Definition of FASCISM

Other Words from fascism

fascist \ ˈfa-shist

also -sist \ noun or adjective, often capitalized

fascistic \ fa-ˈshi-stik

also -ˈsi- \ adjective, often capitalized

fascistically \ fa-ˈshi-sti-k(ə-)lē

also -ˈsi- \ adverb, often capitalized

The Italian Origin of Fascism

The English words fascism and fascist are borrowings from Italian fascismo and fascista, derivatives of fascio (plural fasci), “bundle, fasces, group.” Fascista was first used in 1914 to refer to members of a fascio, or political group. In 1919, fascista was applied to the black-shirted members of Benito Mussolini’s organization, the Fasci di combattimento (“combat groups”), who seized power in Italy in 1922. Playing on the word fascista, Mussolini’s party adopted the fasces, a bundle of rods with an ax among them, as a symbol of the Italian people united and obedient to the single authority of the state. The English word fascist was first used for members of Mussolini’s fascisti, but it has since been generalized to those of similar beliefs.

Examples of fascism in a Sentence

From the first hours of Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union, the propagandists on both sides of the conflict portrayed the struggle in stark, Manichaean language. The totalitarian nature of both regimes made this inevitable. On one side stood Hitler, fascism, the myth of German supremacy; on the other side stood Stalin, communism, and the international proletarian revolution. — Anne Applebaum, New York Review of Books, 25 Oct. 2007 Consider what happened during the crisis of global fascism. At first, even the truth about Hitler was inconvenient. Many in the west hoped the danger would simply go away. — Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, 2006 He collected stories about groups similar to his—Aryans, other Nazis, the KKK. Lately, he'd been flagging many stories from Germany and Eastern Europe, and was quite thrilled with the rise of fascism there. — John Grisham, The Chamber, 1995 the rise of Fascism in Europe before World War II

Recent Examples on the Web

Ultimately, after fighting in the Spanish Civil War, Elias becomes a leader in the fight against fascism. — Lloyd Sachs, chicagotribune.com, "Murder abroad: Crime fiction roundup features thrillers set in France, Italy and Spain," 11 June 2018 What has been in effect in the U.S., in part, and other European countries has socialistic effects, but is in reality fascism. — WSJ, "Schumer, Sanders, Socialism and Buybacks," 12 Feb. 2019 For Benjamin, part of the project of fascism is to render politics aesthetic (communism, conversely, renders art political), and the result of the fascist trajectory is that war begins to hold enormous aesthetic value. — Constance Grady, Vox, "What it means that we keep talking about America like it’s a TV show," 27 Dec. 2018 For many young ideological intellectuals, this often led to a worldview in which there seemed to be little choice: either fascism or communism, with no middle ground. — Helen Fry, WSJ, "‘Enemies Within’ Review: Traitors to Their Class," 13 Dec. 2018 Bertolucci combines a flawless aesthetic with a deep emphasis on composition, design, and camerawork to slowly build a devastating portrait of the kind of personality that allows fascism to flourish. — Aja Romano, Vox, "Why Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist still resonates today," 3 Dec. 2018 Guillermo’s version — which will be set in Italy during the 1930s, during the rise of Mussolini’s fascism — will likely revisit some of the darker aspects of the source material. — Dan Barna, Teen Vogue, "New "Pinocchio" Animated Movie Will Be Directed by Guillermo del Toro," 22 Oct. 2018 But his critics considered him the leader of a fanatic movement — a movement partially rooted in European fascism — that sought power by stoking public fears of India's large Muslim minority. — Ashok Sharma, Fox News, "Former Indian PM Vajpayee dies after illness at age 93," 16 Aug. 2018 Everyone in Shanghai had seen the storm clouds gathering: Depression in the United States, fascism in Europe, Japanese aggression eating into China. — The Economist, "A gripping tale of Sodom sliding towards its bloody end," 12 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fascism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.