Fascism and liberalism
Fascism is hostile to the liberal tradition, and its dislike of the notion of reason
makes it difficult to pin it down (as we have commented above) as an ideology. It
stresses action as opposed to words and yet propaganda and rationalisation are
crucial to the movement. It regards the individual as subordinate to the collectivity
in general, and the state in particular. Liberal freedoms are seen merely as
entitlements that allow the enemies of the ‘nation’ or the ‘people’ to capture power.
Fascist regimes are highly authoritarian, and use the state as the weapon of the
dominant party to protect the nation, advance its interests and destroy its enemies.
They are strongly opposed to the idea of democracy (although fascists may use
democratic rhetoric to justify their rule or use parliamentary institutions to win
access to power), and regard the notion of self-government (the idea that people
can control their lives in a rational way and without force) as a dangerous myth.
As a movement based upon repressive hierarchy, fascism argues that all institutions
should be controlled by ‘reliable’ leaders, and the leadership principle comes to a
climax with the supreme leader, seen as the embodiment of the nation and the
people. Fascist leaders may be civilians, but they are closely identified with the army
and police, since these institutions are crucial to rooting out opponents. Fascist
movements extend beyond the state, but the violence of these movements is
condoned and encouraged by the state and, given tight control over the media, this
violence is then justified in the light of fascist values.Fascism and conservatism
Fascists see themselves as revolutionary in that they are concerned to rejuvenate a
tired and decadent society, and some fascists speak of creating a ‘new man’ in a
new society. They are, therefore, anti-conservative as well as anti-liberal, although,
as we shall see, they may form tactical alliances with other sections of the right
where they can establish momentary common ground. Many regimes, loosely called
fascist, are in fact conservative and reactionary systems – Franco’s Spain, Petain’s
‘Vichy’ France (a regime that collaborated with the Nazis who occupied the country),
Japan under Tojo, etc. They may have fascist elements within them, but they are
not really anti-conservative in character.Fascism in Italy
Commentators generally agree that there was no fascism before the First World
War and that it began in 1922–3 with the emergence of the Italian fascist party.
The fascist movement was in power in Italy for 18 years (1925–43). Benito
Mussolini, the leader of the Italian fascists, had campaigned for Italy’s entry into
the First World War. The parliamentary group (Fascio) of National Defence was
formed in 1917 and drew heavily upon veterans from the war to make up its extra-
parliamentary forces. The movement took off when the left organised factory
occupations in Milan during the ‘red years’ of 1919–20, and in November 1920,284 Part 2 Classical ideologies