Desire for order and control
Fascist movements typically rise amid economic crisis, social unrest, or defeated wars, when many feel existing institutions are weak or chaotic.
Leaders then promise to “restore strength, order and control,” using a strong state and decisive action, which can feel reassuring to people who see the world as dangerous and unstable.
Fear, threat, and scapegoats
Fascism frames problems as the result of specific enemies—immigrants, minorities, leftists, “degenerates”—and offers a simple, emotionally satisfying story: purge the enemies and the nation will be safe again.
When people are afraid of economic decline, perceived cultural loss, or crime, they can be more willing to trade civil liberties and pluralism for harsh measures against those scapegoated groups.
Authoritarian personalities and “strong leader” appeal
Political psychology research identifies “authoritarian followers” who strongly value obedience to authority, punishment of rule‑breakers, and rigid traditional norms.
These individuals are more likely to endorse a “strong leader” who bypasses democratic checks and promises to defend the in‑group’s values, especially when they distrust experts and feel alienated from mainstream politics.
Material benefits for the in‑group
In historical fascist regimes, those not targeted—many ethnic majority citizens—often received real benefits: jobs programs, welfare schemes, and subsidized leisure organizations that reinforced national community.
For these groups, fascism could look like an efficient welfare state and a national revival, masking the fact that these gains depended on the dispossession and repression of persecuted groups.
Propaganda, pressure, and fear of nonconformity
Fascist movements invest heavily in propaganda, youth organizations, and control of the press to normalize their ideas and portray loyalty as patriotic and dissent as treasonous.
Many people “go along” less out of enthusiasm than out of fear of social or physical consequences—job loss, harassment, or violence—if they are seen as disloyal or oppositional.
When it feels attractive
Fascism becomes attractive to some when they feel humiliated, unsafe, or ignored, and a leader offers clear enemies, simple solutions, and a promise to make the nation great and united again.
The catch is that the apparent security and solidarity for supporters rest on exclusion, coercion, and the erosion of protections that ultimately endanger everyone once they fall outside the favored group.
