The terms "fascist" and "fascism" are showing up a lot recently, and all too often, their use reveals the speaker's ignorance about what the terms mean. Some time ago, I decided to get it from the horse's mouth and see what Mussolini said fascism is, by reading his and co-author Gentile's "Fascist Manifesto". The other day, I asked chat gpt to summarize it for me, and the answer seems pretty accurate to me. Here's that conversation:

Can you summarize Mussolini and Gentile's Fascist Manifesto into bullet points?

ChatGPT

Certainly, here are some key points from Mussolini and Gentile's Fascist Manifesto:

• Rejection of liberal democracy and the parliamentary system.

• Belief in the superiority of the state over the individual.

• Advocacy for a corporatist economic system in which the state guides and regulates economic activity.

• Promotion of a "national community" based on shared identity, culture, and history.

• Emphasis on militarism, imperialism, and expansionism as a means of achieving national greatness.

• Rejection of internationalism and socialism, and advocacy for a form of nationalist socialism.

• Emphasis on the importance of leadership, discipline, and obedience to authority.

• Advocacy for the use of violence and coercion to achieve political goals.

• Rejection of pacifism and belief in the necessity of war for national and racial survival.

These are just some of the key principles of Fascism as outlined in the manifesto, but they provide a good overview of the ideology.

What does it say about free speech and the media?

ChatGPT

The Fascist Manifesto doesn't specifically address the issue of free speech and the media, but historically, Fascist regimes have tended to suppress free speech and control the media in order to promote their ideology and suppress dissent. Mussolini's Fascist regime in Italy, for example, tightly controlled the press and used propaganda to manipulate public opinion. Similarly, Nazi Germany under Hitler heavily censored and controlled the media, using it as a tool to spread propaganda and suppress dissenting views. So while the Fascist Manifesto may not explicitly address free speech and the media, the historical record suggests that Fascist regimes tend to be hostile to free speech and press freedom.

What does it say about how state leaders are selected?

ChatGPT

The Fascist Manifesto doesn't provide detailed guidelines on how state leaders should be selected, but it emphasizes the importance of strong leadership and the authority of the state. The manifesto suggests that the state should have a strong, centralized government led by a single, powerful leader who is able to exercise control over all aspects of society.

In practice, Fascist regimes have tended to place a great deal of emphasis on the personality and authority of the leader, often elevating them to a position of almost divine reverence. In Italy, Mussolini was the undisputed leader of the Fascist government and had absolute control over the government and military. Similarly, in Nazi Germany, Hitler was viewed as the embodiment of the Nazi party and the German nation.

Overall, while the Fascist Manifesto doesn't provide a specific process for selecting state leaders, it does emphasize the importance of strong, centralized leadership and the authority of the state. In practice, this has often meant the elevation of a single, charismatic leader who is able to exert total control over the government and society

So, if you are into individual rights, if you believe that government's role is to protect freedom, if you favor the decentralization of authority, if you believe that major elements of society should not be subject to absolute control by the state or state created entities (you know, like bitcoin maxi's), then you are not a fascist.