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Fascist or socialist: Name-calling defined

by SHOLEH PATRICK
| November 5, 2024 1:00 AM

This hot-button topic — especially on Election Day — must begin with two caveats. 

First, while this column’s purpose is to explore a broad array of big topics in bite-sized pieces, political theories don’t fit in small packages. So please keep in mind any short definition must be incomplete.

Second, political systems are inextricable yet different from economic ones, and the two are often conflated and confused. That includes politically biased websites purporting to teach them.

Caveats done, here’s a basic primer on some of the labels flung about this election season, courtesy of University of Idaho, Cambridge Dictionaries and Encyclopedia Britannica websites.

In textbook terms, the U.S. is a constitutional democratic republic with elements of both capitalism (free markets) and socialism (tax-supported systems and institutions). Most candidates and elected officials support continuing at least some elements of both, so labels don’t fit neatly.

Capitalism: An economic system with all or most means of production privately owned and operated, generally for profit. Capital investment and commodities (goods and services) production, distribution and prices are determined mainly in a free market. 

That’s the opposite of communism, in which the state owns all production and most property. Pure capitalism is currently nonexistent, as all nations have some market-limiting laws regulating product safety, wages, antitrust or agricultural subsidies and protections.

The U.S. economy is primarily, but not completely, capitalistic. In a purely capitalist economy, there would be no public schools, state-owned or maintained roads or highways; standing armies or law enforcement; public water or sewer systems; welfare, unemployment insurance or workers compensation; nor Social Security or Medicare benefits (which for most Americans exceed what they paid in).

Socialism: Socialism involves pooled resources and operations for common benefit, although how that’s carried out varies by example. 

Economically speaking, in a socialist system the state owns some common property or means of production. A purely socialist state would own and operate all the means of production. Currently no nation is purely socialist (although some such as China and Cuba come close). Most are a capitalist-socialist combination to some degree.

Democratic socialism: With emphasis on democratic, in a democratic socialist system the people own at least some of the means of production and some property in common. The economy is decentralized and the political system democratically maintained. 

Democratic socialism aims to create complete social, economic, and political equality achieved via democratic processes, with more regulation of both government and industry, otherwise keeping a capitalist economy and private production.

More often than not, democratic socialism is misunderstood and confused with communism (in which the state owns and runs everything in a classless system without democratic process). 

In practice, they look very different; to varying degrees much of Western Europe including France, Sweden, Finland, Germany and, to some extent, the U.K. are examples of democratic socialism. All have free-market industries. All also have publicly owned property and more industry regulation for social purposes, created or maintained by popular vote.  

As pure versions of each are rare to nonexistent, it's easier to talk about institutions and sub-systems as being socialist, democratic socialist or capitalist than it is entire countries. 

Most industry in the U.S. is capitalist/free market. State universities and local public schools, the armed forces, police and fire departments, courts, highway systems and public parks are examples of commonly used socialist institutions.

Fascism: Finally, the resurgence of “f” word. Fascism derives from the Latin ‘fasces,’ a bundle of sticks symbolizing the Roman empire. 

Fascism aims to recapture the glory and totalitarianism of ancient Rome, where a dictator had complete, centralized power, suppressed opposition and criticism, controlled all industry and practiced aggressive nationalism. 

In practice, racism accompanies fascism (think Germany’s Hitler or Italy’s Mussolini, who was considered the father of fascism). 

Unlike communism, fascism is opposed to state ownership of capital and economic equality. It also opposes democratic processes. The dictator has absolute control.

There is much more to all of these and this list only represents a fraction of political “-isms.” Without a detailed discussion of class and theories of economics, politics, and equality, they remain incomplete. Entire courses and careers can be made exploring each, let alone fairly comparing them. 

Yet without a basic understanding in this soundbite, instant-share world, we seem to be redefining them all into personal versions of whatever each of us opposes.

That only widens the divide.

“Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people, who, have a right … and a desire to know." — John Adams

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Sholeh Patrick, J.D. is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network with degrees in international studies and law. Email sholeh@cdapress.com.