The Fascism of the Strong

Paper Summary:

This paper deals with the original meaning of Fascism and fascism, the capitalization making a difference between these terms, and gives examples of the sorts of regimes that have accurately and inaccurately been referred to by these terms. The writer focuses on Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, while also briefly looking at Fascism in Spain.

From the Paper:

"Before concluding this section on Fascism in Italy, one would do well to take a quick look at the leader of the pack. Benito Mussolini was the charismatic leader of this movement, and much of its success and its eventually failure lay on his shoulders. On the one hand, he was an architect, who had spent his entire life looking for an answer for society. He had formerly been a leader of a radical segment of the Italian Socialist Party, and "After his turn to the right, Mussolini continued to employ much of the rhetoric of socialism, substituting the nation for social class as the basis of political loyalty." (Wikipedia, Fascist) He presented a truly inspiring image of the state needing the love and devotion of its citizens, allowing individuals to feel as if they are not obeying orders out of coercion but out of true interest in the subject. On the other hand, Mussolini was weak in that he allowed the power of his position to escape him and he got caught up in wielding that power even when it was inappropriate (such as going into battles which could not be won, or for that matter exporting Jews who had previously been supportive allies)."

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