Beginning of Essay
In the minds of the masses the concepts of Fascism and Patriotism are dichotomized, even polarized, but without an understanding of the meaning of such strong emotional response. Many of those now living have very little personal memory, if any, of the period pre ....

Middle of Essay
.... a Spartan, is born loving his country; such love is not natural, but has to be taught, or inculcated, or somehow acquired" (Berns, 1997, pp. PG). Though the definition of patriotism has an expectation that it must be learned, the connotation, the shared meaning within the current cultural setting, demands that there be an element of free agency to patriotism that is not part of the shared definition of the totalitarian policies of either Fascism or Nazism. This element of choice is the difference between pledging one's life to fight for the love of their country and being coerced and intimidated into obedience. There is also an element of equali ....