You've probably seen the list floating around social media every time a politician says something controversial. It’s usually a grainy screenshot or a neatly designed infographic. People call them the 14 tenets of fascism, but honestly, most folks don't know where they actually came from. They weren't written by a political scientist in a lab or a dictator in a bunker. They came from a guy named Umberto Eco.
Eco wasn't just some academic. He grew up under Mussolini. He lived it. In 1995, he wrote an essay for The New York Review of Books called "Ur-Fascism," where he tried to pin down the "fuzzy" nature of this ideology. It’s tricky. Fascism isn't a monolith like communism. It doesn't have a Das Kapital. It’s a collage. A grab bag of contradictions.
Defining the 14 Tenets of Fascism (The "Ur-Fascism" List)
Fascism is slippery. You can't always point to one thing and say "that's it." Eco argued that you only need one of these "features" to be present for fascism to start coagulating around it. It’s like a game where you can take away the wings, the feathers, and the beak, but it’s still somehow a bird.
The Cult of Tradition. This isn't just liking history. It’s the idea that the "Truth" was already discovered long ago and we just need to keep interpreting it. There is no new learning. Innovation is basically heresy. Think of it as a weird obsession with a "golden age" that probably never existed.
The Rejection of Modernism. This is where it gets spicy. Fascists love technology for war, but they hate the spirit of 1789 (the Enlightenment). They view the age of reason as the beginning of modern depravity. It's an irrationalist streak. Logic takes a backseat to "gut feeling" and traditional values.
The Cult of Action for Action’s Sake. Thinking is a form of emasculation. If you're reflecting, you’re not doing. Intellectuals are often viewed with suspicion because they question things. Action is beautiful in itself, so it must be taken before, or without, any previous reflection.
Disagreement is Treason. In a healthy world, we argue. In the world of the 14 tenets of fascism, disagreement is a sign of diversity, and diversity is a threat. To disagree is to be a traitor to the cause. It's that simple.
Fear of Difference. Fascism seeks consensus by exploiting the natural fear of the "intruder." It’s racist by definition. It thrives on pointing at the "other" and saying, "They are the reason your life is hard."
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Appeal to a Frustrated Middle Class. This is a huge one. It targets a class suffering from an economic crisis or feelings of political humiliation. They feel squeezed from above by the elites and from below by the marginalized. It's a potent mix of resentment.
Obsession with a Plot. The followers must feel besieged. The easiest way to do this is to invent a conspiracy. Usually, it’s an international one. Eco noted that the followers must feel humiliated by the "ostentatious wealth and force of their enemies," but also believe they can defeat them.
The Enemy is Both Strong and Weak. This is a classic bit of cognitive dissonance. By a continuous shifting of rhetorical focus, the enemies are, at the same time, too strong and too weak. They are "taking over everything" but also "degenerate and feeble."
Pacifism is Trafficking with the Enemy. Life is lived for struggle. Therefore, pacifism is bad because life is permanent warfare. This creates a "complex of Armageddon." Since enemies must be defeated, there must be a final battle, after which the movement will have control of the world. But that's a contradiction, because if there's no enemy, there's no struggle.
Contempt for the Weak. It’s elitism for the masses. Every member of the group is told they belong to the best people in the world. But the hierarchy is strict. Every leader despises their subordinates, and those subordinates despise their own underlings.
Everybody is Educated to Become a Hero. In normal societies, a hero is an exception. In Ur-Fascist ideology, heroism is the norm. This cult of heroism is strictly linked with the cult of death. The Ur-Fascist hero looks forward to a heroic death, advertised as the best reward for a heroic life.
Machism. Since permanent war and heroism are difficult games to play, the Ur-Fascist transfers his will to power to sexual matters. This involves disdain for women and intolerance and condemnation of nonstandard sexual habits, from chastity to homosexuality.
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Selective Populism. The People is conceived as a quality, a monolithic entity expressing the Common Will. Since no large group of people can have a truly common will, the Leader pretends to be their interpreter. It’s a "theatrical" populism.
Ur-Fascism speaks Newspeak. This is a nod to Orwell. Fascism uses an impoverished vocabulary and an elementary syntax to limit the instruments for complex and critical reasoning. Short, punchy, repetitive slogans. You've heard them.
Why We Get Fascism Wrong
People love to throw the word "fascist" around like a frisbee at a park. It’s lost its sting. But when we look at the 14 tenets of fascism, we see it’s not just about being mean or authoritarian. It’s a specific cultural climate. It’s a "way of being" that values feeling over thinking.
Jason Stanley, a Yale professor and author of How Fascism Works, points out that fascism isn't a legal system. It's a tactic. It’s a way to gain power by dividing people. He argues that the core of fascist politics is the "mythic past." It's about convincing a dominant group that they are actually the victims.
One big misconception? That fascism is just "extreme conservatism." It’s not. True conservatism usually wants to preserve institutions. Fascism is often revolutionary. It wants to smash the current system to "restore" a mythical one. It’s actually quite radical. It’s also not the same as a military dictatorship. A general might take over a country just to keep order; a fascist leader takes over to transform the soul of the nation.
Real-World Echoes (Not Just the 1930s)
History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes. Looking at the 14 tenets of fascism, we can see these patterns in various places. Take the "Obsession with a Plot." We see this in the way modern disinformation campaigns work. It’s not just about one lie; it’s about creating a world where "nothing is true and everything is possible," as Peter Pomerantsev famously put it.
Consider the "Rejection of Modernism." We see flashes of this in movements that reject scientific consensus in favor of "traditional wisdom" or "intuition." It’s not that being skeptical of tech is fascist—it’s the idea that objective truth doesn't exist, only the truth of the "People."
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The Role of the Media
Fascism needs a megaphone. It needs to simplify. Complex problems like inflation or geopolitical shifts are boring. Fascism makes them exciting. It turns them into a story of villains and heroes.
- Sloganeering: Reducing policy to three-word chants.
- Visuals: Huge rallies, flags, and symbols that make the individual feel small but part of something "grand."
- The "Enemy" of the State: Attacking journalists as the "enemy of the people" to delegitimize any criticism.
Spotting the Signs Early
So, how do you actually use this info? It’s not about calling everyone you dislike a fascist. That's lazy. It’s about watching for the erosion of language and the glorification of "action" over "deliberation."
When you hear someone say that "debate is a waste of time" or that "we need to go back to the way things were before [insert group] ruined it," your ears should perk up. That’s the "Ur-Fascism" Eco was talking about. It’s a mood. A vibe.
The most dangerous thing about the 14 tenets of fascism is that they don't look like a monster when they start. They look like "common sense" or "patriotism." They look like a guy telling it like it is.
How to Push Back
Knowledge is the first step, but it’s kind of useless without a plan. If you're worried about these trends, you have to lean into the things fascism hates.
Fascism hates complexity. So, read long books. Support long-form journalism. Fascism hates disagreement. So, talk to people who don't think like you. Not to "convert" them, but to remember that they are humans and not "enemies."
Fascism thrives on fear. If you can stay calm and look at the actual data, the "plots" start to fall apart. It’s harder to be a "hero" in a cult of death when you’re busy building a community in the real world.
Next Steps for Deeper Understanding:
- Read the Source: Go find Umberto Eco’s original essay, "Ur-Fascism." It’s not long, and his prose is way better than any summary.
- Audit Your Information Diet: Are you consuming content that relies on "Newspeak"? Watch for repetitive, emotionally charged slogans that shut down thinking.
- Support Local Institutions: Fascism hates decentralized power. Engaging in local school boards or town halls is a direct antidote to the "theatrical populism" of national leaders.
- Learn the History of the 1920s: Don't just look at the 1940s. Look at how the movements started. Look at the economic anxiety of the Weimar Republic or the "mutilated victory" sentiment in Italy.
- Practice Critical Discourse: When you see a "plot" being discussed, ask for the specific evidence. If the enemy is both "all-powerful" and "pathetic," point out the contradiction.
Fascism is a ghost that haunts modern democracy. It doesn't need a brown shirt or a specific salute to be real. It just needs a moment of weakness, a bit of fear, and a crowd looking for an easy answer to a hard question.