Fascism - Know its Background, Tenets, Characteristics, Examples, and More!

Fascism is a kind of authoritarian ultranationalism defined by brutal suppression of opposition, dictatorial control, and strict social and economic regimentation. Following the end of World War I in the early twentieth century, the movement rose to prominence in Italy before expanding to other European countries. 

In this article, we shall discuss Fascism in detail, which is an important topic for the UPSC IAS Exam.

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What is Fascism?

• Fascism is a kind of authoritarian ultranationalism defined by ruthless repression of the opposition, dictatorial rule, and rigid social and economic regulations.
• The movement gained hold in Italy after World War I ended in the early twentieth century before spreading to other European countries.
• Political scientists and historians have debated the concept of fascism for a long time, with one description including unique traits and many others being criticized for being either too wide or too narrow.
• Many scholars believe that fascism and its supporters have always battled communism, conservatism, and liberalism, gaining power through far-right support.
• The widely accepted definition of fascist is that of historian Stanley G Payne, which contemporary researchers generally consider as correct.
• Fascism is divided into three concepts.
  • Liberalism,
  • Communism, and
  • Conservatism

• To turn a country into an empire, fascism seeks to construct a patriotic dictatorship that will govern the economy and regulate social interactions within the current, self-determined culture.
• Fascism uses romantic symbolism, mass mobilization, a favorable attitude toward violence, and the promotion of authoritarian leadership to attract support.

Historical background of Fascism

• The years following World War I, which concluded in 1919, were marked by weak regimes and economic hardship.
• As a result of events like the Russian Revolution and the Great Depression, economic prosperity had become a distant dream in postwar Europe. This was particularly evident in Italy and Germany.
• The Weimar Republic inherited a country suffering from defeat and the severe constraints of the Treaty of Versailles.
• The 1929 economic crisis aggravated the problem, as inflation rendered the German currency virtually useless.
• As a result, the German government could not pay war reparations under the Versailles Treaty. France briefly invaded the Ruhr valley in an attempt to compel Germany to pay its debts.
• Such developments gave Hitler and his Nazi party (a German variant of Fascism) the perfect opportunity to promote themselves as a credible alternative.
• Hitler promised to end the “injustices” of the Versailles Treaty and usher in a new era of prosperity. Benito Mussolini of Italy rose to power under similar conditions.
• Fascist movements in both Germany and Italy came to an end with their setbacks in World War II in 1945.
• In Spain, under General Franco, and in Chile, under General Pinochet, who ruled until the 1970s, the ideology was alive and well.

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Tenets of Fascism

The tenets of fascism, as explained in the article you provided, can be summarized as follows:

• Authoritarianism: Fascism promotes a strong central authority with a dictatorial leader who has absolute power.
• Nationalism: Fascism emphasizes the importance of the nation or the ethnic group. It seeks to unite people based on their shared identity.
• Totalitarianism: Fascism aims to control and regulate all aspects of society. This includes the economy, politics, culture, and individual behavior.
• Anti-democracy: Fascism rejects liberal democracy. It believes in a hierarchical society with a single ruling party.
• Militarism: Fascism glorifies war, militarism, and the use of force as a means to achieve national greatness.
• Supremacy of the State: Fascism places the interests of the state above individual rights and freedoms.
• Social Darwinism: Fascism promotes the idea of social hierarchy and survival of the fittest, with the strong dominating the weak.
• Propaganda and Censorship: Fascist regimes often use propaganda and censorship to control information and manipulate public opinion.

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Characteristics of Fascism 

• Fascist educators stressed character development over academic growth, disregarded information transmission, promoted mindless loyalty to authority, and discouraged critical and independent thought that opposed fascist ideology.
• Fascists favored military traits such as courage, total obedience to authority, discipline, and physical strength. They also wore paramilitary clothes and saluted in the Roman manner.
• Fascism is a system that is purposefully non-democratic and anti-democratic.
• Crafty opportunism produced ideology as a byproduct.
• Recognition: In order to acquire widespread support and strengthen their power, fascists were notorious for holding mass meetings, marches, and other public gatherings.
• Parliamentary democracy was criticized by fascist movements for permitting the Marxist threat to grow in the first place.
• Fascist propagandists attacked cultural liberalism, claiming that it encouraged moral relativism, godless materialism, and selfish individualism, therefore destroying traditional morality.
• Economic policies: The vast majority of fascist movements’ economic policies were extremely conservative, favoring the wealthy over the middle and working classes significantly. Their use of the term “national socialism” was deceptive in this regard.
• Industry: According to the fascist economic theory of corporate capitalism, each of the major sectors of industry, agriculture, the professions, and the arts would be organised into the state- or management-controlled trade unions and employer associations, or “corporations,” each of which would negotiate contract terms and workplace conditions and represent the interests of their professions in a wider assembly of corporations, or “corporatist parliament.”
• Many fascist movements aspired to imperialism.

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Mussolini and Fascism

• In the 1920s, landowners and merchants in Italy embraced fascism as an oppositional option to socialism, gaining popularity and support. This is where Mussolini, the “creator of fascism,” stepped in.
• He was kicked out of the socialist party for supporting strong nationalism. Mussolini is regarded as the world’s first fascist leader, often known as Il Duce (“The Leader”). He coined the term “fascist” from the Latin term “fasces,” which was a symbol of punitive authority in ancient Rome.
• Mussolini was known as the Founding Father of Fascism. The word was later used by him to name his fascist party, the Partito Nazionale Fascista (National Fascist Party).

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Examples of Fascism in History

While Mussolini and Hitler are the two most famous examples of fascism in history, there were many other fascist leaders between 1922 and 1945, when this political system was most popular.

1925-1943	Benito Mussolini’s National Fascist Party turned Italy into a fascist state.
1933-1945	For 12 years, Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist German Workers’ Party, also known as the Nazi Party, governed Germany.
1932-1934	Engelbert Dollfuss, who became Chancellor of Austria in 1932, had no intention of destroying democracy until he was satisfied that fascism was vital for the country’s future.
1932-1968	In Portugal, António de Oliveira Salazar became a member of the National Union and reigned for nearly four decades.
1935-1945	Under the leadership of Léon Degrelle, the Rexist Party won many seats in the Belgian parliament.
1937-1938	In the late 1930s, the French Cross of Fire (Croix-de-Feu) was the largest and fastest-growing right-wing party in France.
1941-1944	Prime Minister Hideki Tojo of Japan ascended through the ranks of the military to become known as the man who ordered the attack on Pearl Harbor in the United States.

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Neo-Fascism

Any major fascist groups in Europe were disbanded and even banned at the end of the Second World War. Other groups, though, continued to embrace Nazi beliefs. Neo-fascist groups began to emerge in Latin America, the Middle East, and South Africa in the late 1940s.

Neo-fascism is a post-World War II ideology that incorporates fascist features. Ultranationalism, racial superiority, populism, authoritarianism, nationalism, racism, and anti-immigration are antagonists of liberal democracy, liberalism, Marxism, capitalism, communism, and socialism.

Conclusion

Fascism today exists as a fringe movement, unlike prior mobilizations. Regardless of the fact that such movements have yet to have a significant effect on national elections, they are growing rapidly as a result of ongoing issues such as war, immigration, and other crises that have lately plagued their countries.

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UPSC Mains Practice Question

“Despite the Great Depression’s economic catastrophe, several democracies, like the US, UK, and France remained strong. Millions of people lost faith in democratic government. As a result, they turned to fascism, an extreme form of rule”. In light of this statement, explain the principles and role of Fascism in losing the faith of people.