All Fascists Are Nazis - Essay Example

? ‘All Fascists Are Nazis’. Discuss. Contents Contents 2 Fascism and Nazism 3 References 8 Fascism and Nazism Fascism is a form of nationalism that aims to unite the nation as a single entity through mass movements. Fascists rely on the movements of the national party centre and demands obligation from the common mass towards the movements of the central party. The fascists demand honour and devotion of the general public towards the ruling party at the centre. The ultra-nationalistic views and militarism are the ways of fascists for consolidation of power and expansion of national territories. The fascists view war, political violence and spread of imperialism as effective ways of dominating over others for the spread on national territories. The fascists are in favour of acquiring land and resources for a national cause. The acquisition of land and other resources such as labour, capital, etc are the rights of the fascists to establish their dominance over other parts of the world. The fascists believe that the weaker territories and nations could be rightly displaced and captured for expanding the territories of their nation. The fascists demand the supremacy of the state as the highest consideration in their rule. Various fascist leaders such as Mussolini established their supremacy by following the ideology of supremacy of the state (Goldberg 2009, p. 68). The fascist leaders claimed undisputed control by following the principles in which allegiance to the state is the bottom line. The fascist approach brings an end to the class conflicts within the nation and integrates the masses with obedience to the state power. The fascists are proponents of mixed economy in which the private business classes are also allowed to direct the economic progress. The fascists believe in a self-sufficient economy with the factors of production being sufficient to meet the demands of the economy. Such an economy is called a closed economy. The fascists tend to promote a closed economy and building an economy that offers protection to the domestic industries. The protection of domestic industries shields them from foreign competition and reduces the scope of drainage of national wealth. Due to national factors of production meeting the demands of the economy, the circular flow of money is restricted within the boundaries of the country that leads to an integral growth of the national economy. The fascist policies lie in between the approaches of socialism and capitalism. Although fascism allows private capitalists to participate in the process of economic growth, the ideology of a fascist includes belligerent forms of nationalism with not much belief in the foreign factors of production. The fascists believe in militarism with the style of living being maintained on the military lines and discipline (Felice and Ledeen 1976, p. 57). In the left-right spectrum, the position of the fascist lies in the extreme right position. The fascists are opponents of the views of socialism and communism. Nazism is a form of fascism that incorporates the beliefs and ideas of biological racism and anti-Semitism. The Nazis believe in the ideas of racial superiority and consider themselves as the most superior race in the world. The ideology of anti-Semitism held by the Nazis resembles hatred and opposition towards the Jews and the Jewish religion. The Nazism developed in Germany and spread to other places where movements were held by the Nazis before the Second World War. The Nazi ideology is an integral part of the national movements that were held in Germany in the era of post-World War I. In order to fight the dominance of communism and spread the territory of the national boundaries, the Germans who are the proponents of Nazism focussed on establishing a paramilitary force under the reign of Adolf Hitler. The Nazis believed that they are, by far, the most superior race in the world and had the policies of expanding their national boundaries by the acquisition of other weaker states (Grand 2004, p. 49). The growth of industries was promoted in order to foster the economic progress. The nationalist forces demanded allegiance and veneration towards the state as the supreme power. The division between the classes in the society was removed and the mass mobilisation under the influence of the state was given priority. The biological racism and hatred towards the Jews reached the extreme as they considered them to be the only challenge towards their racial superiority. The Nazi ruler Adolf Hitler claimed undisputable supremacy by following the principles of state authority and control. The military was strengthened and ways of life aligned with the militarism endorsed by the nation. The belligerent ways of attaining supremacy and control over the land resources of the society were adopted by the Nazis. The objectives of Nazism were fulfilled by encouraging people and the masses to move away from the ideology of communism. The Nazis believed that the weaker sections of the people are a threat to the society and show ominous signs for the survival of the nation. The Nazis followed the principles of domination of the superior sections over the weaker classes in order to strengthen their territorial dominance. The Nazis followed the ideology of the Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler, who appointed his subordinates in different regions of his territory. The orders of the Fuhrer were followed by his Nazi subordinates who carried the powers of law. The Nazis believed that the Aryans, or the Germans, are the most superior race in the world for which they executed the Jews and also inflicted physical and mental damage on them. The Nazis believed that the superior sections of the society are entitled to more living space as they grow in population for living a healthy life (Bessel 1996, p. 38). The Nazis believed that it is their inherent rights to displace the weaker sections of the population in order to allow them the space of enjoying the privileges of life. The Nazis refuted the ideology of Marxism and followed the ideology of establishing a people’s community. The social divisions were considered to be artificial and the human rights were given topmost priority. Being proponents of the right wing in politics, the Nazis disallowed provisions for protests and strikes by the unions and the workers. Nazis considered these activities as forces against the state supremacy and national unity. All fascists are not Nazis. However, to be a true Nazi, one has to follow the ideology of Fascism. Thus it could be said that ‘All fascists are not Nazis, but all Nazis are fascists’. The ideology of a fascist follows the principles of fascism that developed in the early part of the twentieth century. Fascists act on the principles of dictatorship of the right wing in politics. The fascists are opponents of the ideas of socialism and communism and do not recognise the division of social classes. The fascists believed in spread of the people’s community and expanding the territories of their nation by occupying the spaces of weaker people (Mason 1995, p. 80). The fascists believed in the supremacy of the state and obedience of the masses to the orders of the state. The fascists believed in the belligerent ways of life and depended on the military ways of life. The Nazis, on the other hand, follow the general ideology of the fascists. However, the principle of the Nazis is a variation of the fascist principles. Thus it would be right to say that all Nazis are fascists, but all fascists are not Nazis. The Nazis are also opponents of the ideas of communism and Marxism and follow the principles of state supremacy as a form of rule established by the law. As fascists, the Nazis also believe that it is their inherent right to acquire land and other resources for livelihood by displacing weaker communities. The Nazis also demanded the allegiance of the masses to the state forces (Corner 2009, p.78). Nazis do not believe in class divisions of the society and followed the idea of establishing a people’s community. Nazis also believed in the belligerent ways of establishing their dominance over the weaker nations and establishing superiority over other nations. The Nazis slightly varied in their ideology with respect to the fascists that developed under the rule of Fuhrer. Due to the fascist ideological base of the Nazis, it could be said that all Nazis are fascists, but due to the variation in the ideology of the Nazis with respect to the fascists, it cannot be mentioned that all fascists are Nazis. The Nazis under the rule of Fuhrer believed in social superiority and denied the rights of other sections of the society such as the blacks, homosexuals, etc. Considering the Jews as a threat to the dominance of the Nazis, they executed the Jews and inflicted high physical and mental damages. The fascists viewed the state as the supreme power while the Nazis considered their race as the supreme one (Knox 2000, p. 89). The racial supremacy determines the course of action of the Nazis. However, both the fascists and Nazis undertake a nationalistic approach in order to establish their dominance over the other weaker nations. The fascists are ready to accept other religions if they convert their religion to the religion of the state. The Nazis, on the other hand, do not recognise incorporation of other races among them. They believe in executing the races that are considered inferior and threats to the Nazi dominance. References Bessel, R., 1996. Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany: comparisons and contrasts. Cambridge University Press: UK. Corner, P., 2009. Popular opinion in totalitarian regimes: fascism, Nazism, communism. Oxford University Press: UK. Felice, R. D., and Ledeen, M. A., 1976. Fascism. Transaction Publishers: USA. Goldberg, J., 2009. Liberal fascism: the secret history of the left from Mussolini to the politics of meaning. Penguin: UK. Grand, A. J. D., 2004. Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany: the 'fascist' style of rule. Routledge: UK. Mason, T. W., 1995. Nazism, fascism and the working class. Cambridge University Press: UK. Knox, M., 2000. Common destiny: dictatorship, foreign policy, and war in fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Cambridge University Press: UK. Read More