What is Fascism? | World History Project
Summary
TLDRThis educational script delves into the historical and political roots of fascism, tracing its origins from the Italian 'fascio' to Mussolini's political movements. It clarifies misconceptions, contrasting fascism with authoritarianism and populism, and highlighting its unique blend of traditionalism and radicalism. Historian Robert O. Paxton's definition is explored, emphasizing fascism's reliance on violence, unity narratives, and the exclusion of perceived outsiders. The script also touches on the Ku Klux Klan as an example of American fascism, illustrating the phenomenon's global impact and the importance of recognizing its signs in contemporary society.
Takeaways
- 🔍 Fascism is a misunderstood term often used to denounce political systems or leaders without a clear understanding of its historical and political meaning.
- 🏛 The word 'fascism' originates from the Italian 'fascio', symbolizing unity and militant action, and was adopted by Mussolini for his political movements.
- 📚 Historian Robert O. Paxton defines fascism as a form of political behavior, emphasizing actions over rhetoric, and its ability to unite different extremist groups.
- 🌐 Fascists manipulate narratives of community decline and victimhood to gain support, often using racial or national identities to define who belongs and who doesn't.
- 💬 Fascism requires the formation of alliances with existing elites and convincing ordinary people to support radical changes and actions.
- 🛡 Fascism is characterized by its opposition to international movements like socialism and communism, promoting extreme nationalism instead.
- 🏳 Fascists claim to eliminate class conflict through national unification and racial cleansing, often benefiting capitalist owners and industries.
- 🏰 The ideology of fascism elevates the state above all, with the famous Italian fascist phrase 'Everything for the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state'.
- ⚔ Fascism glorifies violence, conquest, and war, often using it as a means to achieve internal cleansing and external expansion without ethical or legal restraint.
- 🎭 Fascist movements make extensive use of symbolic imagery, staged events, and propaganda to appeal to local sentiments and increase their influence.
- 🇺🇸 The script also highlights an example of a local fascist movement, the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s United States, showing fascism's presence beyond Europe.
- 🚫 The script clarifies that while fascism shares elements with authoritarianism and populism, it is distinct due to its focus on national or racial purity and aggression.
Q & A
What is the origin of the term 'fascism'?
-The term 'fascism' originates from the Italian word 'fascio,' which means a bundle or sheaf. It symbolized unity and commitment to militant action among late-19th-century Italian revolutionaries.
How did Benito Mussolini use the concept of 'fascio' in his political ideology?
-Benito Mussolini, a former socialist, chose the name Fascio Rivoluzionario d'Azione Internazionalista for his revolutionary movement. This later evolved into the Fascist movement, emphasizing strong centralized power and aggressive nationalism.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Fascism
This paragraph introduces the concept of fascism, a significant and destructive political ideology of the 20th century. It clarifies that fascism is often misunderstood and misused in contemporary discourse. The origin of the term is traced back to Italy, with a detailed account of its evolution from a symbol of unity and militant action to the name of Mussolini's political groups. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of understanding fascism's history and definition to recognize its resurgence. It also outlines the definition of fascism by historian Robert O. Paxton, highlighting its nature as a political behavior characterized by the unification of discontented extremists and manipulation of public sentiment through messages of victimhood and community decline.
🔍 Fascism's Rise and Characteristics
This section delves into the rise of fascism in Italy and Germany, focusing on the strategies employed by Mussolini and Hitler to consolidate power. It discusses the use of nationalism to draw support away from international movements like socialism and communism, and the emphasis on racial purity as a means to define and 'purify' the nation. The paragraph also explores the economic aspects of fascism, showing how it often benefited capitalist interests while promoting the idea of a state above all else. The summary concludes with Paxton's assertion that fascism is inherently violent, seeking internal cleansing and external expansion without ethical or legal constraints, and the role of propaganda and symbolic imagery in fascist movements, exemplified by the Ku Klux Klan in the United States.
🚫 Fascism: Misconceptions and Distinctions
The final paragraph clarifies what fascism is not, distinguishing it from authoritarianism and populism. It explains that while fascism shares elements with these ideologies, it is unique in its obsession with national and racial purity, and its aggressive pursuit of power. The paragraph contrasts the conservative nature of authoritarianism, which often relies on existing institutions, with the radical and modern aspects of fascism. It also differentiates populism, which claims to represent 'the people' but does not typically involve the same level of aggressive nationalism or racial purity as fascism. The summary highlights the dangerous appeal of fascism to those seeking power and its potential for violence and destruction.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Fascism
💡Fascio
💡Mussolini
💡Nationalism
💡Racial Purity
💡Propaganda
💡Total War
💡Authoritarianism
💡Populism
💡Ku Klux Klan
💡Violence
Highlights
Fascism is defined as an explosive and damaging political phenomenon of the 20th century, often misunderstood and misused in contemporary discourse.
The term 'fascism' originates from the Italian word 'fascio', symbolizing unity and militant action.
Benito Mussolini's political journey from socialism to founding the Fasci di Combattimento, signifying the birth of the fascist movement.
Fascism's core involves the glorification of aggression and the creation of an exclusive, male-dominated community.
Historian Robert O. Paxton's definition of fascism as a form of political behavior emphasizes actions over rhetoric.
Fascists aim to unify discontented extremists by forming alliances with elite groups and manipulating public sentiment.
Fascism exploits narratives of community decline and victimhood, promising to unify and purify the nation.
Racial ideologies are central to fascist definitions of community, enabling the justification of violence against perceived outsiders.
Fascists challenge international movements like socialism and communism, promoting extreme nationalism instead.
Fascism rejects class-based community definitions in favor of national unity and racial purity.
Fascist economies are characterized by state control or corporatism, often benefiting capitalist owners and industries.
Fascism's theoretical elevation of the state is often a cover for the benefit of economic elites and the fascists themselves.
Fascism is marked by redemptive violence, pursuing internal cleansing and external expansion without ethical or legal restraint.
The use of symbolic imagery, staged events, and propaganda is prevalent in all fascist movements to increase appeal.
The Ku Klux Klan serves as an example of a local fascist movement within the United States during the 1920s.
Fascism is distinguished from authoritarianism by its radicalism and from populism by its obsession with national or racial purity.
Fascism's dangerous allure lies in its ability to attract those seeking power, often prioritizing it over a coherent political philosophy.
Transcripts
(music playing)
In this unit, we need to go into some difficult territory.
We are going to talk about fascism.
Fascism was probably
the most explosive and damaging political phenomenon
of the 20th century,
and it is also an explosive and misunderstood word.
Have you heard people use this word?
It is often thrown around as a way of denouncing
a political system, movement, or leader
one fears or doesn't like.
Fascism is a definable thing.
And in some places-- most notably Italy and Germany--
it was a system of government.
It is extremely important
to understand the meaning and history of fascism,
so that we can all notice when it is beginning to appear
and when fascists are beginning to acquire power.
The word "fascism" comes from the Italian word "fascio,"
which just means a bundle or sheaf.
It had long been used as a political image in Europe.
Because a bundle of sticks is hard to break,
this image was used
by late-19th-century Italian revolutionaries
to symbolize their commitment to each other
and to militant action.
Then, in 1914,
a copy editor and former socialist
named Benito Mussolini,
having turned his back on socialism,
was looking for a name for his new political group.
He chose Fascio Rivoluzionario d'Azione Interventista--
Revolutionary League for Interventionist Action.
Later, in 1919,
Mussolini created the Fasci di Combattimento,
or Fraternities of Combat.
In this simple name, he managed to capture
the sense of exclusive community they were trying to create,
the male-dominated nature of the organization,
and the glorification of aggression
that lies at the heart of fascism.
Eventually, Mussolini founded the National Fascist Party.
And this was its symbol.
So, now we have a better understanding
of where the word "fascism" came from.
But what is fascism?
Historian Robert O. Paxton,
in his book "The Anatomy of Fascism,"
came up with this definition.
That's a long paragraph,
so let's take it one bit at a time.
First, Paxton calls fascism
a "form of political behavior."
He is telling us that it is important to pay attention
to what fascists do, and not just what they say.
Fascist leaders like Mussolini and Adolf Hitler
gave dramatic speeches and produced manifestos,
but these do not tell us much
about how they actually acquired and used power.
Fascist behavior aims to bring together
different groups of angry, discontented extremists
and to figure out how to get them to work with each other.
Fascists have to form alliances
with existing elite groups and individuals
and to figure out how to get ordinary people's cooperation.
How can they convince people
to let them change society and commit atrocities?
Or at least get them to not resist?
One answer, Paxton says, is that fascists spin messages
about "community decline, humiliation, or victimhood,"
and say that they can
"unify, energize, and purify" this community.
But in order to benefit
from people's anger or sense of victimhood,
they must first tell a story
about who is a member of the "community"
and who is not.
In late 19th- and early 20th-century Europe,
ideas about "race" provided the easiest--
you might say laziest--
way to think about who could belong to a community.
Once fascists had defined the "nation" in terms of race,
they could claim to know how
to "purify" and "strengthen" the nation,
and justify radical violence
to exclude or eliminate those perceived as "outsiders."
Of course, in order to convince the public
that their stories about race and nation were right and true,
fascists had to challenge other stories.
In the 1920s, Mussolini's National Fascist Party
and Hitler's National Socialist Party
both tried to push Italian and German workers and artisans
into extreme forms of nationalism.
But to do this, they had to pull people away
from international movements
like socialism, communism, pacifism, and feminism.
Socialism, which used class, rather than nation or race,
to define community,
was especially hated by fascists.
So the emphasis in the Nazis' formal name
should be more on the "national" than the "socialist."
But neither party fits neatly into ideas of right and left.
Hitler and Mussolini claimed
that they would eliminate class conflict,
but not through international cooperation or worker control.
They thought that it would happen
through national unification, racial cleansing,
a return to "traditional" roles and values,
and state-controlled, or corporatist, economies.
Fascists believed in elevating a "pure" state above all else.
"Everything for the state, nothing outside the state,
nothing against the state,"
Italian fascists liked to say.
In theory, this elevation of the state
was supposed to pull a country together
for la razza-- the people, or the folk.
In practice, fascism generally ended up benefiting
capitalist owners and industries,
while capitalist industries supported the state.
As Paxton said,
fascism worked "in uneasy but effective collaboration
with traditional elites."
In the process, democracy was sacrificed
to benefit those economic elites
and the fascists themselves.
Lastly, Paxton states that fascism
"pursues with redemptive violence
"and without ethical or legal restraints
goals of internal cleansing and external expansion."
In short, fascism glorifies violence, conquest, and war,
and disdains existing legal restrictions
on their exercise.
Total war is the only kind of war for fascists.
Early fascist violence was in fact rooted
in the devastation and confusion after World War I.
And then, war-making in the 1930s and '40s
helped fascist regimes solidify their rule.
As Hitler said to Joseph Goebbels,
his minister of propaganda,
"War made possible for us
"the solution of a whole series of problems
that could never have been solved in normal times."
Terribly, the "problems"
that Hitler and other fascists wanted to solve
often included the very lives of people
they considered to be outside the nation.
One last thing that did not make it into Paxton's definition,
but that is prevalent in all fascist movements,
is the use of symbolic imagery, staged events, and propaganda.
Fascist movements always use local symbols and myths
in order to increase their appeal.
In order to make this more clear,
we will leave the well-known cases of Italy and Germany
and consider one other example:
the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s United States.
You might think of the United States as a country
that fought fascism in World War II.
But fascism has come in waves inside the U.S., too,
starting in the late 19th century.
Some Americans admired Mussolini,
and, for a while, even Hitler.
"The Ku Klux Klan," wrote Charles Edward Jefferson,
a pro-Klan minister in 1920s New York,
"is the Mussolini of America."
1920s Klan members believed
that white Protestant Americans were victims
of a rapidly changing and diversifying United States.
They formed militias, advocated a white nationalism,
and claimed that they could cleanse the United States
of immigrants and other "un-American" elements.
They were anti-Catholic, anti-black, and anti-Semitic,
believing that those groups were "outside of the nation."
Their symbols were both political and religious.
In their rallies,
they flew American, not Confederate, flags,
and they burned crosses
both as a threat and as a symbol of their militant Christianity.
Okay, so now we've learned
where the term "fascism" came from,
some ways that fascism grew under Mussolini and Hitler,
and we've seen another-- maybe unexpected-- example
of a local fascist movement.
Now let's talk about what fascism is not.
Fascism is sometimes used interchangeably
with the terms "authoritarianism"
and "populism."
Fascism includes elements of both,
but they are not identical.
Authoritarianism is a basically conservative political stance
concerned with maintaining order.
Authoritarian rulers often use existing institutions,
like the military, the monarchy, or the church,
in order to do this.
1930s Spain under Francisco Franco
is often called fascist,
but many historians disagree with this label.
When it came to ruling,
Franco was authoritarian and extremely conservative,
rather than fascist.
He was a military general who ignored the demands
of his radical fascist allies,
and instead worked closely with the existing monarchy,
capitalist businessmen, and landowners.
His brutal tactics during the Spanish Civil War
were used against political and ideological enemies,
but not so much racial or national "others."
Populism is a political stance that is critical of elites
and that claims to fully represent "the people."
Populists can easily dismiss their opponents
by claiming that they do not truly
understand or represent the people in an authentic way.
But populism does not typically rest
on the kinds of obsessive ideas
about national or racial purity and aggression
that fascism promotes.
Juan Perón's rule in Argentina from 1946 to 1955
is an example of a populist dictatorship
that was not fascist.
Perón used personal popularity with the people
to take and wield power,
often against political enemies,
but not by singling out a national or racial enemy.
Fascism, in contrast, embodies a dangerous spiral
between conservatism on the one hand
and radicalism on the other.
It proclaims the value of "tradition,"
using local and sometimes invented images and traditions
to represent a "pure" nation,
and it hurtles headlong into "modernity"
using new technologies
and proclaiming the need for radical change
at one and the same time.
It is often more about power
than any real political philosophy.
That's why it is attractive to people
who want to take and hold power--
individual, national, or racial--
and also why it is so dangerous.
(music playing)
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