In 1932, Mussolini tried to articulate his definition of fascism in an article he wrote entitled “The Doctrine of Fascism” with his coauthor Giovanni Gentile. The article is guilty of rambling. However, Mussolini primarily defines fascism by contrasting it with several other concepts of his era. These other schools of thought were communism and materialism. In other words, Mussolini defines fascism by pointing out how it is different from communism and liberalism.
Given the meandering nature of the article, it will be difficult to summarize it here but we will attempt to go through this article here as found below.
Individualism
According to Mussolini, fascism is an organized, centralized, and authoritarian democracy. There is a heavy emphasis on the state over the individual. The state should be strong and popular with the people. The desires of the individual are only okay when they align with the goals of the state. The role of the state is to multiply the energies of the individuals by providing an overarching purpose.
Mussolini’s view of the individual contrasts with communism as communism has little room for the individual. Communism is a collectivist doctrine in which the individual is submerged within the group. Mussolini’s fascism submerges the individual not within the group but within the state with the caveat that individual freedoms are okay when they are not a threat to the state’s interests.
Liberalism in Mussolini’s time was obsessed with the individual and their freedoms. Mussolini disagreed with this and considered it a form of chaos. People are expected to sacrifice individual freedom to maintain the strength of the state.
While Mussolini allows for some individualism as long as it does not threaten the state, he does not believe in supporting anything beyond the state. In other words, Mussolini’s fascism does not believe in international organizations such as the UN. The state is the highest level and ultimate authority, not the world. Therefore, while individual rights may be suppressed a state’s rights are never to be curtailed by an international body.
Mussolini views the state as absolute while individuals and groups have relative rights. This is an indirect jab at the absolute monarchies of the past in which the king was an absolute leader and also the state.
Class Struggle & Democracy
A major theme in communism is class struggle or conflict theory. Marx divided the world into the bourgeoisie and the proletariat or the oppressors and the oppressed. All of human history is seen through the lens of a struggle for material resources.
Mussolini’s view was different as he saw the struggle as being not between classes but rather a focus on the nation and country. The world is not only about materials or resources. The goal of economic felicity and world peace was nonsense to him. Building the state is the way to face the eternal struggle that is expected with living life here. The struggle faced by people here was permanent in his mind.
While communism was determined to end the struggle in this world and bring about peace, fascism is focused on embracing the struggle and having a strong state that can endure it.
Fascism does not support majority rule democracy. Mussolini sees this as a form of mob rule. The state needs to be popular but not necessarily accountable to the people through the ballot box. Communism is totalitarian but so is fascism in that fascism touches all aspects of the government and management of the state.
Culture & Religion
Mussolini stated that fascism is a supporter of culture and tradition. The state’s job is to hand down to future generations the memory of those who came before. He claims that the state needs to “transmit” this information to future generations.
Facism’s support for culture and the past is in stark contrast to communism which preaches a perpetual revolution in which constant change is supposed to bring about the desired utopia. While fascism wants to transmit information communism wants to transform the world through overthrowing the status quo. The words transmit and transform are frequently debated and criticized in Marxist views of education, particularly in the works of Paolo Friere. In short, transmitting information is a form of oppression that continues the status quo while transforming information is a way to bring about an awakened worldview to the injustice that is perpetuated in society.
Fascism is also a proponent of religion and has respect for it. The respect that fascism has for religion is in opposition to communism’s hatred of it. Communism is atheist in nature as communists want people to only obey them and to have no legitimate loyalty to anything else.
Conclusion
The main points to take away from Mussolini’s view of fascism are that the state is supreme, individuals exist to support the state with some personal freedom, the class struggle is nonsense, and culture & religion should be respected. Furthermore, fascism can be seen as a bridge between liberalism and communism in that fascism supports some personal freedom but also wants to have an overarching author.