Fascism and Nazism: Origins and Impact in Italy and Germany
Ideological Principles and Methods of Fascist Regimes
The political problems arising from World War I and the economic crises of 1921, and especially 1929, led to the emergence of illiberal and anti-capitalist movements that attacked democracy from two directions:
- On the left: Socialism, which advocated for the dictatorship of the proletariat.
- On the right: Totalitarian movements.
Radical Nationalism and the Totalitarian State
Fascism developed from a totalitarian and absolute state. The state was conceived as an organ of domination and control over all aspects of life. Nazism added to this the idea of a state based on racist approaches to personality.
Cult of the Leader
The leader represents authority and order, and their destiny is identified with the nation. It recognizes the natural inequality of individuals. Society should be guided by the best and strongest.
A “Revolutionary” Movement
Fascism aimed to be an anti-capitalist movement as well as anti-socialist. It promoted positive values, violence, war, bigotry, and intolerance. German parents were pressured to have their children join the Hitler Youth from the age of six.
Methods of Control
- Development of organizations capable of mobilizing and manipulating the masses: a single, centralized, hierarchical, and militarized party.
- Organization of paramilitary forces.
- Creation of youth organizations.
- Utilization of mass media for propaganda and mass manipulation.
Fascism in Italy
The peace treaties of 1919 did not grant Italy the territorial promises made by its partners in 1915. This originated the idea of a deception and led to the development of strong nationalism. The economic crisis of 1920-1921 had serious consequences for the Italian economy. Political parties were engaged in struggles and divisions and were not capable of resolving the existing situation.
Benito Mussolini, a member of the Italian Socialist Party since 1900, left in 1914 to defend Italy’s entry into the World War. In 1919, he created the movement Fasci Italiani di Combattimento (also called Black Shirts). In 1921, the Fascist Party was created with financial support from employers and landlords and entered Parliament.
Nazism in Germany
After the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Germany was proclaimed a republic. The new regime had to face a serious post-war crisis compounded by inflation and the heavy damages imposed by the victors in the Treaty of Versailles.
The NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers’ Party), commonly known as the Nazi Party, emerged. This party was defined as anti-Semitic and nationalist. It defended the abolition of political parties and the exclusion of Jews from citizenship.
In 1929, the international economic crisis and its aftermath radicalized the situation. The Reichstag fire (the palace of the German Parliament), which was blamed on the communists, gave Adolf Hitler the excuse needed to begin dismantling democracy in Germany. In 1933, new elections were called, and the Nazi Party won overwhelmingly. Hitler received extraordinary powers from Parliament and ordered the dissolution of all political parties except the NSDAP, as well as unions. He created a political police (the Gestapo) and began to run concentration camps for dissidents and criminals.