, are comforted by the order and direction given to them by fascists. The uniforms, slogans, salutes, rituals, and rallies make ordinary citizens feel empowered by being part of something larger then themselves, much like the power of organized religion.

These are the basic components of why fascism is appealing, even though there are many more details. Hope this helps.