Fascist Ideology Flashcards
Definitions of fascism
Roger Griffin: political ideology with palingenetic mythic core of populist ultra-nationalism. Coined the term ‘new consensus,’ an ideological understanding of fascism. Main players were Griffin, Payne, Sternhell and Roger Eatwell according to Dave Renton.
Emilio Gentile + Umberto Eco + Dimitri Kitsikis + Stanley Payne: pointed lists of fascism
Zeev Sternhell: rejection of liberalism/communism, borrowed from both’s methods but not philosophies, between left and right
Kevin Passmore: Radical far-right in excessive nationalism + and anti-socialism/feminism/loads of progressive stuff
Martin Blinkhorn: fascism flexible + right-wing due to how it allied itself
Fascism as a third way
Intellectual development of Fascism from revolutionary syndicalism in Italy. Desire for classlessness but with different conceptions.
Mussolini had socialist views but expelled from party 1914.
Mussolini said ‘intellectual affinities’ but not ‘political affinities’ between him/Lenin’s party in 1934, though he focused on nation while Lenin focused on class. Borrowed the idea of the formation of a new party too. General parallels with Leninism in revolutionary desires.
Mosley leaving Tory/Labour, forming BUF 1932
Zeev Sternhell’s arguments that Fascism was a rejection of liberalism, capitalism and communism. Backed by Hitler’s rhetoric of Jews as the conspirators behind these threats + his hatred of the evils of parliament. Mussolini’s squadristi fought against socialists and arguably parliament with march on rome but less so.
Rhetoric of rebirth from Hitler + Mussolini, radical restructuring of society, corp govs, eugenics programs, redesign of cities and imperial desires (Ethiopia 1935, 3rd Reich/Poland 1939 Czechoslovakia 1938). Though Mosley called aggressive imperialism ‘folly’ in 1932.
Enlightenment Origins/proto-fascist soup
Ideas rejected from Enlightenment: humanitarianism, liberalism, materialism, capitalism, progress>tradition
Nietzsche, idea of blind masses + individual authority + need for an elite. Expressed through fascist hierarchy + exploitative mass mobilisation and social control.
Georges Sorel’s theories on need for mass mobilisation to achieve new, third way. Expressed through fascist methods of rallies + paramilitary groups.
Jean -Jacques Rosseau, human rationalism and forced will of the people came before ideas of mass mobilisation.
Idea of ‘proto-fascist soup’ - mix of ideas that fascists borrowed from. Flexibility of fascist ideology likely came from its ability to borrow from/interpret a variety of ideas in dif ways. (Blinkhorn). Expressed through multitude of alliances + compromises and forms across Europe.
Fascism as Political Religion
Fascism styled as a way of life by Mussolini, Hitler. Mussolini argued fascism ‘has created a living faith’ pol/soc doctrine 1934. Expressed itself through ritual, symbols, methods of behaviour and total obedience.
Messianic figure of ‘Il Duce’ and the ‘Führer’
Clashed with Catholic church (in Ger + Italy they just didn’t win)
Italy post-risorgimento desiring for national character, civic equivalent of religion/identity.
Status of war and wartime bonds as transcending all else.
“Holy” mission to either spread fascism or assert supremacy of the destined Aryan race. Ethiopia 1935, Czechoslovakia 1938, Poland 1939.
Assumes to some extent the necessity of religion. Perhaps just a different form of belief/identity that helps with control but not needed.
Need to enforce/push back against fascism meant was not the ‘bottom-up’ belief that religion was/where it took its power from.
