Similarities Between Fascism and Communism

What is Communism?

Communism is a theory or systems of social organization that is based on the holding of all property in common, with actual ownership is ascribed to the community or state. Communism is both an economic and political ideology that is mostly associated with Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Marx believed that a truly utopian society must be classless and stateless.in the communist society that Marx described is that the government has supreme authority through its total control of land and means of production. Both Marx and Engels propose a communist state whereby property is communally owned by a classless society thus eliminating differences between workers and the rich elites. Communism sets a standard of equality both economically and socially among its followers.

Characteristics of Communism

• The means of production are held in common. There is no ownership of capital goods and production is organized to provide for human needs
• Economic planning is done by the government, including all decisions regarding investment, production and resource allocation.
• Communist state is stateless, classless and is governed directly by the people
• It abolishes the concept of private ownership of property and upholds the concept of commons and ownership with user-ship.
• Uses totalitarian governmental control of all aspects of life to control its system while at the same time relying on propaganda and a secret police.

What is Fascism?

The word fascists was coined and used by Benito Mussolini who was the leader of the first fascist movement and a fascist dictator of Italy. It comes from the Italian word fascio which means union or league and the Latin word fasces. Fascism means autocracy or dictatorship where the power of the state is vested in one man only who is charismatic and viewed as uniquely capable; and it’s obligatory for all the others to obey his orders. Fascist ideology is totalitarian, which means that a political system that controls every aspect of life, so that there is no private sphere or independent organizations. Fascism mainly aims at restoring its national pride to countries whose former prestige or power has diminished. It tends to promote and exploit the grievances of a common man by portraying the society as the theatre of a ceaseless conflict.

Characteristics of fascism

• fascism regime is characterized by government protecting corporate powers since it is this business elites who put the government leaders into power hence they create a mutual benefiting business and government relationship.
• In fascism regime they tend to be more categorical on sexism. They tend to favour the male hence it is exclusively male dominated. They make traditional gender roles more rigid and formulate policies that favour the males.
• Fascism is characterized by the coming up with patriotic slogans, songs and symbols and tenderness to make use of them in public holidays.
• Fascism is characterized by the identification of a common enemy or a scapegoat as a unifying factor on their course. They rally the common people to a unifying patriotic frenzy into eliminating a particular common threat.
• Fascism is characterized with the glamorizing of the military. The military is usually given the disproportionate amount in terms of government funding while ignoring the most urgent agendas.

Similarities between Fascism and Communism

1. Both structures are totalitarian. They do not allow political competition between different parties, freedom of press and freedom of association.
2. Both fascists and communists had a one common enemy which was liberal democracy with its reverence for civil rights, property, and peace.
3. They both viewed pacifism with contempt.
4. Both fascists and communists tried to obliterate all distinctions between the state and the citizens by penetrating and controlling every aspect of their organized life.
5. Both the fascists and communists enjoyed a political monopoly and governed with the assistance of the security police, which were massively endowed with unrestricted powers.
6. They both bring out the cult of personality who is powerful, charismatic even deified figures who are viewed as uniquely capable such as Stalin.

Summary

• Fascism is indeed the repository of all the political, social and economic traits shown above, the mind-sets of fascists manifests itself in different forms by depending on the culture.
• Communism and fascism are kindred spirits of anti-capitalist totalitarianism as Mussolini stated in his speech in 1921.
• Fascism and communist ideals are committed to eliminate class difference among its populace