Yeah, “communist” states tend to get stuck in the “dictatorship of the proletariat” stage without exception. Perhaps the “proletariat” just dig the power enough not to hurry to the next stage…until the, ahem, common proletariat eventually have enough.

Besides, real communism has actually never been realized on earth. The so called “communist” states have always quickly devolved into totalitarianism and the people in those countries have become personal cultists, worshipping the despot of their state (aka. “The Great Leader”).

Does this apply to North Korea, Cuba and China?

‘The 14 Defining
Characteristics Of Fascism
by Dr. Lawrence Britt

Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14-defining characteristics common to each:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism –
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2. Disdain for
the Recognition of Human Rights –
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of “need.” The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats
as a Unifying Cause –
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military –
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5. Rampant Sexism –
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

6. Controlled Mass Media –
Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7. Obsession with National Security –
Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined –
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or actions.

9. Corporate Power is Protected –
The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed –
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts –
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment –
Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption –
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections –
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.’

Remember not all fascism looks like a. hitler. the usa for example fills quite many of these requirements.

All the countries that have a strong religious belief system in power have numerous problems concerning human rights.

Hardly relevant. During the French Revolution they were getting rid of the aristocracy and the monarchs so it was a class war. Nothing particular to do with believing in God or not.

Helsinkain wrote:
“Isn’t your own anti-Catholic ideology partly descending from 18th Century French Enlightenment Rationalism?”

You’ve misunderstood me. I’m not as much as “anti-Catholic” as I am anti-religion. Religions, in my opinion, are a cruch for the weak mind to hold on to. Catholicism just usurps and enslaves these weak minds a bit more efficiently than some other forms of religion, say Protestantism.

Helsinkian wrote:
“don’t you think atheism and rationalism sparked some of the strongest and most violent reactions in that important episode of history?

I think that the only reason for something like this to have happened has had to have been that the different religious systems have been so efficient and ruhtless in exerting power that the only way for people to free themselves has had to have been, unfortunately, using violence.

I’d team Salazar’s Portugal with that as well. Don’t know if the Greek Junta could be said to be fascist… And then of course a number of South American states who showed certain… symptoms.

I agree. But is that any wonder, really? People are pack animals, and revolutions more often than not bloody, so isn’t such an outcome more a rule than an exception?

PS. A punter formerly known as “Anonymous” salutes you all.