“Ur-Fascism” or “Eternal Fascism: Fourteen Ways of Looking at a Blackshirt” (in Italian: Il fascismo eterno, or Ur-Fascismo) is an essay authored by the Italian philosopher, novelist, and semiotician Umberto Eco.
Drawing on Eco's personal experiences growing up in Mussolini's Italy and his extensive research on fascist movements, the essay offers his insights into the nature of fascism and its manifestations.
Eco outlines fourteen key elements or traits, which he refers to as "ways," that commonly appear in fascist movements.
The essay is structured around these fourteen ways, providing an in-depth exploration of fascism as a multifaceted and adaptable ideology.
He uses the term "ur-fascism" as a generic description of different historical forms of fascism.