ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how fascism is communicated on the Internet. It outlines theoretical foundations of digital fascism and presents case studies that study how fascism is communicated online. A critical theory of fascism must ask itself in what relationship fascism stands to capitalism. For Leon Trotsky, fascism is just like for Georgi Dimitrov the most reactionary form of capitalism that uses terror for destroying socialist organisations and their struggle for socialism. For Roger Eatwell, the key features of fascism are nationalism, charismatic leadership, collectivism, violence, anti-liberalism, and a self-understanding that propagates a Third Way beyond both capitalism and socialism. According to Ian Kershaw, important features of fascism include hyper-nationalism, racism, authoritarian leadership, the friend/enemy-scheme (anti-Marxism, anti-socialism, anti-liberalism, anti-democratic, patriarchal values, militarism, violence, and terrorist extermination of identified enemies). Fascism is a particular, terrorist form of right-wing authoritarianism that aims at killing the identified enemies by the use of violence, terror, and war.
