Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Ellis, David

Area of Concentration

International and Area Studies, French Language and Literature

Abstract

This thesis is a qualitative case study of the parties Rassemblement National in France and Fratelli d’Italia in Italy. They have been called fascist by both political opponents and some proponents in the media, this thesis attempts to verify this claim. To do so, the thesis reviews the past 80 years of literature on fascism to create a taxonomy of the concept, since there is not a single academic consensus about what exactly “fascism” is. Using this literature, this taxonomy of fascism is comprised of 12 characteristics, where a characteristic match of 10/12 points would provide substantial evidence to call a party fascist. Under these conditions, Rassemblement National could not be considered a fascist party, but it does contain some concerning policies similar to that of fascism. While Fratelli d’Italia is not assessed as fascist, in the past it has displayed some concerning features that should not be ignored. Although they do not resemble fascism as defined under the taxonomy, these parties should still be watched in case they try to consolidate power in their respective democracies.

Rights

The author has granted New College of Florida the nonexclusive right to archive, make accessible, and distribute for educational purposes this work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The copyright of this work remains with the author.

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