Furthermore, Fascism is not inherently anti-religious. In fact, its roots were a reaction to the Enlightenment, which was itself anti-religious and based in the secular and the scientific.

Leftists base their views on the secular and the scientific, things that were rejected by the origins of fascism.

Religion, to the fascist, keeps a social order and maintains cohesion among the people, and the nation, which again, is the Agent in the Ideological Triad (something used to analyze a belief system).

Fascism–along with National Socialism and Totalitarian Communism seeks to create a “New Man” and along with that a “New Society” and a “New Religion”–a religion based on the State. Besides being antiliberal and anticommunist, fascism is also anticonservative–it seeks to destroy traditional institutions such as the Church. A very important element to fascism, national socialism, and totalitarian communism is the use of new liturgy and symbols to replace the old–fasces, the swastika, the hammer and sickle, the Nuremberg Rally, are just a few examples. Mein Kampf as a replacement for the Bible. That’s why you don’t really have pure fascism–the closest you come to a “pure” National Socialist, totalitarian communist or fascist state is Nazi Germany and Stalinist Soviet Union. Mussolini had to make concessions to the Church in Italy in order to govern–just as other fascist dictators elsewhere had to make some ideological concessions. Franco started out fascistic, but evolved more into a conservative authoritarian dictator along the lines of Dollfuss or Salazar.

But as I say, fascism really goes hand in hand with militarism, at least as commonly understood. The One is no militarist.

Allahpundit on April 15, 2009 at 6:01 PM

Militarism and the willingness to use violence is one element in fascist ideology. I will agree, Obama has no goals towards empire building and he has been careful not to appear to openly endorse the use of violence. That being said, acts of violence carried out by Obama supporters have occurred and either have not been denounced or have only been half-heartedly denounced by the Democrats. Also, the use of cyberviolence by Obama supporters is quite obvious on any number of sites and forums.

Obama is not fascistic in the Mussolini or Hitler use of the term. After thinking things over, I’d say he bears more of a resemblence to Peronist thought, but also a goodly measure of leanings towards Castroist and Chavist thought in that I think he is something of a caudillo type–especially as regards the acceptance of corruption.

Matt Helm on April 15, 2009 at 8:17 PM