Members of a political movement that believes in a strong leader, national pride, and government control over individuals, often using violence and rejecting democracy.
From Italian 'fascista,' derived from 'fasces' (a bundle of rods with an axe), an ancient Roman symbol of authority. Mussolini's Italian movement adopted this name in the 1920s, and the term spread to other authoritarian movements.
The word 'fascism' literally comes from a bundle of sticks—the 'fasces'—because strength through unity was the core idea; ironically, the symbol meant to represent unified strength has become one of history's most dangerous ideologies.
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