 | Below are answers to frequently asked questions about the corresponding page Fascism. They address concerns, questions, and misconceptions which have repeatedly arisen on the talk page. Please update this material when needed. |
About Fascism
Q1: Is Fascism an exclusively right-wing ideology?
A1: Yes. This issue has been extensively discussed on the article talk page, and "yes" is the unequivocal prevailing consensus view, which is supported by the vast majority of historians, political scientists and other scholars. Your individual opinion, if it differs, will have no effect on that standing consensus. In case you have any further objections, take a look at the archives for yourself.
Q2: Does that mean fascism is similar to conservatism?
A2: Not exactly. Saying they both are right-wing does not mean that fascism is merely a more extreme form of conservatism.
It also doesn't mean they agree on much besides some rather abstract concepts, such as social order, traditional values, and social stratification.
Q3: Was Joseph Stalin a fascist?
A3: No. While both Stalinism and fascism are widely accepted to be forms of totalitarianism, that's generally accepted to be where their similarities end, as Stalinism and fascism are distinct ideological worldviews.
Q4: I really feel fascism is a left-wing ideology, though!
A4: On Wikipedia, we go by what reliable sources say, not individual opinions or original research from editors. If you wish for the article to say that Fascism is left-wing, then you must provide citations from reliable sources to support that view, and those sources must not be fringe ones or promoting a specific point of view.
Q5: Where did fascism start?
A5: Fascism began in Italy in the difficult years between World War I and World War II, and spread throughout Europe in many different national forms – including Nazism. Each country's version of fascism differed in a number of specific ways, but they all had broad similarities.
Q6: Care to be more specific?
A6: Fascism as a historical movement is extremely nuanced and complicated. The details can be had by reading this article, and the articles on Wikipedia about the other versions of fascism. In Italy, fascism reached its peak with Benito Mussolini ruling over Fascist Italy from 1922 to 1943.
Q7: Wasn't Mussolini a communist?
A7: Mussolini was at one time a socialist, which is not the same as being a communist. He was kicked out of the Italian Socialist Party for being too militarist. He denounced them and became an ultranationalist – one of the shared aspects of all fascist groups. He also was a militant atheist until he signed the Lateran Treaty, when he switched most of his previous positions to try to win over Catholic support.
Q8: Doesn't that still make fascism left-wing?
A8: One individual's story doesn't change the fact that reliable sources classify fascism as right-wing. Mussolini's personal history is irrelevant to understanding the broader fascist movement.
Wikipedia's role
Q9: Is Wikipedia trying to censor the truth about fascism?
A9: No. Wikipedia is not censored. We go by whatever reliable sources say, not original research.