Italian and German Fascism - Essay Example

ITALIAN AND GERMAN FASCISM The development of fascism as well as its ideologies in Europe came about mainly after the First World War following major political, social and cultural changes. Fascism developed mainly because of the disillusionment of some individuals with the manner through which government had become lax in its duties. It developed in such a way that it was able to influence the political development of Europe for many years, not only in the interwar and Second World War, but also in the postwar period. Given the negativity that has been associated with fascism, it was highly organized and helped countries which had undergone humiliation to regain their national pride. Fascism in Europe at first developed as an intellectual movement which came into existence as a result of disillusionment of individuals over democratically elected governments which did not deliver on their promises of prosperity.1 Furthermore, in the aftermath of the First World War, there were those, especially in Germany, who believed that the Weimar Republic had chosen to forsake the interests of the nation in a bid to retain its power. The war had created conditions where governments were virtually bankrupt and could not afford to offer services in a manner similar to before the war began. As a result, there developed discussions concerning the loss of national vigor during the leadership of popular democratic governments and a desire to return nations to what individuals believed was a glorious past. These discussions also concentrated on the social level where there was concern that national identity had been degraded through the inclusion of foreign elements, such as Jews, in society to such an extent that it was losing its national character. Furthermore, Bolshevik takeover in Russia and the institution of a communist government in that country made some individuals in both Germany and Italy fear that similar revolutions would take place in their own countries. This threat was manifested through discussions concerning how the status of popular democratic governments at that time made these states vulnerable to communist influence and even dominance. Therefore, advocacy for replacing democratically elected governments with those with a more nationalist character was developed in both Italy and Germany. The fascist movement in Italy took root before that in Germany and it developed as a reaction by its leader, Benito Mussolini and his supporters of the pacifist policies which the Italian socialist party had adopted during and after the First World War.2 The Fascist Party created an extremely nationalist ideology which was designed to rally the Italian people behind it during a period when it was believed that Italy was vulnerable towards a possible communist takeover. This movement in Italy began taking a more violent turn through the formation of the Blackshirts, who acted as enforcers for Mussolini’s movement in such a manner that they attacked all political opponents of the Fascist party, especially socialists. The Blackshirts’ activities came to attract government attention and in 1920, Giovanni Giolitti, who was Italian prime minister at the time believed that the violent activities of the Blackshirts could be toned down and that that they could be used as a means of protecting Italian nationhood. In addition, this movement, while at first opposing the Catholic Church, found that it could not gain credibility in Italy without it, and because of this, the Fascist party came to form an alliance with the Church. The March on Rome was a significant turning point for the fascist movement of Benito Mussolini and it acted as an inspiration for Adolf Hitler to undertake the same tactics to gain power in Germany. The Nazi party in Germany also formed a military wing whose role was to ensure that its opponents were kept in check through intimidation and in some cases violent means. The fascist movements in both Germany and Italy initially gained power through being invited by conservative parties into government to ensure that leftist parties were countered. Leftist parties, especially socialist parties, had taken a significant share of the opposition of these countries and their influence was steadily increasing. The rise of communism in Russia during and immediately after World War One had made conservative parties in power to become wary of leftist opposition parties and collaboration with fascist parties in both Germany and Italy made possible the removal of their threat.3 However, the Fascist party in Italy wanted more than a small share of government and although it had won only a small number of seats in parliament, it managed to seize power and maintain it through an alliance with right leaning parties. The same occurred in Germany where the Nazis took advantage of their being in government to lash out against the socialist parties and strengthen their position, eventually taking over some of the most important institutions within the state. However, there was a difference between fascism in Germany and Italy in such a way that Mussolini retained his power through an alliance with likeminded parties while Hitler ensured that all opposition parties were eliminated and those with right leaning ideologies were integrated into the Nazi party. In this way, while fascist Italy was based on a multiparty alliance, the Nazi party remained the sole political entity in Germany. Once the fascist movements in Germany and Italy had gained power, they came to rely heavily on the charisma of their leaders in order to assert themselves. Both Mussolini and Hitler were great orators with the ability to stir the emotions of their people to a point where they were able to sway them towards accepting their opinions concerning the society.4 Furthermore, they chose to retain an alliance with the traditional elites of their nations in order to retain order in society. They created a balance between state control as well as institutions of the state to ensure that their authority was achieved in all parts of the state. Nazi racial policies were put in place as soon as this party seized power and this resulted in concentration camps where all those individuals in society who were considered undesirable were held. Among the most well known victims of these concentration camps were Jews, homosexuals as well as those individuals within German society who seemed to show signs of resistance towards ostracization of Jews and other Nazi policies.5 While similar policies were adopted in Italy, especially concerning the Jews, they did not go as far as those instituted in Germany and during fascist rule, Mussolini, who did not have firm anti-Semitic views, did not take radical action against Jews.6 There were rival factions within the fascist party which had different views concerning the treatment of Jews with some from this community holding prominent positions within the party. The fascist movement within these two countries ended up developing in different ways with Nazi Germany becoming more radicalized while fascist Italy becoming more authoritarian. The Nazi party, once it gained power, aimed at implementing its policies at all costs and among these was the restoration of Germany’s glorious past through military action. The military policies adopted by both fascist Italy and Nazi Germany while similar in their need to restore national pride; their ultimate goals were essentially different. Fascist Italy’s military adventures were based on colonial conquests which would ensure Italian dominance over conquered peoples. Despite its insistence on racial superiority, the fascist party often chose the path of forced Italicization for those peoples that it conquered.7 This was not the case with Nazi Germany whose military adventures was aimed at bringing all Germanic peoples under its rule while at the same time aiming at exterminating Slavic people to create living space for members of the Aryan race. It is essential to learn about why fascist movements developed and eventually came to power because in the modern world, there is a potential of history repeating itself. Recently, European countries have seen a rise in popularity of far right parties which can only be termed as fascist. These parties have gained prominence as a result of disillusionment with current policies of respective European governments and might eventually gain power if nothing is done to address issues of concern within the European public. Bibliography/Annotation Baker, David. "The political economy of fascism: Myth or reality, or myth and reality?" New Political Economy, 11, no. 2 (2006): 227 – 250. This article addresses the means through which fascist governments dealt with economic issues through adopting policies that ensured growth as well as their continued popularity. It is quite concise and while not addressing certain parts of fascist political economy such as protectionist policies, it is essential for research. Feinstein, Wiley. The Civilization of the Holocaust in Italy: Poets, Artists, Saints, Anti-Semites. Cranbury, NJ: Rosemont Publish & Printing Corp., 2003. This reading addresses differences between the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy and Mussolini’s policies which seemed to be based on creating a balance within his party and allies. This book exhaustively covers Jewish experiences in fascist Italy and provides understanding on the subject. Gillette, Aaron. Racial Theories in Fascist Italy. London: Routledge, 2001. This book covers racial theories that were persistent in fascist Italy and the manner that they came to affect society. It shows that while these theories were considered as part of Fascist doctrine, they were not taken as seriously as they were in Nazi Germany. Paxton, Robert O. The Anatomy of Fascism, New York: Knopf, 2004. This book reveals the various stages of the development of fascism in both Italy and Germany and addresses the issues behind the creation of these movements. It addresses issues concerning the rise of fascism in Europe that are rarely dealt with, namely social factors Payne, Stanley G. A History of Fascism, 1914–1945. Oxon, England: Routledge, 2005. The book is a general history of fascism from its causes during the First World War to its end in with Nazi Germany’s defeat. It provides an insight on various developments during the Great War, which led to disillusionment among some individuals in society resulting in fascism. Porat, Dina.”The Holocaust in Lithuania: Some Unique Aspects". In David Cesarani. The Final Solution: Origins and Implementation. London: Routledge, 2002. pp. 159–174. This article considers the treatment of Lithuanian Jews by Nazi Germany and methods which were used to ensure that they were removed from society. The holocaust in Lithuania is often ignored by historians and it is not general knowledge and this chapter makes possible a better understanding of experiences of Lithuanian Jews. Read More