1. Extra-exploitation
Something that is seen in every upcoming of fascism in history, is the extra-exploitation of the common men (workers, laborers or proletariat) that advances it and accompanies it.
Very high unemployment rates due to the increase of productivity, which benefits primarily the stockholders and richest layers of the population are just one sign of that.
Another one is the increase in difference between the poorest layer and the richest layer of the population. Also the destruction of social benefits accompanies this: social security is reduced, the ability to get good education for most of the population is reduced,...
Demands as the one for an education or health care accessible to all are under continues attack.
The fascist parties and movements are the first to call the unempoyed, lazy people, while there's a structural economical basis for unemployment. By distorting the view on the real reasons, they open the possibility to gain support to reduce the rights and financial situation of the unemployed. On the other hand, they hide the mega-profits of huge industries and multinational corporations.

2. Antisyndicalism
This is a point that is not public knowledge in all countries. But all fascist variations that can be found also contain antisyndicalism: the differences in interests between the owners of the companies (who want to lower the costs of production), and the workers (who want to earn at least a decent living) are denied by fascism.
This results in the denying of the usefulness of strikes and labour unions.
When, in reality these are the only means of the workers to defend themselves against lowered wages, increase of workload, social security cuts,...
So, something that can be found in every fascist state is the oppression of syndicalism. Not only by using brutal violence, sometimes also by the organisation of state-controlled 'unions' which don't defend the workers interests, but serve to keep the workers under control.

3. Nationalism
Mainly there are two kinds of nationalism: progressive and not-progressive. The Antifascist struggle of the Kurdish people is also a nationalist struggle, here nationalism is certainly progressive: the people are actually oppressed and mass-murder is committed because of 'bluth und bodem'-like theories (take a look at the why and how of the Antifascist freedom struggle in Kurdistan).
In other cases like Belgium and France (Europe), nationalism is certainly a way how fascism introduces itself, the Flemish people aren't oppressed in Belgium in any way. So Flemish nationalism isn't progressive at all. The opposite is true: in Belgium the Flemish nationalism serves to oppress foreigners to a certain degree and it reduces solidarity between the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking part of the country.
As a result of this, education delivers history manipulation or falsification and indoctrination in fascist states. This also happens at this moment in Turkey.
One could say that almost all fascist movements have nationalist ideologies, but that nationalism isn't always bad, depending on the conditions of the country.

4. Racism
Most fascist groups are racist ones or defend at least an inequality theory, sometimes the racist character of the fascist movement might be hidden, because of laws against racism or for public image.
Some people (those defending fascism) are seen superior than others. These others might be groups of people with certain visual different characteristics: blacks, handicappers,... or people with different opinions: antifascists, communists, syndicalists, antiracists, anti-imperialists,...
The oppression used against one group hides and argues the oppression used against the other one and vice versa.
Hitler for example said that all Jews where communists, and that they had a 'Marxist' believe, which would lead to a domination of the Jews world-wide, which would lead to the destruction of all civilisation (from 'Mein Kampf').
Of course this is rubbish, but the anticommunist hatred was defended with antisemitism, and antisemitism with anticommunism! (see point 8: anticommunism)
The 'religious right'-movements in the USA, form at this moment one of the most advanced fascist forces. Their racism is based upon an irrational hatred towards the most vulnerable ones in society. The're presented as liars, big thiefs and biggest profiteers. But how on earth can the terror and discrimination of blacks and others mean an answer to the deep structural economical crisis of the capitalist system? Every word against them is a protection of the real responsibles for the social problems: the big capitalists and multinationals. If the workers don't unite with there colored brothermen, they won't be able to halt the destruction of their social and economical rights. The racist lie, repeated over and over again, causes a blind and beastly hatred. Those who're influenced by that blind hatred, become themselves primitif beings that can be directed into the most insensitive adventures. By using racism and nationalism, Hitler transformed millions of germans in murderers.
Racism only serves the richests on this earth.

5. Oppression
Oppression is something that can be seen in all fascist states.
Oppression of people who want to stop one or more of the points enlisted here.
In fascist states this is more then just 'oppression' by reducing the rights to speak, it's often also the physical liquidation of their opponents. They use elite forces and so-called 'central intelligence' to practise it, sometimes combined with death squads.
The feelings of insecurity of the people, caused by expensive health care and other crimes, are canalised by fascists towards little criminality. That kind of criminality that's seen among young unemployed without future. To end that kind of criminality, one must give them a job with a decent wage and a future.
With their big fuss about little criminality, fascists try to increase the militarisation of police and arms for repression. This has nothing to do with little crimes but with the repression of (future) mass movements that stand up against their exploitation.
The real criminals, the big criminals are big, fat capitalists and imperialists that traffic arms and drugs. These pigs are respected super-riches! According to Interpol, the international drugs maffia realises 500.000.000.000 dollars every year. This is one of the biggest economical sectors in the capitalist world economy. The youngsters that commit little crimes aren't the big criminals!

6. Neo-colonial oppression or imperialism
There exists a difference between the Third World countries, and the rich, industrialised ones:
Fascism in the rich and industrialised countries sees the poverty of the Third World as a result of the politics of their own stupid leaders. With this they argue that anti-imperialists that show that these Third World leaders are brought to power by foreign imperialist countries to defend their interests, and not those of their own country, are just trying to give a false guilt to the people of the industrialised countries. And they say that leftists are just making the exploitation of the Third World up, so they can blame capitalism. On the other hand, you can find a text here about Afrika, which exactly illustrates the claim of anti-imperialists.
Also the anti-imperialists show that many 'poor' countries are directly foreign-controlled, for example by the IMF (International Monetarian Fund) or the Worldbank, with just one aim in mind: paying back their foreign debts. These debts are often made by 'white elephants': enormous western prestegeous projects which are responsible for most of the foreign debt, and which resulted in no or very little profit.
Fascists say the Third World is responsible for their own debts, and that they are forced to pay them. In reality these debts are responsible for the ever growing gap in richness between the industrialised Western countries and the Third World, and actually keep the Third World poor. This is called the neo-colonial oppression.
The fascists in the Third World also don't walk the anti-imperialist road. Often they're even directly financed by imperialist countries to defend the neo-colonial order and to eliminate physically everyone opposing it.


7. War preparation
Or militarisation is needed to fight a war against the 'inner-state-enemy', described often as rebels, terrorists or communists; but this is often the whole antifascist movement.
Or this militarisation has the purpose of an expansion-politic towards the 'outer-state-enemy'. Where the war is offered as a possibility to gain cheap labour forces and to get the land out of the economical crisis.
The police becomes militarised and central intelligence gets more power.
Fascists support the agression against Vietnam, which was a crime against humanity. Also the terror against Nicaragua by the contras and the CIA is supported by the fascists. European fascists want an armed euro-force that's "ready to defend European intrests all over the world"... it won't be the intrests of the common man that one's going to defend!

8. Anticommunism
One way to discredit the antifascist movement is by calling it communist or mad left extremists, accompanying it, anticommunist lies are spread.
Media lies were spread during the Golf Crisis, the intervention in Somalia, the installation of the 'Zone Turquoise' in Rwanda, about Yugoslavia,...
In summarisation: every time the oil-industry and other industries benefited from it (Somalia: to be able to control the oil transport through the Suez channel, Iraq: an oil-producing country wanting higher prices and Yugoslavia: to control the Kaukasus, which would contain oil-reserves as much as the Middle East), or when the neo-colonial order was endangered (Rwanda, Vietnam,...).
Communists are the most direct opponents of possessors of factories, stockholders, financial groups,... (since the primary aims of communism is the collectivisation of means of production).
Therefor it's not difficult to understand that these capitalists will try to stop the communists by any means possible. Media groups are also owned by the most upper-rich-part of the country (or by foreign rich stockholders), so it isn't difficult to imagine anticommunist actions there.
Communists formed and still form an important group of people in the Antifascist struggle, we need to maintain this unity and should not let this unity blow away by the common "divert and rule"-tactics of fascists or by fanatic anticommunists.
Internationally seen, the fascist groups are often diverted by their contradictory nationalist and racist demagogy, the common anticommunist ideology forms one of their important unifying ideological forces.
During world war II the fascists formed the basis for much anticommunist lies, later spread by the CIA to fight 'the red danger'.
Also in Peru anticommunist lies are spread to hinder the Antifascist fight.
German fascism lead to the second world war under the pretext of fighting jewish-bolshevism. Nazi's from Germany, Kroatia and other places are the most barbarous murderers in history of humanity. In the former Sovjet Union alone, they killed 23 million persons. See The history of Antifascism and fascism.

Every point enlisted here is a road towards fascism, every road is blocked by organisations and people trying to block fascism; for example:
War preparation is blocked by peace movements.
Neo-colonial oppression is blocked by anti-imperialist movements.
Extra-exploitation is blocked mostly by syndicalists, workers and communists.
Oppression is blocked by human rights activists.
The Antifascist movement is the unification of all these organisations that try to stop fascism, with their own accents and characteristics, success in smashing fascism depends also on the success of unifying all these Antifascist forces.
Here is a great text about the need to unite: May Day.
The roads towards fascism can be walked on by democrats. Therefor capitalist democracy isn't a guarantee against fascism, so the Antifascist fight takes place now and anywhere!
Some people also wrongly believe that the police, law and central intelligence will defend them against fascism. For those that still believe in the law: here, here and here are pages about the Mumia Abu-Jamal case and check out the more than 150 political prisoners in the USA. Those that believe in central intelligence can go to this page about the repression by the FBI of Antifascists and the dirty role of the CIA in the world and nationwide.
They aren't going to protect us from fascism, on the contrary! Wasn't Malcolm X killed by the central intelligence? Wasn't Lumumba, his African brotherman killed by the very same CIA?
The only force that's going to fight fascism, and that's fighting fascism at this moment are the peoples of the world! It's up to you!

---

Back to The history of Antifascism and fascism.

---

If you think you can provide supplementary arguments for certain points, supplementary points or any additions or remarks, please e-mail me.

This text "the 8 main roads" is based on the May Day '95 speech by Ludo Martens (Belgium),
published by Solidair.