The ideology of Fascism

[Dr. Oza]

Hi guys!

Recently I've become interested in fascism, not sympathetic mind you, merely interested.

My rudimentary understanding is that fascism emphasizes that the workers and bourgeois work together to better the state vs communism and it's class conflicts

The problem is that I don't know who the ideological father of fascism is, I mean, if I want to read about communism I know Karl Marx is the way to go and the enlightenment philosophers for liberalism

But is there a comparable text/philosopher for fascism

I would prefer someone dealing only in the ideology, not someone like hitler who was looking for ways to apply it

That being said,

Thanks for any help!

[Dr. Oza]

A hundred Huzzahs to those who help

[Manco]

There really isn't someone comparable. Fascism actually isn't very coherent in part because of it.

Olivetti's manifesto when he created the first fascist party (Fasci d'Azione rivoluzionaria internazionalista) is probably the first true fascist work. Then later on Marinetti's and De Ambris' Fascist Manifesto
But it was influenced by loads of guys, including Georges Sorel and Oswald Spengler, who themselves weren't fascist and quite often marxist or anarchistic.

[Cougar109]

I don't really believe there is any single individual who sticks out in the origin and development of the idea of Fascism like there is for other modern ideologies and that's partly the reason why it's so difficult to really find any true universal beliefs to Fascism. It was born during a movement started by a collective of individuals in France and Italy in the late 1800's by people who opposed the ideas presented by Social Liberalism, materialism, the Bourgeoisie cultural, rationalism, etc. Gabriele d'Annunzio would probably be the name I'd point to though as the single largest contributor to the ideology of Fascism. His work was highly praised by those of the Fin de Siecle and the creation of the the Charter of Carnaro was one of the biggest influences in the creation and development of Fascist Italy.

[Elemental]

The Doctrine of Facism by Benito Mussolini

http://www.worldfuturefund.org/wffma.../mussolini.htm

[Diamat]

Alfredo Rocco

Also see "corporatism" which is often used as a synonym for fascism. It's not a bad model, as long as it isn't racist or ultra-nationalist.

[Claudius Gothicus]

Middle Class.
Scared.
Ignorant.

Basically that's the average description of a fascist supporter during the Mussolini era.

[Condottiere 40K]

Seems reactionary - possibly the Tea Party of our great grandfathers.

[Black John]

Seems reactionary - possibly the Tea Party of our great grandfathers.

I see what you did there.

[CtrlAltDe1337]

Well, the term comes from the Fasces, a bundle of sticks with an axe blade tied to it. It represents strength through unity.

[cfmonkey45]

Fascism is related to Socialism, but differs in that it believes that workers should organize themselves with the bourgeoisie for the purpose of National Solidarity rather than Worker Solidarity.

It follows a Corporatist economic strategy, whereby all major private enterprises are grouped into corresponding industrial organizations that oversee and govern the various industries to set prices and quotas to make sure that there is no unnecessary competition. (I.e. all automobile companies would divvy up the market to minimize competition and maximize profit, while the government "bracket" overseeing them makes sure that they do not abuse workers, as in a laissez faire capitalist society).

Fascism as a political ideology is definitively post-Christian and secular (i.e. most states disestablish state churches, if they are going for Fascist ideology per se, however, almost no fascist nation actually did this since Fascism attempted to ride a wave of popularity and this was seen as widely unpopular), but recycles many elements from Romanticism and places a high emphasis on nationalism. Hence Germany's belief in the Aryan Master Race, and the superiority of Nordic Cultures, and Italy's emphasis on Ancient Rome and recreating an "Italian Lake." Often these ideologies were irredentist and scapegoated foreign elements, though National Socialism (Nazism, a Fascist Derivative), was the first to be entirely anti-Semitic.

[ivan_the_terrible]

At the heart of fascism is the idea of modernity and progress, and that with these the strongest of humanity will naturally triumph and the weak will naturally not (and become extinct or subordinate to the strong). Typically Fascists have applied (maybe applied is the wrong word - projected?) this concept to the 'national' level. That is, strong nations will progress and dominate the weak ones - this is why worker and bourgeois unity was urged: for the benefit of the nation.

With modernity comes questioning and rejection of both perceivingly stagnating old institutions like religion and morality (specifically morality that doesn't benefit the nation's progress) and therefore the rejection of pity and compassion towards that inferior, weaker nations that will 'naturally' be subjugated. Domination is the essence of fascism.

[wilpuri]

For the roots of fascism, look up integralism and national syndicalism in the Iberian peninsula and Southern Europe in general.

Generally speaking, the interbellum period 'fascism' (used here as an umbrella term of all the radical right movements) was the ideology of non-marxist socialists and nationalists, and others who feared socialist revolution. The idea of synthesis is also important, between left and right, between past and future, between tradition and progress, etc.

[Claudius Gothicus]

For the roots of fascism, look up integralism and national syndicalism in the Iberian peninsula and Southern Europe in general.

Generally speaking, the interbellum period 'fascism' (used here as an umbrella term of all the radical right movements) was the ideology of non-marxist socialists and nationalists, and others who feared socialist revolution. The idea of synthesis is also important, between left and right, between past and future, between tradition and progress, etc.

I wouldn't use Fascism as an umbrella term for all nationalists in Europe during the 1918-1939 era...
Fascist form of governement has a lot to do with replacing the ''will of the nation''(which seems like a terribly democratic statement in itself) with the will of an individual or at least the will of a ''closed circle of individuals'' which instrumentalizes it's orders through a well disciplined bureacracy.

So in terms of political action I would say that fascism:

-Replaces democractic institutions with purely bureacratic and autocratic ones.
-Constructs a Political Discourse around the leader or ''party'' that makes believe that he or it is the ''christallization'' of the nation.

[ivan_the_terrible]

I had forgotten about synthesis. That's probably why my explanation of why some morality was rejected and other morality was not was so clumsy!

[Sphere]

Fascism as a political ideology is definitively post-Christian and secular

20th century Fascist regimes however were deeply connected to the Christian right, so much so that they were often indistinguishable. In Italy and Germany the facist/nationalists groups joined in alliance with the existing Christian groups to come to power (Hitlers Enabling Act would not have passed without the support of the Christian Parties), but in Spain and Croatia they were one in the same. So much so that in Croatia priests were physically carrying out the ethnic cleansing policies of the state.

[Claudius Gothicus]

20th century Fascist regimes however were deeply connected to the Christian right, so much so that they were often indistinguishable. In Italy and Germany the facist/nationalists groups joined in alliance with the existing Christian groups to come to power (Hitlers Enabling Act would not have passed without the support of the Christian Parties), but in Spain and Croatia they were one in the same. So much so that in Croatia priests were physically carrying out the ethnic cleansing policies of the state.

Fascism is a sui-generis Idea, I mean it can't be clearly defined by it's ideological practices or at least principles.

One thing that clearly defines fascism however is the exaltation of Organicism as a view of society, but organicism is used as in relationship to a party or individual and of course, unlike other forms of organicism, it's restricted to an arbitrary cut of the national reality, in Germany's case the jews were excluded from the nation.

[Mangalore]

I don't think fascism can be described as a unity between workers and the middle class as such but a subordination of all individuals to the good of the nation (or will of the nation as mentioned earlier). It priorizes the good of the nation (or ethnic race) over any individual which is where the totalitarian control over all aspects of life from individuals to centrally controlled cooperations kicks in.

[misfitsfiend138]

I don't think fascism can be described as a unity between workers and the middle class as such but a subordination of all individuals to the good of the nation (or will of the nation as mentioned earlier). It priorizes the good of the nation (or ethnic race) over any individual which is where the totalitarian control over all aspects of life from individuals to centrally controlled cooperations kicks in.

Pretty much this sums it up

[Claudius Gothicus]

I don't think fascism can be described as a unity between workers and the middle class as such but a subordination of all individuals to the good of the nation (or will of the nation as mentioned earlier). It priorizes the good of the nation (or ethnic race) over any individual which is where the totalitarian control over all aspects of life from individuals to centrally controlled cooperations kicks in.

The problem is that Fascism, or other forms of organicist totalitarianism, take the ''priorization'' perspective from a purely theorethical form to a ''moral and politically desirable'' one.

In science, organicist views propagate the belief(and a well founded one) that the ''organ'' or ''system'' can survive and must do so(because life is an imperative) without one of it's parts, but that those parts can't exist as such if the system dissapears.

In medicine for example they won't let you die because of an infected limb and will in turn amputate it.

In Functional Sociology an anomic individual action that contradicts or threatens the whole must be effectively punished in order to maintain the existence of the System.

In Biology an enviroment must find a way to adapt or counter-attack a plague in order to survive as such.

and so on...

This is all well corroborated truth on Scientific Theory, but when applied to politics as an irrefutable Moral Imperative of highly arbitrary extents... well, it leads you to overturning constitutional rights. Lol