Fascism as the Bastard Child of Communism.
The Ideological founder of Fascism, Benito Mussolini began as a
Socialist. He was described as an "emotional impulsive type, and
these characteristics cause him to be suggestive and persuasive in
his speeches." Though not everyone thought he was a great orator,
they were moved by this ability to convey sympathy and sentiment. He
also was known for being a superb judge of character. A security
official observing him after his break with Socialism noted
that "there was no one who understood better how to interpret the
spirit of the proletariat and there was no one who did not observe
his apostasy with sorrow."
He was a school teacher until 1912 when he became full time editor of
the newspaper "Avanti", to which he "gave a violent, suggestive, and
intransigent orientation." He edited that news paper and was a
leader of the Socialist party until 1914, when he found "himself in
opposition to the directorate of the Italian Socialist party because
he advocated a kind of active neutrality on the part of Italy in the
War by the Nations against the party's tendency of absolute
neutrality." After that he initiated a new newspaper in support of
Italian intervention in World War I, along with bitter polemics aimed
at his former comrades at Avanti. For this he was expelled from the
Socialist party. He then undertook "a very active campaign in behalf
of Italian intervention," to the point where he was drafted and went
to fight on behalf of his country. He was wounded by a grenade and
promoted on account of his bravery.
His new movement was still, at least in his mind, a movement of
socialism. Only now it was an "Italian socialism" or Nationalist
Socialism. His new newspaper was called "Il Popolo D'Italia." And
after the war, his new movement saw the disarray of the times, and
the "value of waging a civil war against neutralists
and `Bolsheviks'" which he calculated would gain him political power.
He gathered about him military "Arditi", syndicalists, "futurists"
and "founded a new movement called the "Fasci di Combattimento"
(Combat Fascio). The term fascio derived from the insignia that the
lictors of ancient Rome carried." That insignia a bundle of sticks
with an axe blade protruding symbolized discipline and the power of
the state to impose discipline. The axe was the power to kill. The
sticks the power to "scourge."
A New Movement with Old Dreams.
This new movement, from the start, was no longer aimed at
overthrowing the "capitalist class." It had new aims. It declared
it's loyalty to the servicemen who had served the country in the
first world War. It declared it's opposition to "imperialism at the
expense of Italy. And of course, aimed at reclaiming lands lost in
the creation of Yugoslavia that year. And most importantly it pledged
to "sabotage in every way the candidates of the neutralists in all
the various parties."
It now declared "war on Socialism, not because it is socialist, but
because it opposes Nationalism." It labeled Socialism "reactionary
and absolutely conservative." and said that "if its views had
prevailed, our survival in the world of today would be impossible."
For this new ideology, the world was seen in terms of national
survival; "us against them." and them. And to the new movement,
Bolshevism was an enemy because it was a "Russian phenomenon."
Fascism was a movement from the start that paid lip service to the
demands and needs of the majority – but no more. The "true nature of
the productive process and the needs of the nation" would come first.
Mussolini said: "Worker control over industry? We shall support
these demands, partly because we want the workers to get accustomed
to the responsibilities of management and to learn as a result that
it isn't easy to run a business successfully."
And "as for economic democracy, we favor national syndicalism and
reject state intervention whenever it aims at throttling the creation
of wealth." For the National Socialist, "economic democracy had a
very different meaning from what it had meant to progressives,
socialists and to ordinary citizens. For the National Socialist, the
fight was not against concentrations of power or inequities so much
as a "fight against technological and moral backwardness." No longer
would his movement fight against unearned wealth. No it would support
the creation of wealth. Wealthy people could thrive under National
Socialism – as long as they gave unquestioned support to the State
and it's doctrines of hyper-nationalism. As Hitler would say
later, "I don't need to nationalize the industries. I have
nationalized the Industrialists."
This new movement looked forward, and it looked back. It looked back
on the Roman Empire for both example and a vision of the future.
Initially it was anti-clerical and sought to correct the financial
crises of Government with nearly confiscatory taxes on wealth;
a "partial expropriation" of wealth, and to confiscate ill gotten
gains of defense industries that the fascists believed had cheated
the country. It promoted a eight hour day, accident, sickness and old
age protections, protection of small farms and organization of labor;
but always with an emphasis on imposing moral responsibility,
discipline and obedience to the Party. For instance the very earliest
plank said that "industries and public services" would be assigned
to " syndical organizations that are morally worthy and
technologically qualified."
It claimed to champion the principle that the "Government should
administer public affairs not in the interest of parties and
clienteles but in the supreme interests of the nation." It's plank
was on the side of ruthless efficiency and restructuring of the
Federal Government and the elimination of "pork barrel politics."
But what really marked it was this:
It was:
(a) "Political organism." As a political organism it took advantage
of every technique of propaganda and mass organizing and demanded
absolute loyalty of party members.
(b) "An economic organism." As a political organism it was not
adverse to making money and promoted businesses that were willing to
toe the party line.
(c) a combat organism. As a combat organism, it was set up not just
to defend the country from without, but specifically to do combat
with "internal" enemies.
A Doctrine of Action and Thought.
The new movement rapidly evolved and spawned imitators. These were
Hitler in Germany, Franco in Spain, Salazar in Portugal, Juan Peron
in Argentina. Each of them was to influence posterity in it's own
way. Each progressing in "waves" from 1919-1923; 1929-1935; and 1939
to 1943. And finally, after 1945, Fascism entered a new phase in
which it seemed to have been discredited. Mussolini's own version of
it evolved over time, eventually perishing with Hitler when he locked
his fate with him.
Continued....(footnotes will be added later)