Fascism

We explain what fascism is and how it originated. In addition, what are its main characteristics, how it acted before the opposition and what was the Holocaust.

What is fascism?

Fascism was a political movement that emerged in Europe in the 1920s and ruled different countries until 1945. The liberal movements that promoted democracy and the workers’ movements that emerged under the models of Marxism and anarchism were opposed.

As a political movement, He was born in Italy linked to the figure of Benito Mussolini, and took power in Rome for the first time in 1922. Mussolini’s rapid triumph caused the use of the term fascism to extend to refer to the totalitarian movements of the extreme right that were born in the interwar period in Europe.

The most relevant example was the German version headed by Adolf Hitler, National Socialism or Nazism. In Spain, Falangism, and to some extent, Francisco Franco’s dictatorship had typical features of fascism.

By extension, sometimes in an appropriate way, the word fascism is used to refer to all kinds of authoritarian movements of the extreme right that have emerged in the world in later times.

• See also: PERIOD OF DELIVERY (SECOND STAGE)

Origins of fascism

Fascism was born in societies affected by World War I (1914-1918), due to various factors:

• The existence of millions of ex -combatants with an authoritarian, antidemocratic and hypernationalist ideology.
• A strong economic crisis.
• Nationalist discontent in some European countries such as Italy or Germany.
• The fear of the middle and high classes to the triumph of a communist revolution, as had happened in Russia in 1917.

Emergence of fascism in Italy

In Italy, fascism had its origins with an Italian poet named Gabriele D’Anunzio, who was soldier during World War I and defended nationalist ideas.

At the end of the First War, the allied countries that were winners (United States, England, France and Italy) the conquered territories were distributed.

The Italians considered that they had been harmed in the cast, since they had not received the territories they claimed. In this context, D’Annunzio forcibly took the city of Fiume (current territory of Croatia), with an army of 2000 soldiers.

In 1920 d’Annunzio, together with the unionist Ambris, wrote a constitution called Carnaro’s letter and established in Fiume a particular regime in which Special powers were attributed, ignoring democracy. Created a group of black shirt military who was responsible for repressing and torturing anyone who criticized or opposed the regime.

In parallel, another Italian military named Benito Mussolini was becoming more and more power. Mussolini took advantage of the situation of social discontent for the economic crisis and the few benefits that Italy had obtained after the war. He opposed the Italian socialist and communist movements, and attacked his militants with a paramilitary army, also called black shirts. After accessing power, Mussolini was inspired by many of the ideas and measures taken by D’Anunzio in Fiume.

Emergence of fascism in Germany

In 1933 the Military Austro -Hungarian Adolf Hitler took power in Germany, adopting the fascist vision With a strong aggregate of racism against all those who did not belong to the ARIA race, considered superior.

Hitler’s fascist regime chased the Jews, gypsies, homosexuals and mentally ill, in addition to the militants of the political opposition. Created Nazism or national-socialist party, under the motto of Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer, which in German means: “a people, an empire, a leader.”

Emergence of fascism in Spain

In 1936 the military Francisco Franco led a coup d’etat in Spain. As in the capital city, the coup was not successful, the Spanish Civil War was triggered, which faced Republicans and rebel or revolutionaries.

In 1939 The rebels were victorious after having a strong military unit and installed a dictatorshipwhich lasted until 1975. His government had several features that he shared with the Mussolini and Hitler regimes.

• It can serve you: Totalitarianism

Characteristics of fascism

Some features common to fascism are:

• Totalitarianism. The official party was the only allowed, and people had to subordinate the State. The use of the force and the figure of the great leader were fundamental to exercise control of society.
• Antiliberalism. Liberalism was considered a weak ideology, which threatened the ideals of discipline and obedience.
• Anti -mimicism. Fascism believed that society should be a homogeneous nation and believed that Marxist ideas of “class struggle” attempted against their unity. Socialist, communist and anarchist organizations were persecuted.
• Authoritarianism and militarism. Society was thought of as a military organization, in which discipline and order were fundamental. Police and military forces were responsible for maintaining the obedience of society through violence.
• Exacerbated nationalism. The concept of nation was fundamental in fascist regimes. The territorial expansion to enlarge the national State was one of the main objectives.
• Charismatic leadership. The figure of the boss (Duce In Italy, Führer In Germanycaudillo In Spain) he gathered absolute power over the party, the State and society. The leader’s charism was spread through a propaganda system that fed personality cult.
• Use of propaganda. The control of the media was fundamental to prohibit freedom of expression and disseminate ideology through an important political propaganda apparatus.
• EMPLOYMENT OF TERROR. Those who opposed the totalitarian regime were threatened, taken prisoners or killed.
• Racism. Fascism discriminated against the population according to the ethnic or racial origin of people. In Germany, the superiority of the ARIA race was sustained above the rest of the inhabitants and the systematic murder of Jews and gypsies was carried out.

• See also: Characteristics of fascism

Italian fascism

In a context of political, economic and social crisis, There was a great discontent in the Italian population. Between 1918 and 1920 thousands of workers’ strikes exploded in the country for unemployment, low wages and closing of factories. On the other hand, the poorest sector of the peasantry rebelled against his patterns and took over rural properties on the outskirts of Rome.

Meanwhile, the democratic liberal government did not offer effective or fast responses. In 1919, Benito Mussolini founded the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento (“Armed Combat Groups”)a movement of armed paramilitary groups to combat left -wing parties. His position attracted a good part of the Italian population and was gaining the support of businessmen, landowners, middle classes, the army and the Catholic Church, which were sectors that feared the explosion of a communist revolution.

With the political and economic support of these sectors, in 1921 he created the National Fascist Party. The following year, led a coup d’etat, known as “the march on Rome”. The Democratic Liberal Government resigned and King Victor Manuel III crossed the government to Mussolini.

From 1924 Mussolini deepened fascist policies to install a totalitarian regime: He abolished political parties and unions, suppressed freedoms of political expression (such as strikes) and proclaimed himself Duce (which means “guide” or “leader”). Acquired the functions of Head of Government, Prime Minister and Secretary of State. From now on, systematic propaganda led to the exaltation of the figure of the Duce as charismatic leader of fascist Italy.

In social terms, he reformed the educational system to control the ideas and values ​​that were taught in school. University teachers and professors had to wear black shirts (such as the Fasci) and swear fidelity to the regime.

In political terms, Mussolini intervened the organization of power. He dissolved the camera of deputies and replaced it in 1939 with the Chamber of the Fasci and the Corporations. The different power positions were occupied by fascist militants designated by the Duce. The papacy and the high hierarchy of the Catholic Church supported the fascist regime and helped in the construction of the totalitarian regime.

In economic terms, Mussolini’s government sought intervene relations between workers and entrepreneurs in order to control the union activity. The owners and workers were grouped into corporations that were under strict state supervision. In rural areas, he promoted the increase in agricultural production and in the urban field he opted for concentrated industrialization, aimed at the development of war armament.

In this context, towards the mid -1930s, Mussolini began its expansionist foreign policy and claimed territories in different parts of Africa. In 1935, Abisinia (current Ethiopia) invaded and in 1936, he agreed with Germany a military alliance.

• See also: Mussolini Government

German National Socialism

After the First World War, he unleashed In Germany an unprecedented economic, political and social crisis. The Weimar Republic (Liberal Democratic Government) could not cope with the continuous claims of the different sectors of society and with the deepening of the crisis weakened. In that context, both ultra -left and ultra -right parties were popular.

Adolf Hitler directed the German National Workers’ Party since 1921. It was a nationalist, anti -Semitic and critical party of the consequences in Germany that had the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. In 1923, during a short stay in jail, Hitler wrote “Mein Kampf” (which means “my fight”), the book that summarizes his ideology.

The crisis of 1929 and its brutal impact in Germany allowed Hitler to win the support of the great German capital and broad groups of the population. In the 1933 elections, the Nazi party obtained 45 % of the votes, and Hitler was appointed chancellor. In 1934 he reached the necessary votes in Parliament to obtain full powers and the power to issue laws. Before the death of President Hindenburg, Hitler concentrated all the power in his hands (the functions of President and Chancellor) and He proclaimed himself Führer of the third Reich of Germany.

Since then, Hitler imposed a totalitarian regime: prohibited parties, eliminated political and civic freedoms, and organized violent and systematic persecution of their adversaries through the paramilitary groups of the party (the SA and the SS), and the secret police (the Gestapo).

The Nazis sought to homogenize German society imposing its ideology in all aspects of life and in all social sectors. To do this, Mass propaganda was implemented that foster racism, anti -Semitism, anti -communism and nationalism. In addition, the cult of the leader through education, and the parades and great events, in which photos of Hitler, swastika crosses and Nazis flags were fed.

Racism was a key aspect of Nazi ideology and policies. Racial discrimination was formalized with the rise of the Nazi government and deepened in later years. At the beginning, discrimination was racial and propaganda. Then, with the Nuremberg laws signed in 1935, the legal bases to develop spatial and civic segregation were settled. Neighborhood ghettos were created and the freedom of circulation of people of Jewish origin or practice was limited. Racial discrimination also reached gypsies and other ethnic minorities of the German population.

With the development of World War II, the population of Los Guetos was mobilized to concentration fields and forced to carry out forced labor, in atrocious living conditions. This implied the design of A sophisticated system for the exploitation of prisoners. Towards the end of the war, the Nazi government ruled the “final solution of the Jewish problem”, which implied The systematic murder of Jewish prisoners Through gas and starfiers. The genocide of the Jewish people is known today as a holocaust, and implied the murder of more than 6 million people.

Like Italian fascism, Nazism implemented state control of the economy, controlled relations between workers and owners, invested in the heavy industry oriented when rearma and launched into an expansionist territorial policy from which World War II was triggered.

Continue with:

• National Socialism
• Background of World War II
• End of World War II
• Axis powers
• World War II alliances
• Munich pact
• Holocaust
• End of World War II
• Communism

References

• Griffin, R. (2019). Fascism. Editorial Alliance.
• Hobsbawn, eg (1998). 20th century history. Criticism.
• Tato, Mi, Bubello, JP, Castello, AM and Campos, E. (2011). History of the second half of the twentieth century. Estrada