Communism Vs. Fascism

Over the past, we have witnessed communism in China, Cuba and Vietnam, and fascism in Italy, Germany and Japan. The end result has left people wondering as to what is the difference between the two. The term communism is derived from the French word 'communisme', meaning common, while the term fascism is derived from an Italian word 'fascio', meaning bundle. Though this is not actually a difference as such, it does form the basis of the communism vs. fascism debate, and has to be taken into consideration when determining which one is ideal for the society. Before we move on to communism and fascism differences, let's have a brief look at each of these individually.

Communism
Communism is a socioeconomic structure based on the social movement and political ideology that advocates the need to abolish class structure, and calls for a common control of the property. In terms of political ideology, it is regarded to be a branch of socialism. The popularity of this ideology reached its peak after the Bolshevik Revolution of Russia in 1917. This ideology is by and large based on the Communist Manifesto - the political manuscript written by Karl Marx, the founder of modern communism, and Friedrich Engels, a German social scientist.

Fascism
Fascism is a political ideology revolving around the concept of authoritarian nationalism, which advocates the need to organize a nation based on the corporatist perspectives and values. As far as the political inclination is concerned, it is regarded to be an extreme right in the left-right political spectrum. This radical ideology propounded by the Italian national syndicalists was at its peak between 1919 and 1945, with Benito Mussolini at the forefront of the fascist movement. In fact, this ideology is based on "La dottrina del fascismo" (The Doctrine of Fascism), an essay written by Mussolini himself.

Communism Vs. Fascism
Communism is a socioeconomic system which advocates the need of a stateless egalitarian society, whereas fascism is a radical ideology which advocates authoritarian nationalism. While communism stands for equality in the society, fascism is all about authoritarianism. Communists believe that everyone is equal in the society, and all the individuals of the society have equal rights on the resources and decision making. On the other hand, fascists believe that the state is the supreme entity, and there is no one above the state. The very fact that communism denies the very existence of a state, which according to fascism is the supreme entity, highlights the fact that even though they may sound similar, they are two different concepts which are poles apart. The fact that the state owns everything in communism and the state has a control on everything in fascism may make it appear as if it is one and the same thing, but the fact of the matter is that the former highlights state ownership (inclined towards equality) while the later highlights state control (inclined towards dictatorship). More importantly, the communists have a global perspective, while the fascists are restricted to the nation.

For more reading on the comparison of social and political ideologies, you may refer to:

• Communism Vs. Socialism
• Communism Vs. Capitalism
• Socialism Vs. Fascism

These were the basic arguments of the communism vs. fascism debate, which highlighted the fact that even though the two ideologies seem alike, they are totally different. Both have their own pros and cons. While one is radical, the other is socialist. Even the basic concepts on which both these ideologies are based are conflicting, and that itself clears the fact that communism and fascism are by no means the two sides of a same coin.