A “fascist” refers to a person, ideology, movement, or regime that supports or embodies fascism.Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and form of government. It emerged prominently in early 20th-century Europe (most famously under Benito Mussolini in Italy from 1922 onward and Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime in Germany).Scholars widely agree that fascism is difficult to pin down with a single rigid definition—historian Ian Kershaw famously compared trying to define it to “nailing jelly to the wall”—but core characteristics consistently appear across reliable sources (dictionaries, encyclopedias, and academic analyses).Core Elements of Fascism

• Ultranationalism — extreme emphasis on the nation (or sometimes race/ethnic group) as supreme; loyalty to the nation overrides individual rights.
• Authoritarian / dictatorial leadership — centralized power under a single, often charismatic, leader (cult of personality) who is portrayed as infallible.
• Forcible suppression of opposition — violent or coercive elimination of dissent, political rivals, free press, unions, and pluralism.
• Militarism — glorification of military strength, war, and violence as redemptive or purifying forces.
• Subordination of the individual to the state/nation — personal interests are sacrificed for the “greater good” of the collective national community.
• Rejection of democracy and liberalism — contempt for electoral democracy, parliamentary systems, Enlightenment values, socialism/communism, and often capitalism in its liberal form.
• Belief in natural social hierarchy — elites should rule; often includes rigid gender roles, xenophobia, and (in some cases) racial superiority doctrines.
• Regimentation of society and economy — strong state control or direction over economic and social life, frequently in collaboration with traditional elites and corporations (corporatism in the Italian model).

Classic Historical Examples

• Mussolini’s Italy (1922–1943/45) — the original fascist regime, from which the term derives (from Latin fasces, a bundle of rods symbolizing authority and unity).

• Nazi Germany (1933–1945) — often classified as a specific racialized variant of fascism (National Socialism).

• Other regimes/movements with strong fascist traits: Franco’s Spain (to a degree), certain interwar groups in Eastern Europe, and various postwar neo-fascist movements.