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A fasces image, with the axe in the middle of the bundle of rods. A fasces (/ ˈ f æ s iː z / FASS-eez, Latin:; a plurale tantum, from the Latin word fascis, meaning 'bundle'; Italian: fascio littorio) is a bound bundle of wooden rods, often but not always including an axe (occasionally two axes) with its blade emerging.
The use of symbols, graphics, and other artifacts created by fascist, authoritarian, and totalitarian governments has been noted as a key aspect of their propaganda. [2] Most fascist movements adopted symbols of Ancient Roman or Greek origin, for example, the German use of Roman standards during rallies and the Italian adoption of the fasces ...
The symbolism of the fasces suggested strength through unity: a single rod is easily broken, while the bundle is difficult to break. [26] Similar symbols were developed by different fascist movements; for example, the symbol of Falangism is five arrows joined by a yoke.
The national emblem of France depicts a fasces, representing justice. Fasces, like many other symbols of the French Revolution, are Roman in origin. Fasces are a bundle of birch rods containing a sacrificial axe. In Roman times, the fasces symbolized the power of magistrates, representing union and accord with the Roman Republic.
The fasces – a symbol of Roman authority – was the symbol of the Italian Fascists and was additionally adopted by many other national fascist movements formed in emulation of Italian Fascism. [14]
The symbolism of this design was meant to convey a flash of action within a circle of unity. While there was a lack of consistency in the appearance of the Flash and Circle, such as the short-lived inverted version used in 1935, it would go on to become the main symbol of the party and was used extensively throughout 1935-1940. [1]
Besides its symbolic aspects, the fasces had been carried by the lictors of ancient Rome as a representation of authority. [51] [69] April 21, the anniversary of the founding of Rome, was proclaimed a Fascist holiday that was intended to replace the socialist Labour Day as a celebration of the Roman virtues of "work" and "discipline". [70]
The fasces and the she-wolf symbolized the shared Roman heritage of all the regions that constituted the Italian nation. [85] In 1926, the fasces was adopted by the fascist government of Italy as a symbol of the state. [86] In that year, the fascist government attempted to have the Italian national flag redesigned to incorporate the fasces on ...