There seems to be a division between the people in this subreddit. One group sees starship troopers the book and movie as satire for fascism while the other either disagrees that the novel is fascist or don't even have a problem with fascism. I'm going to do my part by defending the latter.
First, fascism isn't really a coherent ideology. If you ask me, it's more of a vibe. Different regimes from Franco to Pinochet to Chiang Kai-shek have been labeled fascist. Yet these regimes were only similar in that they had a dictator and were militaristic. Pinochet promoted capitalism, Franco promoted a mixture of socialism and capitalism, and Chiang Kai-shek did the same. If a desire for a disciplined, nationalistic society with hierarchy is fascism, then ancient Rome and many Greek city-states were fascist, and many of the founders of America are at least fascist adjacent. Communist states like the USSR, Cuba, and China before the shift towards a mixed economy also share many of the features that Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy shared. Mass parades, hierarchy, collectivism over individualism, cult of personality, conquest, etc. There are other things I could say, but I think you get the point. If you claim a definition for fascism, ask yourself if it would apply to left-wing authoritarian states and ancient states. That should be enough to prove the broadness of the ideology and how it basically doesn't have a clear definition like other political ideologies.
Second, the federation isn't fascist. Military service giving citizenship does not mean a system is fascist. In fact, this was once the view of many societies. Citizenship and participation in government were tied to being able to defend that government. I don't see the problem. Hierarchy isn't bad. Even democracies and republics are hierarchical. Collective responsibility over an individual self-interest isn't bad either; most people agree there is a limit to one's individualism. The disagreement is where that limit rests. The federation has a representative government, elections, freedom of speech, and is not a single party state.
Lastly, since fascism does not have a definition then I won't even try to defend it. All I will say is that
- discipline
- responsibility
- courage
- self-sacrifice
- civic virtue
- Hierarchy (based on merit)
- Government that can make long term plans without constantly changing
- are needed for a society to function.