Principle of Fascism:

Fascism: an aggressive action:

No well-defined doctrines
“My program is action, not talk”
“Fascism is based on reality not theory”
“We want to come out of cloud of discussion and theory” (Mussolini)
Such statements show that fascism did not have any principles or theory or doctrine. But it had a program of
action. It had aims and ideals which produced theories and doctrines.

Action leading towards violence:

Fascism is first and foremost theory of force, action and violence. Before becoming fascist, Mussolini was a
socialist. It taught him that socialism can be achieved by “direct action” and “myth”. When masculine became
fascist, he left socialism but remained true to its philosophy. i.e. “direct action”
“Direct action” became a philosophy of unlimited force and violence at home and unlimited war abroad.
Hence, according the Mussolini “Fascism is the government for the people, over the heads of the people, and if
necessary, against the people.” (Mussolini)
Fascism was hungry for power. It was Aggressive, nationalistic and militaristic.

Fascism repudiates democracy, liberty, equality and majority rule:

“Fascism denies that the majority can direct the human society” (Mussolini)

Fascism repudiates peace, brotherhood, and love.

Government of the elite and by the elite:

Fascism believes in Govt. by an aristocracy. For fascism, general will matters not voting system.
“The masses incapable of knowing their will and opinion.” Hence they must not be given the right to vote
They believe, “find in the country the ablest man, raise him to supreme position and loyally bow down to him
in absolute obedience and there you have the perfect govt., the ideal state.”
The test of superiority of the leaders lie in their ability to sue force and violence to secure obedience.

Fascism demands utmost obedience to govt.

“Mussolini is always right”

Fascist theory of state;

Their conception of state is authoritarian, totalitarian and nationalistic. They have destroyed democracy,
individualism, sovereignty and liberalism.
“A state, a nation and a leader” was their moto.
“Everything within the state and nothing outside it”
The state is nation:
For fascists, the three terms “society” “state” and nation” are synonymous. Society is the nation and state
exists for nation.

Fascist state a total and absolute state.

Fascist state is an absolute state with all individual, groups and interests fully subordinate to it. Fascist state
control every act and every action of every individual. All the work in fascist state i.e. education, labor,
business, pleasure, press, public media all are under state control.
“Fascist state is one party state”
“The duties of the citizens are: to believe, to obey and to fight”

Fascist state and the Individual:

The fascist held the same concept as Hegel. State is absolute, omnipotent and individual is completely
subordinate to it. Fascists regards State the end and individual the means. Individual exists for the state and
not state for him.
“The individual is fleeting, the state is permanent, the leaves wither, the tree stands”
For fascist state, the individual exists as long as his interest doesn’t collide with the interest of the state.

Fascism and war: War and conquest are the supreme ends. Force and violence are the first principle of fascist
state.
“War is to man what maternity is to women’
“A citizen and soldier are synonymous in the fascist state”
“Riffles, machineguns, ships, aero planes, and cannons are more beautiful things still”

Fascism and religion:

For fascism, state is everything. They have brought religion under the state. They have changed “render unto
Cesar what is Cesar’s and unto god what is god’s” to “render unto Cesar what is Cesar’s and also render unto
Cesar what is god’s”

Fascist corporatism: Hierarchy is the essence of fascism. In the fascist state individual doesn’t exist alone but
in groups and organizations called corporations. The nation is hierarchical organism of three parts.
State (top)
Corporation (middle)
Individual (bottom)
“Beyond the state is nothing” the corporation and individual are subordinate to state from which they derived
their rights & power. Officials of the “corporations” were appointed by the state. They consisted both,
workers & employs. Each organization supervised the working of its industry. It consisted both employers and
employees. Mussolini “Fascist zed’ capitalism by controlling and regulating it. He did not abolish it.
Criticism of corporation: Fascist govt. showered favors on big industrialists and landlords, it reduced the
wages of the workers and treated them harshly by taking them heavily. The real wages of the workers were
10% less in 1932 than in 1922. It made people to revolt against Mussolini and his corporate state which was
overthrown in 1944.
Nazism
“Nazism” is derived from its full name “national Socialism.”

Rise of Nazism:
W.W.I was the turning point in the history of the world. It produced communism in Russia
Fascism in Italy and Nazism in Germany.
W.W.I was started by Germany to conquer colonies to become greatest imperialist power in
the world. But it ended in her defeat. Treaty of Versailles was imposed on it. Under this treaty
she had to pay heavy reparations to victors, surrender her territories to France, and was
forbidden to rebuild a strong army, after the war in 1919 Germany established a
parliamentary govt. under “Weimar constitution” but the system failed due to ever increasing
economic and political troubles in post war Germany. The terms of treaty of Versailles
reduced the country to a third rate power. The Great economic Depression (1929-32) hit
Germany hard in 1932, there were six million unemployed workers in the country.
Communist influence increased. German industrial and landlord classes frightened of
Bolshevism. They were ready to welcome any man or party which would save the country
from a communist revolution. This was the hour for Hitler to strike. He organized the Nazi
party and captured political power in 1933.

(1)Nazi Doctrines:
No well-defined doctrines like fascism.

(3) Nazi state is totalitarian:

“the individual is nothing, state is everything” Hitler
Individual means, state end.
State would control every aspect of its citizen including marriage, education, politics, industry, culture etc

(4) The fuehrer principle:

Between the Duce and the people were corporations. But between the Fuehrer (leader) and
the Germans was nothing except a chain of lesser fuehrer all of them responsible to fuehrer
alone. the fuehrer was infallible. His action was above criticism. He is always right.
The people were taught to believe that some are born to rule and others to obey. Hitler was
worshiped as God. The Nazi made Germans adore Hitler.
Hitler was preached in Schools, in churches on the stages in cinema radio and press.’
“Hail Hitler”
“What Hitler decides is right and would remain eternally right”
“Hitler is lonely, so is God”
“Hitler is a new, a greater and powerful Jesus Crist”

(5) One party state:

National socialist party
No opposition party.
Slogan “one leader, one party, one state’
(6) Nationalism and Racialism:
Nazis were intensely nationalistic. One fuhrer (leader), one one reich (state), one vok (nation)
But they equated the nation with race. There were superior
and inferior races according to the racial theory of Nazism. The “white” races were superior
and the “colored” races were inferior. Among the white races, the Germans/ Nordic were above all.

(7) Imperialism:
British imperialism always declared “ trade follows Navy”
Nazi imperialism cried” “trade follows tanks.”
For this purpose, the Nazis planned war against eastern countries especially Poland,
Czechoslovakia, Ukraine and Russia which were according to them, peopled by the inferior
“Slav race”. But finally they aimed for the world conquest. These Nazi dreams and designs of
world conquest led the world straight to Second World War.

(8) Nazi militarism:

“if men wish to live, they are forced to kill other” (Hitler)
“the Meaning of life is to kill.’
Darwin’s principle of “natural selection and the survival of the fittest” was applicable there.

Criticism of fascism and Nazism:

Both lack humanism
Based on force and violence
Uphold rule of few
Dictatorship
Based on hate and prejudice
“fear’ and force the only basis of the two.