Not a comprehensive study I'll admit but one that illustratesthat fascism arose out of reaction against Liberalism and Socialism and therefore cannot possibly be a generic term for extremism, but in fact a term for Right Wing reaction against the status quo post WWI -
"Fascism as an ideology emerged after World War I as a reaction to the leading political ideologies of the time, liberalism and socialism. According to fascism both liberalism, with its emphasis on individualism, and socialism, by stressing conflict between the social classes, pit the members of society against each other, thus creating an weak state. The state can only be strong when all members and classes of society unite behind a single party and supreme leader. This was the ideological core of fascism as it developed in Italy under Benito Mussolini (1883 -1945) and under Adolf Hitler (1889 -1945) in Germany (Ball & Dagger, 1999, p.315).
It is important to note that fascism is a 20th century ideology and is a revolt against the ideas and values that have dominated Western politics since the French Revolution. Fascists are basically against every major idea behind liberalism, socialism, and anything that arose out of the Enlightenment. For fascists, freedom is defined as complete submission to the state. Progress is only possible through struggle and war. And because fascism rejects the basic ideas of the Enlightenment, it is not a rational philosophy, but favors action instead."
("Fascism as an ideology emerged after World War I as a reaction to the leading political ideologies of the time, liberalism and socialism. According to fascism both liberalism, with its emphasis on individualism, and socialism, by stressing conflict between the social classes, pit the members of society against each other, thus creating an weak state. The state can only be strong when all members and classes of society unite behind a single party and supreme leader. This was the ideological core of fascism as it developed in Italy under Benito Mussolini (1883 -1945) and under Adolf Hitler (1889 -1945) in Germany (Ball & Dagger, 1999, p.315).
It is important to note that fascism is a 20th century ideology and is a revolt against the ideas and values that have dominated Western politics since the French Revolution. Fascists are basically against every major idea behind liberalism, socialism, and anything that arose out of the Enlightenment. For fascists, freedom is defined as complete submission to the state. Progress is only possible through struggle and war. And because fascism rejects the basic ideas of the Enlightenment, it is not a rational philosophy, but favors action instead."
maiden is filmed before a live studio audience,
Tue 13 Jan 2004, 14:06,
archived)