The 'fascists' stole the symbol from the Roman Republic. Similar in intent and method to nazis stealing the whole Aryan thingy. Yes, Aryans were a real people. Yes, the fasces was a real tool of war. Yes, the symbols were co-opted by some pretty awful people. Like the hammer and sickle....

The fasces was a weapon of war used by the early Romans when they defeated competitors and united into a single state. The fasces became a symbol of the states united to form a republic. It lasted for almost a thousand years before Julius Caesar subverted it and created a dictatorship. Like Hitler, the existing powerful establishment thought they could control him.

But Caesar was ambitious. They were all ambitious men.

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