In what ways is Fascism Totalitarian in Nature?

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James Clemmow

Fascism & Totalitarianism

Mr. Hale

In what ways is Fascism Totalitarian in nature?

To introduce the essay I intend to define what both Totalitarianism and Fascism are conceived to be, by doing so, outlining the ways in which they correspond or bare similarity to each other.

Totalitarianism is a form of government in which all societal resources are monopolized by the state in an effort to penetrate and control all aspects of public and private life, through the state’s use of propaganda, terror, and technology. Totalitarian ideologies reject the existing society as corrupt, immoral, and beyond reform, project an alternative society in which these wrongs are to be redressed, and provide plans and programs for realizing the alternative order. These ideologies, supported by propaganda campaigns, demand total conformity on the part of the people. Totalitarian forms of organization enforce this demand for conformity. Totalitarian societies are hierarchies dominated by one political party and usually by a single leader. The party penetrates the entire country through regional, provincial, local and “primary” organization. Youth, professional, cultural, and sports groups supplement the party’s political control. A paramilitary secret police ensures compliance. Information and ideas are effectively organized through the control of television, radio, the press, and education at all levels.

 Fascism however, can be defined as a synthesis of right-wing nationalism or radical conservatism, in which there is a concentration on the state and its leader to act as the vehicle for the both the aspirations and collective consciousness of the people. Fascism directly opposes pluralist and popular forms of democracy, rejecting them in favour of singular leader, placed at the apex of power with no threat of opposition. Each individual’s self interest must be subordinate to the interests of the state and its leader; Fascists value self-sacrifice, personal dynamism, struggle and inequality.

Sorel believed that societies naturally became decadent and disorganized, and this inevitable decay could only be delayed by the leadership of idealists who were willing to use violence to obtain power. His anti-democratic, anti-liberal views and pessimistic view about the natural life-cycle of a society were antithetical to most of his contemporaries.

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The Totalitarian ideal of the politics and ideology of the state residing in the hands of a single leader follows the principles of Nietzsche’s “ubermensch”, in which a society can produce one individual who demonstrates higher qualities than any other members of that society. This “superman” would demonstrate his superior will to power by rising above the herd like quality of most other people. He would stand above all concepts of good and evil: all that concerns him is the ability to act and inspire others to act in a decisive way. This connotes a reference to Social Darwinism, in ...

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