Would you say ancient Rome was a fascist country?

[Anonymous]

Yes

No

[msmissydc]

Which period? Also rome is not a country.

[Asker]

The period shortly after their economy boomed, after they destroyed Carthage, dictators rose up to defend Rome from foreigners seeking political influence. Many politicians were assassinated by senators for pandering to immigrants into Rome to buy votes and stir up resentment. Finally they killed Julius Caesar, and his successor Augustus began promoting the Senate and their long standing ethnostate. He commissioned Virgil to write the Aeneid to solidify Rome's origin as a Greco Trojan one. I'd call it fascist. Id say it always was fascist.

[msmissydc]

The republic was an olligarchy. It was NOT a democracy. There where senators with votes but the public could not vote.
I think it still might fit the definitions. The roman empire was definetly fascist. That being said we talk about the political science definition of fascism not the movement, because that was used by Mussolini.

[Asker]

Patricians didn't mix with Plebians. Plebians were second class citizens essentially used as a middle class. If a slave bought their freedom, they'd become a plebian. The reason they couldn't vote is because they weren't part of the founding ethnic group that arrived in Italy after the destruction of Troy. Back in that day, everyone believed traits were genetic. They weren't in denial.

[Asker]

There were rich plebians who had less rights than poorer patricians. You can't say it was an oligarchy.

[msmissydc]

What you are saying is there were a few individuals who had the power to get more rights? That IS the definition of an olligarchy. Power to the rich and only rich have rights and vote That IS olligarchy. Its the power to govern of the few and NOT the rest.

[Asker]

It was not rule by the rich. There were rich plebians who had no rights. They led political movements and got assassinated often. You can say the people in charge happened to be richer, but there were poor patricians. One was Sulla, he grew up dirt poor in fact. But he was still patrician, and almost became the emperor himself. I don't have a problem with thinking it was an oligarchy, but it seems inaccurate, something some communist historian would come up with. Fascism is ethnocentric because fascists believe traits are genetic, it is not about how much money you have. That's what pisses people off so much about it. It's similar to how Jews automatically get better treatment by the Israeli government than Palestinians, no matter their class.

[noohair]

There were slaves.