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Elpin Keshishzadeh
18 May 2013
"The Future of Fascism"
Keshishzadeh1
! Fascism is a philosophy that has changed significantly throughout history. Given its
constant evolution, society's view on the ideology has also changed. After the birth of Italian
Fascism, lead by Benito Mussolini, many dictators, such as Adolf Hitler, used fascist ideologies
to foster their own philosophical movements. Given its right-wing extremities, one might argue
that developed First World countries would not tolerate the comeback of fascism. However, once
the ideologies of fascism are closely examined, not only are traces of the philosophy seen, but it
also has major potential to rise again as a dominant philosophy in First World countries; the
United States serving as a model. Fascism is defined as "a system of government marked by
centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the
opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and
racism." Due to its ever evolving definition, simply the absence of militiamen and social
oppression is no longer enough to equate the death of a fascist society. Even in a highly
democratized nation such as the U.S., fascism has a strong possible future due to corporatism,
corruption of human rights, and the censorship of media propaganda.
Given its historical reputation, modern-day fascism is often misinterpreted. The sudden
outburst of violent revolutions, with a newly appointed dictators, are not no longer the warning
signs of a fascist transformation. In an article for the Moscow Times, Chris Floyd highlights the
more realistic characteristics of fascism in modern First World countries such as the U.S.:
"Fascism in America wont come with jackboots, book burnings, mass rallies, and fevered
harangues, nor will it come with black helicopters or tanks on the street. Everything is the
same, but everything...