Fascism
Italy is the birthplace of fascism. After the First World War, Italy, although it was in the camp of the winners, was weakened so much that other countries did not recognize its territorial claims. The economic situation was in crisis and inflation was rising. People's dissatisfaction with the results of the war and the Treaty of Versailles contributed to the rise of fascism to power.
​
Former journalist Benito Mussolini played a key role in the formation of the fascist movement. In March 1919, Mussolini created the Union of Struggle organization in Italy. And already in 1922, he became Prime Minister of Italy, marking the beginning of the period of rule of the National Fascist Party, which advocated authoritarian rule, ensuring order and discipline
01
Origin of the term "Fascism":
The term fascism comes from the Italian word fascio - “bundle”, which comes from Ancient Rome the Latin word fasces, which mean bundle of wood with an ax head, carried by leaders. The term was first used in the name of Benito Mussolini's political movement "Fasci Italiani di Combattimento", created in 1919. They used the image of fascio as their sign.
02
The main signs of fascism:
According to the essay “Ur-Fascism” by Umberto Eco, published in 1995, fascism has 14 characteristics:
1. Cult of tradition; cultural syncretism, which involves ignoring contradictions in ancient revelations containing the highest truth.
2. Rejection of modernism, irrationalism.
3. The cult of “action for the sake of action”, distrust of the intellectual.
4. Refusal of skepticism: doubt is interpreted as betrayal.
5. Xenophobia, racism.
6. Bourgeoisie, reliance on the middle class.
7. Nationalism; obsession with conspiracy theories, cultivating a sense of being under siege.
8. The enemy is portrayed as extremely powerful, causing followers to feel humiliated, yet weak enough to be defeated.
9. Life is understood as a continuous war, and pacifism is understood as cooperation with the enemy.
10. Elitism, contempt for the weak.
11. The cult of heroism and the cult of death.
12. Machismo, sexism, rejection of non-standard sexual behavior.
13. “Electoral populism”: individuals are perceived as nothing more than a single monolithic People, whose will be expressed by the supreme leader. Refusal of parliamentarism.
14. Use of "newspeak”.
The Development of Fascism in Italy:
Fascists seized power in Italy in 1922 when Benito Mussolini organized the March on Rome. After an audience with the king, Victor Emmanuel III Mussolini forms a government. Himself becoming Prime Minister, Home Secretary and Foreign Minister. In subsequent years during Mussolini's reign, he developed a cult of a single leader. He banned all alternative political formations. Moreover, like all dictators, he used violence to intimidate his opposition.
The Italian fascists pursued an aggressive foreign policy and territorial expansion. During World War II, Italy formed an alliance with Nazi Germany because both countries had similar goals but different geopolitical interests, so they could not have conflicts based on their duality.
Fascism in Germany: Nazism
The most striking example of fascism is Nazism in Germany. The National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, came to power in 1933, promising in its program the abolition of the Treaty of Versailles, the unification of all Germans into a single nation, the expansion of territories, taking care of the employment and life of German citizens, equal rights and responsibilities citizens and much more. You can learn more about this by reading about the “25 points” program of the NSDAP.
Nazism had much in common with Italian fascism but differed in racial ideology. Hitler and his followers argued about the racial superiority of the Aryan race over others and wanted to create a German state where there would be no one else except purebred Germans, getting rid of the rest. This led to horrific crimes against humanity such as the Holocaust.
