Which countries had fascist leaders

This long-observed law is often misconstrued as a weakness by many non-Western observers, but make no mistake: A fair trial is a cornerstone of Western civilization. Fascism is a complicated system of governance and ideology, and one that, in part because its adherents lost World War II, is often used as pejorative by the victors of the same war the liberals and the socialists. I mentioned some of the best contemporary essays on fascism at the Historiat last month, which you can read for yourself here.

For this list I am focusing on aspects of fascist governance, rather than ideology, so anti-Semitism, for example, does not count, nor does anti-Bolshevism, or contempt for the messiness of the democratic system. Fascist states are characterized by the following: One party governance; private property is tolerated so long as it serves the state and not the individual; corporations are tolerated so long as they serve the interests of the state and not shareholders; and economic nationalism is pursued not through free trade but via trading blocs based around a shared identity mythical or not.

This is probably the most controversial name on the list. From , Mexico was governed uninterrupted by a single party whose platform was autarky. For over three-quarters of a century Mexicans suffered under single-party rule -- there was corruption, economic growth rates were dependent upon global oil markets, and there was plenty of electoral fraud.

The PPF was, like almost every other fascist organization in the world, made up almost entirely, at the top, of former communists and socialists.

Romania and the Iron Guard. Sandwiched between the communist Soviet Union and the fascist Axis powers of central Europe, Romanian society struggled to find its footing after a comparatively wonderful campaign during World War I , but Bucharest eventually chose to side with Berlin and Rome instead of Moscow.

Romanian fascism was known for including the Orthodox Church into its anti-communist, anti-Semitic, and anti-capitalist rhetoric. Angelo Oliviero Olivetti formed a pro-interventionist fascio called the Fasci of International Action in October Similar political ideas arose in Germany after the outbreak of the war. After the end of the World War I, fascism rose out of relative obscurity into international prominence, with fascist regimes forming most notably in Italy, Germany, and Japan, the three of which would be allied in World War II.

Fascist Benito Mussolini seized power in Italy in and Adolf Hitler had successfully consolidated his power in Germany by Hitler and Mussolini: Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini were the two most prominent fascist dictators, rising to power in the decades after World War I.

During the s, Japan moved into political totalitarianism, ultranationalism, and fascism, culminating in its invasion of China in These measures were considered by many in Japan as refusal by the Occidental powers to consider Japan an equal partner.

On the basis of national security, these events released a surge of Japanese nationalism and resulted in the end of collaboration diplomacy that supported peaceful economic expansion. The implementation of a military dictatorship and territorial expansionism were considered the best ways to protect Japan. In the early s, the Ministry of Home Affairs began arresting left-wing political dissidents, generally to exact a confession and renouncement of anti-state leanings.

Over 30, such arrests were made between and In response, a large group of writers founded a Japanese branch of the International Popular Front Against Fascism and published articles in major literary journals warning of the dangers of statism. The new military leadership would rescind the Meiji Constitution, ban political parties, replace the Diet of Japan with an assembly free of corruption, and nationalize major industries.

Kita also envisioned strict limits to private ownership of property and land reform to improve the lot of tenant farmers. Thus strengthened internally, Japan could then embark on a crusade to free all of Asia from Western imperialism. Although his works were banned by the government almost immediately after publication, circulation was widespread, and his thesis proved popular not only with the younger officer class excited at the prospects of military rule and Japanese expansionism, but with the populist movement for its appeal to the agrarian classes and to the left wing of the socialist movement.

In the s and s, the supporters of Japanese statism used the slogan Showa Restoration, which implied that a new resolution was needed to replace the existing political order dominated by corrupt politicians and capitalists, with one which in their eyes , would fulfill the original goals of the Meiji Restoration of direct Imperial rule via military proxies.

The first 20 years were characterized by the rise of extreme nationalism and a series of expansionist wars. After suffering defeat in World War II, Japan was occupied by foreign powers for the first time in its history, then re-emerged as a major world economic power. The extreme right became influential throughout the Japanese government and society, notably within the Kwantung Army, a Japanese army stationed in China along the Japanese-owned South Manchuria Railroad.

During the Manchurian Incident of , radical army officers bombed a small portion of the South Manchuria Railroad and, falsely attributing the attack to the Chinese, invaded Manchuria. The Kwantung Army conquered Manchuria and set up the puppet government of Manchukuo there without permission from the Japanese government. International criticism of Japan following the invasion led to Japan withdrawing from the League of Nations.

The withdrawal from the League of Nations meant that Japan was politically isolated. Japan had no strong allies and its actions had been internationally condemned, while internally popular nationalism was booming. Local leaders such as mayors, teachers, and Shinto priests were recruited by the various movements to indoctrinate the populace with ultra-nationalist ideals.

They had little time for the pragmatic ideas of the business elite and party politicians. Their loyalty lay to the Emperor and the military. These ambitions led to the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in After their victory in the Chinese capital, the Japanese military committed the infamous Nanking Massacre. The Japanese military failed to defeat the Chinese government led by Chiang Kai-shek and the war descended into a bloody stalemate that lasted until Japan reacted by forging an alliance with Germany and Italy in , known as the Tripartite Pact, which worsened its relations with the U.

In July , the United States, Great Britain, and the Netherlands froze all Japanese assets when Japan completed its invasion of French Indochina by occupying the southern half of the country, further increasing tension in the Pacific. Francisco Franco December 4, — November 20, was a Spanish general who ruled over Spain as a dictator for 36 years from until his death. As a conservative and a monarchist, he opposed the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of a republic in With the elections, the conservative Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Right-wing Groups lost by a narrow margin and the leftist Popular Front came to power.

Intending to overthrow the republic, Franco followed other generals in attempting a failed coup that precipitated the Spanish Civil War. In , he declared Spain a monarchy with himself as regent. Franco gained military support from various regimes and groups, especially Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy, while the Republican side was supported by Spanish communists and anarchists as well as the Soviet Union, Mexico, and the International Brigades.

Leaving half a million dead, the war was eventually won by Franco in He established a military dictatorship, which he defined as a totalitarian state. Under Franco, Spain became a one-party state, as the various conservative and royalist factions were merged into the fascist party and other political parties were outlawed. Franco was also able to take advantage of the resources of the Axis Powers and chose to avoid becoming heavily involved in the Second World War.

Francisco Franco: A photo of Francisco Franco in The consistent points in Francoism included authoritarianism, nationalism, national Catholicism, militarism, conservatism, anti-communism, and anti-liberalism. The Spanish State was authoritarian: non-government trade unions and all political opponents across the political spectrum were either suppressed or controlled by all means, including police repression.

Most country towns and rural areas were patrolled by pairs of Guardia Civil , a military police for civilians, which functioned as a chief means of social control. Franco was also the focus of a personality cult which taught that he had been sent by Divine Providence to save the country from chaos and poverty. Bullfighting and flamenco were promoted as national traditions, while those traditions not considered Spanish were suppressed. All cultural activities were subject to censorship, and many were forbidden entirely, often in an erratic manner.

Francoism professed a strong devotion to militarism, hypermasculinity, and the traditional role of women in society. A woman was to be loving to her parents and brothers and faithful to her husband, and reside with her family. Most progressive laws passed by the Second Republic were declared void. Women could not become judges, testify in trial, or become university professors.

The Civil War had ravaged the Spanish economy. Infrastructure had been damaged, workers killed, and daily business severely hampered. Franco initially pursued a policy of autarky, cutting off almost all international trade. The policy had devastating effects, and the economy stagnated.

Only black marketeers could enjoy an evident affluence. Falangism is widely considered a fascist ideology. Under the leadership of Francisco Franco, many of the radical elements of Falangism considered fascist were diluted, and it largely became an authoritarian, conservative ideology connected with Francoist Spain. Falangism emphasized the need for authority, hierarchy, and order in society. Falangism is anti-communist, anti-capitalist, anti-democratic, and anti-liberal, although under Franco, the Falange abandoned its original anti-capitalist tendencies, declaring the ideology to be fully compatible with capitalism.

It supports criminalization of strikes by employees and lockouts by employers as illegal acts. For example, Fascism was very prominent in Germany throughout the Nazi era. When Adolf Hitler gained absolute power, he insisted that Germany was the best country in the entire world, uniting the people by pushing an ultra-nationalist agenda. Fascist nations and movement had significant differences from one another; however, they did share several characteristics.

These included extreme militaristic nationalism and contempt for democracy, liberalism, and communism. Freedom of speech and the influence of the people's voice are not respected in fascist nations, especially in opposition to their leader or country. Fascism emphasizes the importance of corporations, which creates an even deeper divide between the leaders and the nation's people.

Fascism swept through central, southern, and eastern Europe from to The spread of fascist ideas originated in Italy under the reign of Benito Mussolini. He gained control of Italy as the leader of the National Fascist Party, and he remained in power until his downfall in Despite his totalitarian rule over the Kingdom of Italy, Mussolini was ultimately voted out of office and ended up being arrested after the fact.

The officials who supported him for so many years were the ones to overthrow Mussolini, and the hope was that this would be the end of Mussolini as a fascist dictator.

However, Nazi Germany was starting to take flight, and Mussolini was recruited to assist the Germans with their fascist movement. He continued to participate in fascist ideologies until he was murdered by a fatal gunshot wound on April 28, Eventually, fascist ideologies spread throughout Europe, seeping first into Germany before making its way over to Asia.