Fascism is so hard to define because it lacks any coherent ideology because it's a reaction to liberalism/socialism. It's more an aesthetic and an attitude, I think. The one thing that stands out from other strength-worshipping, xenophobic, revanchist ideologies is the emphasis on action. Theorizing, debating, abstracting - all for weaklings; a STRONG man takes ACTION. Which is a tempting prospect; even liberals admired Mussolini as a guy who Got Things Done. Fascism replaces the confusion of nuance with the certainty of decision. And, in the short term, that can work. While the liberals are holding meetings and blathering about "rights," the fascists know that the only truth is power, and make their own reality (or try). And in a tactical fight, the group that follows one leader has an advantage over the group that insists on democracy. But since fascism is nothing but a parasitic pseudo-ideology leeching off of liberalism, then it inevitably fails. But never dies; future shock, competition for resources, and the failure of capitalism to deliver on its advertising will always offer opportunities for fascism to come back.
Fascism is so hard to define because it lacks any coherent ideology because it's a reaction to liberalism/socialism. It's more an aesthetic and an attitude, I think. The one thing that stands out from other strength-worshipping, xenophobic, revanchist ideologies is the emphasis on action. Theorizing, debating, abstracting - all for weaklings; a STRONG man takes ACTION. Which is a tempting prospect; even liberals admired Mussolini as a guy who Got Things Done. Fascism replaces the confusion of nuance with the certainty of decision. And, in the short term, that can work. While the liberals are holding meetings and blathering about "rights," the fascists know that the only truth is power, and make their own reality (or try). And in a tactical fight, the group that follows one leader has an advantage over the group that insists on democracy. But since fascism is nothing but a parasitic pseudo-ideology leeching off of liberalism, then it inevitably fails. But never dies; future shock, competition for resources, and the failure of capitalism to deliver on its advertising will always offer opportunities for fascism to come back.