I’ve been thinking about fascism, and why it’s so difficult to define and pin down, and I think part of the reason is hardly anybody openly describes themselves as fascists. It’s a label derogatorily (righteously, but derogatorily) applied to those who’s confluence of racism, nationalism and hardline law and order inclinations begin to resemble fascism. Or, perhaps put otherwise, there are card carrying communists just about everywhere in the world, but nobody is a card carrying fascist. It seems to be an ideology people slip into out of fear/greed/stupidity and not an espoused belief system (again, as opposed to communism, socialism, capitalism, liberalism and conservatism).

But I don’t know if this has always been true throughout history. So I ask: did the Nazis— or any far-right political party— openly consider themselves a fascist party/movement?