Fascism and Marxism - Essay Example

Fascism and Marxism are two different terms and yet, they are commonly confused since the political philosophies appeared almost the same time. The two terms came about in the 20th century when some governments mixed fascist and socialist rhetoric. In a way, these two terms are opposites. Both call for a central government that is strong but fascists believe the people should play the role of serving while Marxists believe that it is the state that should serve the people. Fascism This is a political philosophy that emphasizes on the glory and primacy of the state while demanding unquestionable obedience from the people to the leader.

The people are supposed to subordinate to the authority of the state and any form of dissent is suppressed. Under this kind of state, the role of the people is serving and increasing the glory of the state. Political and military leaders in fascist governments are revered and celebrated while military action is viewed as the major function advancing the prestige and power of the state. The fascist government also sees class as something that needs to be persevered and natural and any form of dissent from the people is not just discouraged but criminalized.

Marxism This philosophy completes does away with matters of class. The leader under who the rule was adopted Marx believed people should be entitled to enjoy what they earn from their hard labor and yet, capitalist economic systems prevented them from doing this. He believed that the proceeds from any company should be shared equally between the workers and not capitalists or investors. Marxism places emphasis on the role played by an individual including democratic control and government. The doctrine consisted of 3 ideas which included: • Philosophical anthropology • Theory of history • Political and economic program Marxism has been practiced and understood by socialist movements especially before 1914 while there is soviet Marxism by Vladimir Ilich Lenin and later modified by Joseph Stalin.

Fascists make open their hatred for Marxists regardless of what their stand or beliefs. From the totalitarian to the democratic, fascists make open the hate and detest they feel for these groups. Marxists believe that property belongs to the collective while the fascist believes that there should be a centralized authority and that everything should belong to the state. Under the fascist, the people don’t have any right to own property or speak against the government which has absolute power over everything.

However, with Marxism, the people are given equal ground and treated equally. They are given the right to own property because the government is supposed to serve them and not the other way round.