What does antifascism mean?
Antifascism is opposition to fascism — the authoritarian, ultranationalist ideology associated above all with Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany. The term covers both a general principled rejection of fascist ideas and the concrete political activity of resisting them, from street-level organizing to armed struggle. It rose to prominence in the interwar years, when 'antifascism' described the broad coalitions of communists, socialists, liberals, and others who opposed fascist movements across Europe, most famously in the Spanish Civil War. Today the word appears mainly in historical scholarship and in contemporary political discourse, where both spellings — 'antifascism' and 'anti-fascism' — are current. Its derivatives include 'antifascist', used both as an adjective and as a noun for a person who opposes fascism. Because of its ties to both historical resistance movements and modern activism, the word carries strong emotional and political charge, and writers typically deploy it deliberately rather than neutrally.
nounOpposition to fascism, whether as a political ideology or as organized movements and regimes; the principles and activities of those who resist fascist politics.
- Opposition to fascism as a political ideology, in principle or in speech and writing.
- Organized political activity and movements dedicated to resisting fascist parties, regimes, or groups.
"Her grandfather's memoirs recount his lifelong commitment to antifascism during and after the Spanish Civil War."
"Antifascism united communists, socialists, liberals, and conservatives in the Popular Front coalitions of the 1930s."
"The historian argued that wartime antifascism shaped the political identity of an entire generation."
Rarely pluralized; 'antifascisms' appears only in scholarly writing that distinguishes different national or ideological traditions of opposing fascism.
"The seminar compared the distinct antifascisms of Britain, France, and the Soviet Union in the 1930s."
The word borrows its core from 'fasces' — the bundle of rods and an axe that was ancient Rome's symbol of state power, which Mussolini revived when he named his movement.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of antifascism
Antifascism is formed by prefixing 'anti-' ('against') to 'fascism'. Fascism derives from Italian 'fascismo', coined for Mussolini's movement in the early 1920s, which in turn comes from 'fascio' ('bundle, group'), ultimately from Latin 'fascis', the rod-bundle carried by Roman lictors as an emblem of authority. The word entered English during the interwar period as opposition to fascist regimes became a defining political stance of the era. Cognate forms include 'fascist', 'fascistic', and the Latin-derived 'fasces'.
Related word forms
How antifascism is actually used
Antifascism is a formal or academic register noun, common in historical and political writing. Both spellings 'antifascism' and 'anti-fascism' are accepted, with the hyphenated form somewhat more traditional in British usage. Because the term is strongly associated with 20th-century history and with contemporary political activism, it can carry charged connotations depending on context.
Easily confused with antifascism
Fascism is the authoritarian ultranationalist ideology itself, while antifascism is opposition to it — the two are direct opposites despite sharing the same root word.