The Doctrine Of Fascism :: essays research papers

The Doctrine of FascismSome General Ideological Features"Reactionary concepts plus revolutionary emotion result in Fascist mentality."-Wilhelm ReichIs nationalism inherently flagitious? Would a one-world government be morepreferable? Are appreciating and defending ones own culture and culturalvalues somehow primitive instincts that must be overcome by the educationalefforts of the enlightened?We have all heard of Fascism, but our image is usually of a brutalsoldier wearing a uniform emblazoned with a swastika. Most people in the U.S.are aware that the U.S. and its allies fought a war against the Nazis, but thereis much more to grapple if one is to learn the important lessons of our recenthistory.Adolph Hitlers Nazis were certainly the most prolific of the Fascist states.The seeds of Fascism, however, were planted in Italy. "Fascism is response,"said Benito Mussolini, author of The Doctrine of Fascism, but reaction to what?Mussolini forged Fascism in post-World War I in Europe. The nationalaspirations of many European peoples nations without states, peoplesarbitrarily assigned to political entities with little regard for custom orculture had been crushed after World War I. The humiliation imposed by thevictors in the Great War, coupled with the hardship of the economicDepression, created bitterness and kindle. That anger frequently found itsoutlet in an ideology that asserted not just the importance of the nation, butits unquestionable superiority and predestined role in history.Italy was the birthplace of Fascist ideology. Mussolini, ironically a formersocialist journalist, organized the first Fascist movement in 1919 at Milan. In1922 Mussolini led a march on Rome, he was given a government post by theking, and began transforming the Italian government into a Fascist state. In1938 he hale the last remains of democracy, the Council of Deputies, to votethemselves out of existence, leaving Mussolini dictator of Fascist Italy.Fascism and the D octrine of Fascism is more complex than popular belief. What,then, is the nature of Fascism?Fundamental IdeasThe doctrine tells of a world where the instinctiveness of man to live a life ofselfish and momentary pleasure are subjugated by a moral faithfulness. A law which bindstogether individuals into a mission in which through the denial of themselvesand sacrifice of private interests realizes complete spiritual existence. Inessence, Fascism attempts to create a state where the citizens do not existindividually, it creates instruments for the state to manipulate. It achievesthis under the guise of spirituality. The hopeless, cheerless, and forgottenare the most susceptible to the Fascism virus. By putting them into uniformsand incorporating them into organized movement, Fascism makes them feel as if