Fascism - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages Although a more full and complete analysis of fascism would necessarily require a comparison of fascism around the globe, this particular analysis will merely be concentric upon European fascism and the means by which it was defined in elaborated on by its most visible proponents; Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini. According to this level of analysis, the research will investigate Benito Mussolini’s “The Political and Social Doctrine of Fascism” and compare and contrast it to Adolph Hitler’s Mein Kampf. Further, the analysis will seek to consider what Hitler viewed as the primary and core weakness of democracy, his thoughts and beliefs with regards to individualism, and the underlying reason why Marxists and fascists must necessarily hate one another under the definitions of fascism that will be presented. Moreover, an analysis of bigotry and anti-Semitism will be discussed as a core and fundamental compound that fascism, regardless of its form, seeks to engage. Most importantly of all, a fundamental level of comparison and contrast between these two characters and the means by which fascism evolved within their respective states will be engaged. One of the clearest levels of comparison exists between the writings of Benito Mussolini and Adolph Hitler is with respect to the degree of contempt that they both shared towards democracy and the idea and/or understanding that people or groups of people should have the determinant right to decide what the future of their nation/state might look like. As a means of understanding this, one should consider the following quote from Mussolini which is as follows: “The Fascist conception of the State is all-embracing; outside of it no human or spiritual values can exist, much less have value. Thus understood, Fascism is totalitarian, and the Fascist State—a synthesis and a unit inclusive of all values—interprets, develops, and potentiates the whole life of a people” (Mussolini 14). Likewise, from a careful analysis of Mein Kampf it can be concluded that some of the primary reasons for Hitler detesting the concept and practice of democracy was due to the fact that he considered it to be socialist inspired, week, ineffective, inefficient, effeminate, and patently un-German. Due to such a strong distaste for the concept, it comes as little to no surprise that Hitler, although democratically elected, sought immediately to garner power to himself and his henchman as a means of rapidly turning the German Republic into the Third Reich. An important concept for the reader to grasp is the fact that although Hitler and Mussolini necessarily defined the epiphany of fascism within their respective systems as well as helped to pen some of fascism’s most memorable and defining texts, they were nonetheless merely the figureheads and dictators of these respective peoples. As such, the ills of fascism and the means by which it grew, if all, and was exhibited within both Germany and Italy necessarily engages the reader with the understanding that the people of these respective systems also identified heavily with the series and approaches that their leaders put forward. At multiple times throughout Mein Kampf particular refers to what key defines as Jewish Bolshevism/Jewish Marxism. Due to the fact that ...Download file to see next pagesRead More