Author: Dr. Fazl Ahmad Ahmadi
Fascism in the Form of Political Thought (Part 6)
2. Concept and Elements of Fascism
Initially, Fascism was regarded as a school of pragmatism and lacked established scientific principles and foundations. Following its emergence and the passage of years since the tumult it caused, it has been compiled, criticized, and reviewed by various experts and thinkers, including Hannah Arendt, Herbert Marcuse, Erich Fromm, Nicos Poulantzas, and others. They have identified and introduced its principles, which include irrationalism, totalitarianism, hostility to democracy and Marxism, authoritarianism, militarism, racism, and extreme nationalism.
From Nietzsche’s perspective, the will is power; that is, the will that conventional morality condemns. According to this view, the weak must serve the powerful, and it is the duty of the weak to obey and follow the powerful.
Nietzsche’s ideal character is a hero who uses his power recklessly, everywhere and always. This hero is self-satisfied, revels in his own power, and must possess a heart of stone. In Nietzsche’s view, there is no longer a god in the world, and what exists is the superior man. The masses live primarily to be exploited by the upper class; millions of people must be destroyed so that a superior man can continue to exist. Nietzsche saw himself as an indomitable warrior who has achieved the greatness of the superior man, and Hitler embodied these baseless ideas, which linger like a terrible nightmare. Hitler and Mussolini, as embodiments of the superior man and Nietzsche’s ideals, exploited his immoral hypotheses and justified their inhuman actions by clinging to them.
Another important element in fascist thought is the concept of the nation and nationalism as a symbol. In fact, the nation and nationalism are more significant to fascists than other ideas. For example, Nazism emphasizes race above all else, placing the nation in a secondary position. According to fascists, the individual is not merely seen as the most important factor but is also considered a part of the nation; thus, the nation is something greater than the sum of its individuals. It is the nation that nurtures, develops, and provides everything for a person. A fascist must think in such a way that he cannot conceive of his existence outside the nation; in this way, a person feels complete loyalty to the nation and dedicates himself, peacefully and wholeheartedly, to its progress and greatness.
Mussolini wrote in his Doctrine of Fascism, where he presented the fundamental idea of fascism: “Fascism is a reaction against the declining doctrines of the 19th century. Fascism seeks an active man who works with all his strength, a man who confronts all the challenges ahead as a man; Fascism is a will that elevates a person and makes him a conscious member of the spiritual community. Furthermore, fascism is a historical concept: man is nothing outside of history; the individual merely plays a role in the state, which embodies the conscious and comprehensive will of humanity in its historical existence.” Additionally, “Rocco” defined fascism as “a new understanding of civil life,” “a powerful initiative,” and “the beginning of a new culture,” which rejects the hypotheses, ideals, and methods of democracy, liberalism, and socialism. In comparing fascism with these ideologies, Rocco commented that liberalism and democracy focus on the interests of individuals, socialism addresses the interests of a specific economic class, and none of these doctrines incorporates a comprehensive understanding of prominent social and national goals or the tasks and duties of the present and future generations.
Based on the aforementioned ideas, it should be noted that the main concepts of fascism are six: irrationalism, social Darwinism, nationalism, inclusive governance, the principle of leadership, and racism, which is most often associated with National Socialism.
By utilizing these six concepts, one can better understand the true essence of fascism and distinguish it from other political ideologies. In other words, these six concepts allow for a clearer identification of the beliefs underpinning fascism.
Continues…
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