An important excerpt from Fascism for Beginners by Stuart Hood and Litza Jansz (Allen & Unwin (1 May 1993) ISBN-10: 1863734945) :

“How do we recognise whether a group, party or government qualifies as Fascist or not? One way of attempting a definition might be to tick off the headings in the following list:

Are their prime targets:

• trade unions?
• the Left?
• parliamentary democracy?
• are they supported by the middle classes?
• by disillusioned workers?
• do they appeal to youth?
• rely on support of military or police?
• are they racist?
• extreme nationalists?
• corporative?
• funded by industry or landowners?
• do they attempt to limit the role of women?
• are they hostile to homosexuality?
• do they oppose abortion?
• rely on a mass party?
• appeal to mythical history?
• use terrorism against opponents?
• enjoy the complicity of the authorities?
• exalt the Leader?

Amazon: “Did fascism end with the allied victory over the Axis powers in 1945, or has it been lying dormant and is now re-awakening in the late 20th century? “Fascism for Beginners” traces the origins of Fascism in 19th-century traditions of ultra-conservatism – the ideas of Nietzsche, Wagner and other intellectuals which helped to make racist doctrines respectable and led to the ultimate horrifying “logic” of the holocaust. The book investigates the four types of fascism that emerged after World War I in Italy, Germany, Spain and Japan. It also looks beyond the current headlines of neo-Nazi hooliganism and examines the increasing political success of the far right in Western Europe and the explosion of ultra-nationalism in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.”