Fascism

UNIVERSITY OF KARACHI AREA STUDY CENTRE FOR EUROPE

FASCISM vs NAZISM

Prepared by, IBRAHIM NOORANI

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT “Only until you have climbed the mountains can you look behind you and see the vast distance you have covered, and remember those you’ve met along the way who made your trek a little easier”. My Report has finally been completed, after many hours of weary research, and so I look back to those who helped me turn it into reality and offer my heartfelt gratitude: to Allah Almighty, for the strength and wisdom: to my Instructor  Ms. Shaista Shaheen Zafar , for her precious time and instructions, and to all the

 people who have made their contribution to materialize this report.

Contents •

Abstract

•

Fascism vs. Nazism

•

Variations and Sub forms

•

Conclusion

Abstract  Nazism is considered to be one form of fascism. Though both Nazism and fascism reject the ideologies of liberalism, Marxism and democracy, these two are different in many aspects. It is hard to make a perfect differentiation between the two.  Nazism and Fascism have their origin in the 20th century. While fascism was in vogue  between 1919 and 1945, Nazism became popular from 1933 to 1945. Fascism is a term that was originally referred to the fascists of Italy under Mussolini. Nazism on the other hand, referred as National Socialism, is in an ideological concept of the Nazi Party or the National Socialist German Workers’ Party of Adolf Hitler. Fascism believes in the “corporatism” of all elements in society to form an “Organic State”. They were not racial and had no strong opinion of any race. For Fascists, the state was the most important element. The Doctrine of Fascism, which is the authoritative document of the fascism, emphasis on nationalism, corporatism, totalitarianism and militarism. According to this Doctrine the State is all embracing and no human or spiritual value exists beyond it. But Nazism emphasized on racism. While fascism considered state as important, Nazism considered “Aryanism” as more important. The Nazism doctrine believed in the superiority of the Aryan race. While fascism was based on certain political ideology, Nazism was blindly based on racial hatred.  Nazism considered class based society as enemy and stood for unifying the racial element. But fascism wanted to preserve the class system. The fascists almost accepted the concept of  social mobility, while Nazism was against it.   Nazism considered state as a means for the advancement of the master race. But fascism considered state to be a form of nationalism. Fascists considered nationalism as something related to national culture as opposed to other cultures. Coming to the etymology, fascist comes from fascio, an Italian word, meaning a union of    bundle. Nazi comes from the first two syllables of National Sozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, which is the German language name of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party.

Fascism vs. Nazism To confuse Fascism and Nazism is perhaps understandable -- both were dictatorial, antidemocratic movements. But there are important differences between them as well. First, let us unravel the terminology. Revolutionary groups and whipping canes: Fascism originated in Italy, under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. Its name -- not its ideology -- is in part derived from certain revolutionary workers groups in Italy at the end of  the 19th century,   fasci revoluzionari (revolutionary groups). When Mussolini started his movement in 1919, he called his first fascist groups   fasci di combattimento (= combat groups). As it happens, the similar-sounding Latin word  fasces (signifying a bunch of  whipping canes, bound around an execution axe) was an established Roman symbol of   power. In early Rome, the entire contraption used to be displayed ritually before the powerful Roman consuls, who before 300 BC had the sole power to pass judgement as well as to mete out punishment (whipping by cane or beheading by axe). After 300 BC this combined  judiciary and executive power came to an end, when Roman justice was reformed. But this didn't bother Mussolini, who used pictures of  fasces as his own symbols of dictatorial power 1.

Hence the word  fascism has two "separate but equal" roots: the Italian word  fasci and the Roman (Latin) fasces . National Socialism Nazism is a contraction of the German word  National sozialismus (derived from the official German name of Hitler's party, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei , (NSDAP). It stands for the totalitarian and racist pseudo-ideology under which the Adolf  Hitler's German Third Reich was ruthlessly governed. During the 1930's, political analysts in the democratic West were horrified by both of these antidemocratic creeds, Italian fascism as well as German Nazism. But they took care to keep them conceptually apart.

However, this was not the case in Stalin's Soviet Union, because the full name of the Soviet Union has one word element in common with Nazism ( National  Sozialismus), the word socialism -- USSR is read out as the Union of Soviet  Socialist  Republics . Stalin, who saw himself as communist and socialist (and who in other respects was just as murderous and totalitarian as Hitler), was opposed to the competing ideology of Nazism ( National  Socialismus ). But he didn't want to use the word in his anti-Nazi propaganda, because it contained a "good" element -- "socialism". Hitler is a damned Nazi! -- Hell no, Hitler is a damned fascist!

So from the 1930's onwards a curious situation arose: when the West lashed out against fascists, they meant Mussolini's Italians, but when the Soviets expressed anger against the fascists, they meant Hitler's Germans. Communists in other countries followed the Soviet established political vocabulary, using the word "fascist" when they actually meant "Nazi". 2 1. 2.

www.j-bradford-delong.net/.../Slouch_Alternatives12.html Letters and Papers from Prison, ed. Eberhard Bethge, New York: Macmillan Co., 1972, pp. 9-12, 378; Ethics, pp. 38, 186; No Rusty Swords, pp. 44-45

This difference in political terminology remained in place even after the war. The West celebrated its victory over Nazism, while parades were held in Moscow in honour of the glorious Red Army that had vanquished fascism. Both just meant the same thing - that they were happy to be rid of Hitler. An ideological litmus paper

When discussing historical WWII events during the post-war years, you could easily tell if  the speaker or writer was inspired by communism. If he or she talked about Nazis as "fascists", then the argument or point of view had in all probability originated in communist circles. Unravelling the fuzz

Both fascism and Nazism are founded on fuzzy ideas, but this does not justify confusing them or treating them as identical. Mussolini's fascism had a shade closer resemblance to some kind of  crackpot political ideology than Hitler's Nazism, which was not based on much else than blind racial hatred, efficient militarism, and ruthless application of totalitarian power in the interest of the Master Race. Corporatism -- medieval guilds warmed over

The Italian fascists regarded both parliamentary democracy and socialist class struggle as elements that were bound to cause divisiveness in a nation. Hence they introduced the idea of  corporatism, a kind of modernised version of the medieval guild system. Here representatives of all trades and industries, employers as well as employees, could settle matters based on mutual understanding. Of course, in reality this was mostly ideological window-dressing. Mussolini was Il Duce (The Leader) and had the last word. In general, fascism was an appreciably lighter version of a dictatorial anti-democratic system than the mercilessly brutal Nazism. Fascist Italy never became completely totalitarian, nor  did it commit mass murder on the scale of the Nazis'. The monarchy was intact and the   bureaucracy, the military and the church remained as complementary power centres. Originally there was no racism in Italian fascism. Due to Hitler's influence this unfortunately changed toward the end of Mussolini's regime. An inappropriate euphemism

The ideas of Italian fascism popped up among freakish movements in several European countries during the 20's and 30's, often vanishing after the war. They were applied during Franco's and Salazar's dictatorships on the Iberian Peninsula, where they managed to survive WWII by three decades, curiously enough. But Hitler's Nazis were far too cocky for ever  terming themselves fascist. To the Nazis the Italian fascists were soft and ineffectual sissies, whom Hitler constantly had to save from various troubles that they always managed to get themselves into. Is there any point in differentiating between these two historical evils? I strongly think that there is. Whatever Stalin and the communists may have said in the past, it is in my opinion hardly fair to the victims of Nazism to smooth over their horrors by euphemistically renaming their vicious Nazi murderers, making them look like mere fascists. 1. www.themodernword.com/eco/eco_blackshirt 2. BBC Reuters news, “Nazi vs. Fasci”, Documentary 20 July 2007

Variations & Sub Forms

Fascism has paved the way to various similar concepts including the Nazism, which has swayed the world apart during their periods of time. Intellectuals such as Giovanni Gentile  produced “The Doctrine of Fascism” and founded the ideology. 5The majority of strains which emerged after the original fascism, but are sometimes placed under the wider usage of the term, self-identified their parties with different names. Major examples include: Falangism Integralism Iron Guard and  Nazism • • • •

Let us briefly describe each along with their origination: Falangism: Falangism was a form of fascism founded by José Antonio Primo de Rivera in 1934, emerging during the Second Spanish Republic. Primo de Rivera was the son of Spain's former dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera. Following the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic, Spain transitioned from a kingdom into a republic. 1 Primo de Rivera, inspired by Mussolini, founded the Falange Espanola party, which merged a year later with the Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista party of Ramiro Ledesma and Onésimo Redondo. Primo de Rivera and the party presented the Falange Manifesto in   November 1934; it promoted nationalism, unity, glorification of the Spanish Empire and dedication to the national syndicalism economic policy, inspired by integralism, in which there is class collaboration. The manifesto supported agrarianism, to improve the standard of  living for the peasants of the rural areas, as well as anti-capitalism and anti-Marxism. The Falange participated in the Spanish general election, 1936 with low results compared to the leftist Popular Front, but soon afterward it increased in membership rapidly. 2 Primo de Rivera was captured by Republicans on 6 July 1936 and held in captivity at Alicante. The Spanish Civil War broke out between the Republicans and the Nationalists on 17 July 1936, with the Falangistas fighting for Nationalist cause. Despite his incarceration, Primo de Rivera was a strong symbol of the cause, referred to as El Ausente, meaning "the Absent One". He was summarily executed on 20 November after a trial by socialists. 3 General Francisco Franco, already the leader of the rebel Nationalists, took over the leadership of the Falangists. Franco's focus was on victory in the war and ensuring important flows of material from Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, so he was less ideological than his  predecessor. Integralism: Brazilian Integralism4 (Ação Integralista Brasileira) was a form of fascism founded by Plinio

1. 2, 3. Payne, Stanley G. A history of fascism, 1914–1945. Abingdon, England, UK: Rutledge, 1995, 2005 (Digital Printing edition). p. 463. 4. Carlsten, F.L. The Rise of Fascism. 2nd ed. University of California Press, 1982. p. 80

5. Sternhell, Zeev (1996). The Birth of the Fascist Ideology: From Cultural Rebellion to Political Revolution. Princeton University Press

Salgado in Brazil in October 1932. It is considered by many historians the best adaptation of  fascist ideals in Latin America. The magazine Hierarquía, directly inspired by Gerarchia from Italy, persuaded a great number of intellectuals to enter the group. 400,000 members were gained in the first two years alone, and by 1937 they were one of the most important parties in Latin America, with around one million members. Integralists took many ideals from fascism. Their principles included corporativism and Catholicism, and, like other fascist movements, they exhibited an anti-capitalist and anticommunist agenda. They also formed armed squads, nicknamed Green-shirts. Iron Guard: The Iron Guard was a fascist movement and political party in Romania from 1927 to 1941. It was briefly in power from 14 September 1940 until 21 January 1941. It was founded by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu on 24 July 1927 as the "Legion of the Archangel Michael" (Legiunea Arhanghelului Mikhail), and Codreanu led it until his death in 1938. Adherents to the movement continued to be widely referred to as "legionnaires" (sometimes "legionaries"; Romanian: legionari) and the organization as the "Legion" or the "Legionary Movement" (Mişcarea Legionară), despite various changes of the intermittently-banned organizations name. It was strongly anti-Semitic, promoting the idea that "Rabbinical aggression against the Christian world" in "unexpected 'protean forms': Freemasonry, Freudianism, homosexuality, atheism, Marxism, Bolshevism, the civil war in Spain, and social democracy" was undermining society. The Iron Guard "inserted strong elements of Orthodox Christianity into its political doctrine to the point of becoming one of the rare modern European political movements with a religious ideological structure."1  Nazism: Inspired by Fascism the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi Party) ruled Germany from 1933 until 1945. The party was originally formed as the German Workers' Party under the leadership of Anton Drexler, and espoused a combination of racialist völkisch nationalism and socialism that rejected the conditions imposed on Germany after World War  I. The party accused international capitalism of being Jewish-dominated and denounced capitalists for war profiteering during World War I. To ease concerns among potential middle-class nationalist supporters, Drexler made clear that, unlike Marxists, the party supported middle-class citizens, and that the party's socialist policy was meant to give social welfare to all German citizens who were deemed part of the Aryan race.2 Drexler's insistence on the inclusion of the term "socialist" in the party's name had caused tension among members of the party, including Adolf Hitler, who preferred the name "Social Revolutionary Party" until Rudolf Jung persuaded him to support the name "National Socialist German Workers' Party".

1. Carlsten, F.L. The Rise of Fascism. 2nd ed. University of California Press, 1982. p. 88 2. Sternhell, Zeev (1996). The Birth of the Fascist Ideology: From Cultural Rebellion to Political Revolution. Princeton University Press

Drexler was ousted from party leadership in 1921 by Hitler, who secured the position of  undisputed and permanent leader of the party. Hitler admired Benito Mussolini and the Italian Fascists, and after Mussolini's successful March on Rome in 1922, he presented the Nazis as a German version of Italian Fascism. Hitler endorsed Italian Fascism, saying that "with the victory of fascism in Italy the Italian  people have triumphed Jewry" and appraising Mussolini as "the brilliant statesman". Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's chief propagandist, credited Italian Fascism with starting a conflict against liberal democracy: The march on Rome was a signal, a sign of storm for liberal-democracy. It is the first attempt to destroy the world of the liberal-democratic spirit which started in 1789 with the storm on the Bastille and conquered one country after another in violent revolutionary upheavals, to let the nations go under in Marxism, democracy, anarchy and class warfare. Following the Italians' example, the Nazis attempted a "March on Berlin" to topple the Weimar Republic, which they characterised as "Marxist". 1 Days after Mussolini rose to power in October 1922, the major British national newspaper  The Times referred to Hitler as Mussolini's promising pupil in Germany. A month after  Mussolini had risen to power, amid claims by the Nazis that they were equivalent to the Italian fascists, Hitler's popularity in Germany began to grow, and large crowds began to attend Nazi rallies. The newspaper Berlin Lokal-Anzeiger featured a front page article about Hitler, saying, "There are a lot of people who believe him to be the German Mussolini". 2

1. Carlsten, F.L. The Rise of Fascism. 2nd ed. University of California Press, 1982. p. 90 2. Sternhell, Zeev (1996). The Birth of the Fascist Ideology: From Cultural Rebellion to Political Revolution. Princeton University Press

Conclusion

Both Nazism & Fascism have been widely criticized since the end of World War II for a variety of reasons. Aside from criticism of Fascist & Nazi ideology, there has been debate as to their nature and even whether it is a coherent ideology. One view is that fascism is not a real ideology at all; this view claims that fascism is a form of irrational and opportunistic politics only committed to nihilistic violence that has no logical or rational definition, and that its official ideological components are only tools of propaganda and are often contradictory. However, how can it not be a reality when Fascism gave birth Nazism and many similar other ideologies. Marxists accuse fascism of being a capitalist tyranny that attempts to make conservative reaction popular to the working class but in practice represses the working class. MarxistLeninist interpretations condemn fascism as a "political offensive of the bourgeoisie against the working class"; a servant of "big business", "large landowners", and agrarian and industrialist capitalism. Vladimir Lenin claimed that "Fascism is capitalism in decay. Hungarian communist Djula Sas in 1923 made a more detailed critique, in which he noted that, six months after rising to power, Italian Fascists and Nazi Germany had dismantled working-class organizations, significantly reduced wages in certain areas, abolished taxes on inheritance and war profits, and emphasized the need for "national production". According to Sas, these actions clearly indicated that fascism was in the service of industrial capitalism. Marxist interpretations of Fascism & Nazism are typically based on a developmental approach. The Marxist developmental perspective has been criticized for failing to explain why fascism has not appeared in developing countries. As a result, even some communist regimes have been declared "fascist" or to have been inspired by Nazism, under such interpretations, including those of Cuba under Fidel Castro and Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh.