FASCISM

Features of fascism

• Fascism is a far-right authoritarian political ideology that emerged in the early 20th century and rose to prominence after World War I in several nations, notably Italy, Germany, and Japan.
• It refers to a mass political movement that emphasizes extreme nationalism, militarism, and the supremacy of both the nation and the single, powerful leader over the individual citizen.

Reasons for Rise of Fascism

• Post war disappointment for Italy: not receiving control over Yugoslavia and Albania despite its significant contributions during World War I.
• Weak or ineffective democratic institutions: desire for a strong, decisive, charismatic leader.
• Extreme Nationalism and identity crises: revival of lost glory.
• Reaction against communism and socialism
• War induced Economic crises, followed by Great Depression in the 1930s, high unemployment rates, poverty, and social inequality created a fertile ground for the rise of fascism.
• Propaganda and manipulation: Fascist movements utilized mass media, rallies, and charismatic leaders to disseminate their ideologies, control the narrative, and mobilize support.
• Fear and insecurity: Fascist movements exploited societal fears and insecurities to gain support, coupled with weak political opposition.

 Outcomes of Fascism

• Economic growth: Wheat production, high birth rate, Public works programmes, Land reclamation, Industrial growth was encouraged, however resource shortage was still a challenge.
• World War II: was due to the hyper-nationalism and racial superiority ideologies to gain control over Europe and the world.
• Rampant corruption & suppression.
• Great Depression: The Great Depression led to huge debts, unemployment and bank crisis.
• Failure of government: to provide social services.

Conclusion

Fascism is still a field where no objective analysis exists mainly due to the horrific nature of these regimes, but it is generally regarded as a reactionary policy and saw relevance only during the interwar period. Since the World war a few cases of fascism has been seen in Peron's Argentina, Salazar's Portugal etc.