Vilfredo Pareto who most directly affected Mussolini with his
“theory of elites,” an explanation of mass behavior. Pareto
claimed that all historical, revolutionary, and social changes
were initiated by “vanguard elites,” those who mobilized the
sentiments of the masses behind a revolutionary ideal. This idea
of a small group of elites who must lead the masses is very
important to fascist doctrine.
Equally important is the concept of the “democratic fallacy,”
which views as incorrect the idea that the people are capable of
governing themselves. Mussolini endorsed this concept, which
had been put forward by Alfredo Rocco, who accused democra
cies of catering to private interests rather than rising above them
for the “social collectivity.” The ability to rise above private
interests “in favor of the higher demands of society and of history
is a very rare gift and the privilege of the chosen few.” Thus, the
fascist principle that only the qualified rule, because they “know
better,” sets up a condition which does not allow the expression
of opinions contrary to those of the leader.
If democracy is invalid, then so is equality. Fascism delights
in the concept of the inequality of men. Mussolini maintains that
fascism “affirms the irremediable, fruitful and beneficent in
equality of men.” If this is so, then the one absolute quality that
can properly separate the differences is power. The strong are
better than the weak, and that is true for men as well as for
nations.
The second major concept is that of irrationalism. The roots
of this concept go back to the 19th century Romantics.
Dosteyevsky, Nietzsche, and Freud all stressed the irrational
side of man, and to that extent also contributed to fascist
doctrine. Irrationalism denigrated the value of reason and used
words like sentiment, inspiration, passion, intuition, which were
used to replace reason in politics with emotion and faith. The
most influential contribution to political irrationalism was found
in the doctrine of the “social myth” put forward by Georges
Sorel.
Sorel maintained that successful movements employed a
myth which is not reasonable, but is rather a dream, a vision,
carrying with it great emotional force. The myth cannot be
refuted because it is defined according to the conviction of the
group which is moved by it. Mussolini introduced the myth of the
188 Political Theory: The Relationship of Man and the State