neofascism

—neofascist, neo-Fascist, adj., n.

/nee'oh fash"iz euhm/, n.

1. any of various political movements or beliefs inspired by or reminiscent of fascism or Nazism.

2. neo-Fascism, an Italian political movement that seeks to reestablish Fascism.

[1945-50; NEO- + FASCISM]

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Political philosophy and movement that arose in Europe in the decades following World War II. Like earlier fascist movements, neofascism advocated extreme nationalism, opposed liberal individualism, attacked Marxist and other left-wing ideologies, indulged in racist and xenophobic scapegoating, and promoted populist right-wing economic programs.

Unlike the fascists, however, neofascists placed more blame for their countries' problems on non-European immigrants than on leftists and Jews, displayed little interest in taking lebensraum (German: "living space") through the military conquest of other states, and made concerted efforts to portray themselves as democratic and "mainstream." The National Front in France, led by Jean-Marie Le Pen, and the Liberal-Democratic Party in Russia, led by Vladimir Zhirinovsky, are often cited as neofascist.

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