Is every nationalist a potential fascist? A historian weighs in

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

62% : The resurgence of ethnic nationalism in the late twentieth century has also reinforced this association, often channelled through the concepts of nativism and populism to bring about movements as diverse as Trump's "Make America Great
60% : Although the components provided by nationalism are old, fascism combined them to create something new.
55% : For starters, there is little to differentiate patriotism from nationalism except for degree of intensity.
54% : This raises the question of exactly how fascism harnesses nationalism to achieve its aims.
53% : In most theories of fascism, nationalism is implicitly linked to a single-issue expression that conceives the nation as an organic reality, one where the criteria for inclusion are based on "objective" truths such as language, blood and soil, history and tradition.
52% : Many of those ingredients can also be found in liberal and Republican definitions of the nation, which usually take for granted the "cultural community" within whose ethnic and territorial borders the community of citizens would be built.
51% : Indeed, many of Europe's rising progressive political forces - such as Sinn Féin in Ireland - can trace back their origins to radical nationalism in the early twentieth century but promote a tolerant, open view of society that is the antithesis of fascism.
49% : Despite these nuances, nationalist ideology can often slide easily into fascism.
46% : The picture is further complicated by substate or minority nationalism, an entirely different beast often associated more with left-wing and progressive ideals.
46% : However, the relationship between nationalism and fascism remains underexplored.
44% : This ethnic turn of nationalism would be decisive in making it an instrument of fascism, as well as a core argument of the diverse versions of the radical right, from "fascistised" conservatism to more blatant forms of authoritarian government.
43% : A Darwinian "survival of the fittest" view of national and international society: This leads to the exclusion of others (defined variously by traits such as race, culture, language, and so on), the belief in the limitless sovereignty of one's own nation, and the justification of violence against its enemies, both internal and external.
42% : Nationalism is typically seen as the preserve of right-wing politics, and it has long been a cornerstone of authoritarian and fascist governments around the world.
42% : Again", Putin's irredentism and Hindutva nationalism in India.
42% : But fascists also have to appropriate nationalism for their own ends.
40% : Patriotism is a low degree nationalism, but radical nationalism often turns into xenophobia.
36% : Few would question fascism's emphasis on the nation, or that nationalism is a pillar of any fascist worldview.
31% : In my view, there is a specifically fascist concept, and usage, of nationalism.

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