Fascist Regimes of Italy and Germany - Essay Example

Were the Fascist regimes in Italy and Germany totalitarian Totalitarian rule is when a regulates practically all aspects of public and private life. Totalitarian ideology is maintains the right to control media output, regulation and restriction of free speech control of the economy, mass surveillance of citizens and installation of terror into daily life. Totalitarian governments are authoritarian but go a step further in tempting to control thought, morality and lifestyle through a dominant and total ideology seeking to destroy civil society, community and individualism. Fascist regimes are also authoritarian and states who seek to govern with the ideology in general are focused on preparing its society for armed conflict in order to expand the nation state and its borders. Contradictions to the ideology are liberalism, democracy, conservatism, individualism and capitalism and criticism against the state is forbidden. Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini are two of the most infamous fascist leaders of the twentieth century, but did their leaderships also embrace totalitarianism Hitler and Mussolini were dictators; they governed without the consent of the people. A dictatorship is the foundation of the governing power and totalitarianism relates to the scope of the power of those who govern, most dictatorships tend to be totalitarian as if the power does not come directly from the people as it does in a democracy then the scope of power has no limits and therefore all aspects of life can be controlled. Fascism is juxtaposed with totalitarianism in this sense as the subordination of citizens advances the states interests of total control. Nazism and Fascism arose form right wing extremism and can be distinguished from left wing totalitarianism, namely communism in that right wing ideology seeks to enforce private ownership of wealth whilst left wing, namely communist totalitarianism seek to maintain collective ownership. Each strand is defined by social class. The ideology of fascism is mainly the working of the philosopher Giovanni Gentile. The emphasis was placed on the individuals need to become completely subordinate to the state. So was the case with the fascist states of Italy and Germany under the rule of Mussolini and Hitler respectively. Under Hitler's rule many characteristics of a totalitarian state can be shown, for example there was censorship of media, removing freedom of speech enabled the government to influence public opinion via propaganda which proved a highly effective methods of control. Nazis soon realized that mass media communication was of great importance and became aware of the Medias influence over the populous. The methods of communication available in the era were used as a means to convince the masses that Hitler had overwhelming support. This effectively constitutes a totalitarian leader. The manipulation of the masses brought about hysteria and a state of belief that through carefully planned and scripted radio, broadcasts rallies and publications persuaded the public that Hitler's idea of utopia was unavoidable. Secret police in the form of the Gestapo were in place to arrest so called enemies of the state and were removed from public life to concentration camps. Genocide was the most outrageous acts of his rule, Jews across Germany's territory were slaughtered on mass scales as they did not fit in to Hitler's Utopian ideal. White supremacy was at the forefront of his thinking and Nazism continues to exist in today's society. Nazism, Fascist ideology and policies espoused and practiced by Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist German Worker's Party from 1920-1945 were typical of totalitarian ideology. A Master Race to rule the world over other races was the ambition, and a violent hatred of Jews, whom Hitler blamed for all of the problems of Germany were on his agenda. Extreme nationalism was also demonstrative of totalitarian ideology. Hitler wanted to create a Master Race, uniting German speaking people into a great and singular empire and viewed the Jewish communities as a threat hence the mass genocides and concentration camps designed to segregate and exterminate.1 Evidence is also plentiful to demonstrate that Italy under Mussolini's rule had totalitarianism entwined in its policy. Mussolini always proclaimed, "Everything within the state, nothing against the state, nothing outside the state." The masses should only "believe, obey and fight." 2 Socially, Mussolini condemned Marxism for dividing the nation into classes and causing class war which would sap the strength of a nation. Demands that citizens should adhere to the 'absolute' authority of the state were made and that people were only worthy if they were serving and desiring the states rule, thus resulted in freedom of. 1 Robert Gellately (2001) Backing Hitler : Consent and Coercion in Nazi Germany Oxford Univ Pr 2 http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/8227 (accessed 15th January 2009) individuality and purpose ceased to exist It is important to decide though whether Italy was actually ruled under totalitarianism or as a dictatorship as all forms of governance in a totalitarian state must be controlled by the state. In Mussolini's Italy all opposition were wiped out so only the Fascist Party could rule and compete for the country. Mussolini had immense powers over his party to the extent it has been argued that the party did not in fact have a role to play in any form of governance. This is an example of totalitarianism, the Fascist party had total control of the country, economically, socially and structurally and Mussolini had total control of the party. Like Hitler total control of all types of the media and mass communication meant that only pure ideological and reliable views could and would be expressed to the masses. There were problems with the system however, concerning the economy. His economic policy was to bring together the workers and the employers and get them to work for the good of the country, in effect creating corporations of the state. A revolutionary idea was that syndicates of workers would make the decisions on production to produce a fairer society, with employers seeing corporations as a way to control their workers and so control their own jobs in a fascist society. But the system had flaws in unequal distribution of representation in that the employers did in fact represent themselves but the workers were represented by members of the fascist party. However unequal workers and employer's rights were a totalitarian state requires all forms of governance to be controlled by the state and this example shows that totalitarianism was not in fact at play as much as Mussolini had attempted to achieve a totalitarian state it was a failure.3 Hitler's Germany was far more totalitarian in its ideology 3 Bosworth, R. J. B. (2006) MUSSOLINI'S ITALY LIFE UNDER THE DICTATORSHIP, 1915-1945 Penguin Books Ltd than Mussolini's Italy. When comparing the two Mussolini's Fascism was authoritarian governance that was anti-socialist but was a state system whose policies were aimed to create social stability after years of economic turmoil which led to Mussolini being taken into the hearts of his people. He attempted to preserve class structure and was anti Marxist but unlike Hitler's ideal of a chosen people, of a Master Race Mussolini was willing and able to accept a wide ranging of cultures and ethnic heritage. Many scholars debate the use of the term totalitarianism as it is difficult for a state or a dictator to have full control over a population and many have argued that the Third Reich were in fact too disorganized to be totalitarian.4 Both countries had totalitarian ideals and strived to attain nations that were obedient and subordinate. It can be concluded that both Hitler and Mussolini were believers in a totalitarian ideology but if they achieved it is debatable. 4 Kerhsaw, Ian (2000) The Nazi Dictatorship Problems and Perspectives of Interpretation, London: Arnold Press . Read More