Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Definition
Fascism is a far-right political ideology characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and the economy. It often emphasizes aggressive nationalism and ethnocentrism.
AP course connection
Topic 3.4: 3.4 Nationalism, Communism, Fascism, and Authoritarianism
A governing system in which power is concentrated in the hands of a leader or small elite that is not constitutionally responsible to the body of the people.
A political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and seeks to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible.
The ideology based on fostering, promoting, and sustaining a shared national identity among members of a state or territory, often featuring the exclusion or denigration of other nationalities or cultures