Fascism is a form of collectivism. It is an alternative end goal opposite Communism but either can grow out of a Socialism base.

Giovanni Gentile based Fascism on his desire to implement his view of Marxism. Gentile was a Marxist.

Mussolini and Franklin Delano Roosevelt considered each other kindred spirits. JFK was a gigantic fan of Hitler and praised Nazism. It was only after the Holocaust came to light publicly that Leftist professors and intellectuals began the work of distancing themselves from Fascism.