What does fascist mean?
A fascist is one who presides over, supports, or believes in a system of government that combines strong autocratic rule, militarism and/or violence against enemies and dissenters, and a subversion of the individual in favor of the state (i.e. nationalism). As opposed to communism, where the individual is under “the people”, in fascism the individual is under a greater glory or value in nationhood, or race. For this reason communism and some other totalitarians are seen as far left, whereas fascism is considered far right – although they almost close a circle and become the same thing. It is often associated with dictatorship – classic fascist regimes include Italy under Mussolini, Nazi Germany, and Spain under Franco. It usually seems to apply to Europe. The word comes from a Latin word, Fasces, which was a symbolic bundle of sticks bound together with leather, to illustrate that individually a single stick was weak, but in a tight orderly formation the were strong.