Was Hitler a fascist?
No. Hitler was a National Socialist (Nazi). This was a German political party. Mussolini was head of the Fascist (Fascisti) party in Italy. This was a political party that believed in central control and management of the economy and society. These were two distinct political parties who were each passionately opposed to Communism and believed in an Ordered Society, providing that the orders were given by Party members. In many ways they had a lot in common with each other hence the common mixing of terms. But Hitler could not have been a Fascist because he was not an Italian politician. Likewise, Mussolini could not have been a Nazi. In practice they were almost as bad as each other, except that Adolf Hitler was not quite such a ridiculous figure as Benito Mussolini. These parties also had a lot in common with the Joe Stalin form of Communism. Including central control, considerably curtailed personal freedom (in the name of state security), state imposed racism and restriction on rel
