Palingenetic means rebirth or renewal. The Italian fascists claimed that they would return to the glory of Rome. Hitler’s “Third Reich” implies a return to the first two great periods of German history under Frederick the Great and Bismark.

So fascists are ultranationalists who promise a return to greatness. This definition is unsatisfying because while these characteristics are universal to fascists, they’re not sufficient to describe any particular version of fascism.