So far, I’ve described some of the ideas of fascism and how it related (usually negatively) to the other philosophies of government and society of the 1920s and 1930s. In this post I’d like to examine some of fascism’s core beliefs that most fascist movements shared. I hope that fascism’s belief in the importance of the state and lack of importance of the individual is clear by now. So, let’s turn to some other things.
Let’s begin with the etymology of fascism. Fascism comes from the word fasces. In ancient Rome, the fasces were a symbol, often represented by someone holding many stalks of wheat, of strength through unity. The idea was that anyone can snap a single stalk of wheat and break it. Trying to snap an entire handful of wheat stalks at the same time, however, was another matter. Therefore, the idea of great strength through national unity in pursuit of power and greatness was a key component of fascist thought, and this symbol represented that idea to the masses.
(This is a great example of how symbols by themselves are harmless, but the uses to which people put them gives them their meaning. For another example, look at the famous U.S. political cartoon titled “Colored Rule in a Reconstructed State” drawn by Thomas Nast for Harper’s Weekly in 1874. It is a racist political cartoon depicting African Americans ruining government in the South after the Civil War. If one looks at the far right of the cartoon, they’ll see the figure at the podium holding the fasces.)
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More of Fascism’s Core Beliefs
Another of fascism’s core beliefs is its belief in action, including violent action. Marching in the streets, physical violence against perceived enemies, and military action to revenge past indignities are all features of the philosophy. Examples abound. Public book burnings. Fighting with socialists in the streets. The violence of the kristallnacht. Italy’s war in Ethiopia in 1935 to regain the Italian honor “lost” at Adowa in 1896. Germany’s occupation of the Rhineland. All are examples of fascists using action and violence to gain their ends. Hitler’s first attempt to seize power, the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, although a failure, aligned perfectly with this philosophy. The point was to show fascism’s supporters that it was a superior method of achievement, cutting through the red tape of bureaucracy, the endless and sometimes indecisive debates of politicians, and the flabby weaklings who preferred peace to war.
One reason, perhaps, these core beliefs in action proved attractive is that many of fascism’s leaders were young. In 1920, for instance, Adolf Hitler was 31. Romanian fascist leader Corneliu Codreanu was 20, Francisco Franco of Spain, 28. Hungarian Gyula Gömbös was 33, while Mussolini was the old man among future fascist leaders at age 37.
Youth and Fascism’s Core Values
The same was true of many of fascism’s supporters. Disproportionately, the movement drew its supporters from younger generations. There were soldiers feeling let down by defeat in World War 1. Returning from war only to find jobs scarce and their economic future uncertain, they looked for a savior who promised action. Small business owners often aligned themselves with fascism in hopes of restoring their traditional economic status. Some members of the working class joined, especially during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Make no mistake, fascist leaders courted the support of the youth as well. Germany had the Hitler Youth. Italy’s equivalent was the Figli della Lupa, or Roman Wolf’s Sons. (Recall the Roman tradition that the city’s founders were Romulus and Remus, two youth suckled by a she-wolf. Also recall that in Roman legend the two were the offspring of Mars, the God of War.) For instance, in 1925 Adolf Hitler stated, “From all the innumerable great names in German history, the greatest must be picked out and introduced to the youth so persistently that they become pillars of unshakable national sentiment.” After he came to power, it wasn’t long before the sight of young boys goose-stepping while carrying rifles became a notable part of German culture.
The Value of Struggle
The last of fascism’s core beliefs that fascists had in common was the belief in struggle. This connected with the concept that the leader was the representative of the national will but also went beyond it. The idea of life as a struggle was hardly new in the 1920s, given that social Darwinists had preached this doctrine for several decades. However, added to the fascist ideal of progress through violent action, it reached frightening dimensions in the 1930s, especially in Germany. There, the struggle was not only between nations. Communist nations like the Soviet Union posed a challenge that fascism must destroy, German leaders believed.
But the struggle was also from within. National enemies, the Jews foremost among them, also threatened unceasingly. Anyone else the state deemed degenerate was also at risk. In Germany, this list included, in addition to Jews, communists, “asocial” people such as homosexuals, the mentally disabled, criminals, and gypsies.
Most fascist nations shared these core beliefs in some degree. In my next post, I’ll turn to the ideas specific to or most notably present in Nazi Germany.
(To learn more about Nast’s political cartoons, read my blog about Thomas Nast or click here!)
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