CIM Briefing Papers
CIM #54
FASCISM
I. Introduction
A. When most people think of fascism today they think of an
egomaniacal fuehrer, or possibly an ideology that was
defeated in WWII and more recently espoused by uneducated
skinheads. The most common, but largely false and
simplistic answer given to the question, What is fascism?
is: "The extreme right wing of the political spectrum,"
or, "The polar opposite of marxism."
"Fascism is difficult to recognize because it is so
poorly understood and because its nature is masked
behind collective denial." MODERN FASCISM, by Gene
Edward Veith, Jr., p.25.
B. Much to the consternation of WWII survivors, fascism
remains alive and well and could be poised for a
dangerous re-awakening. Gene Edward Veith, Jr. says:
"The defeat of Hitler and the Axis powers in World War
II meant the military defeat of fascism, but an
ideology cannot be defeated by military power alone.
Ideas linger. They are reborn when the time is right
again, or they come out of hiding in strange new
shapes. The major scandal ofcontemporary thought is
that, despite World War and Holocaust, the
intellectual heritage of fascism has never been
repudiated." (MODERN FASCISM, p.16.).
C. The implosion of communism at the end of this century and
the current popular culture offers a fertile breeding
ground for the revival of fascism.
D. Today the word "fascist" is mostly a popular pejorative
used to describe someone who is extremely patriotic, a
racist, one who advocates less government or non-socialist
economic policies, or one adhering to fundamentalist
religion ("fundamentalist" meaning a belief in a
transcendent deity and ethical absolutes). Calling
someone a fascist is a common way of insulting or
vilifying an opponent in political debate. It is almost
always what people ascribe to their enemies, never to
themselves. What is ironic is that those today who do
adhere to the major beliefs of fascism would be extremely
belligerent if referred to as a "fascist."
This briefing outline will explore the core beliefs of
one of the most powerful worldviews of the Twentieth
Century and give evidence for its modern revival.
II. The Origin and Roots of Fascism
A. It's rudimentary ideas were formulated around the turn
of the century. These early advocates were the avant
garde, the intellectual elite: poets, writers, artists,
and philosophers.
B. It arose out of the following milieu:
1. Alienation: This came largely as a response to the
industrial revolution of the 19th Century. Science,
technology, political changes, the philosophy of the
enlightenment, and economic realities created a
barrier to man's unity with the natural world. The
philosophy of the 19th Century described the cosmos
as a giant machine. That man was machine-like and
part of a greater machine led to the feeling of not
only being isolated from his fellow man but also
from nature.
2. Romanticism: This was a reaction to the above
alienation. Romanticism reasserted the value of
the natural world in that it was seen not as a
machine but as a living organism. Nature must not
be approached with reason and intellect but by
experience and emotions, irrationalism as opposed to
rationalism. The immanance of God (or gods) was
emphasized while transcendence denied. Romanticism
was also characterized by a nostalgia for the past
and an admiration for the primitive. It was
believed that primitive cultures were morally
superior because they were more in tune with the
natural world.
3. Darwinism: In a sense Darwinism was a refutation of
romanticism which held that by observing the beauty
and harmony of nature one could be taught lessons of
harmony and peace. Darwinism, however, saw the
other side of nature, i.e., struggle, violence and
cruelty. The law of nature is the survival of the
fittest. Progress comes from ruthless competition,
the strong destroying the weak. Darwinists
theorized that if progress comes from struggle on
the natural level it must also come about that way
on the social level (Social Darwinism). Darwinism
gave new notions of heredity, race and environment.
The Nazis took Darwinism to its natural conclusion:
"If you can breed better sheep by selective breeding
why not human beings (eugenics)?"
4. Existentialism: Friedrich Nietzsche, perhaps the
most influential person in the 20th Century because
of his ideas, combined the passion and irrationalism
of romanticism with Darwinian science. In addition,
he mounted a full-scale intellectual assault on the
Judeo-Christian tradition that was the foundation of
Western Civilization. We are not saying here that
existentialism (particularly the French version) is
compatible with fascism. The former gloried in
individual identity, the latter in group identity.
Both however, were advocates for the eradication of
morality based on transcendence, and both opposed
philosophical rationalism. The Nazi attempt to
eliminate the weak and unfit can be traced directly
to the writings of Nietzsche. Hitler's plan for the
Aryan race was only an application of Nietzsche's
Superman. The famed Nazi cruelty can likewise be
traced to Nietzsche's criticism of Christ's teaching
of loving the downtrodden. One of the greatest
books in the German heritage, and one of the
foremost books of the reformation was Luther's
BONDAGE OF THE WILL. It was no accident that the
great existentialist and Fascist theme was THE
TRIUMPH OF THE WILL.
III. The Major Tenets of Fascism
A. What it is: It is a worldview in that it attempts to
speak to all of life. Fascism was not just a political
or economic system but a worldview, i.e., a new
religion.
B. What it is not: It is not the polar opposite of the
left wing. While there are differences between
communism and fascism there are also similarities,
e.g., both abhor the transcendent and elevate the
state. J. Edgar Hoover was not entirely wrong to refer
to communism as "Red Fascism." Fascism is not
reactionary. The fascists did not want to cling to the
status quo or return to the past; they wanted to create
something new (We could qualify this by saying that
they did want to see the return of the ancient pagan
religions, however.).
C. The major difference between marxism and fascism:
Marxist socialism stresses international class
struggle whereas national socialism stresses national
solidarity where everyone cooperates for the national
good. Therefore, fascist economic theory stresses
competition between nations, i.e., groups, or races.
Fascists criticize marxists for minimizing cultural and
community ties that unite a nation, for being grounded
in scientific rathionalism, and for defining human life
only in economic terms. One other note: the fascists
opposed both marxism and banking capitalism as
inventions of the Jews. (This is ironic in that it can
be proved that Western banks had a large part in bank-
rolling Hitler's Third Reich. See WALL STREET AND THE
RISE OF HITLER by Anthony C. Sutton.)
D. Four major ideas of a fascist worldview: (Note: one is
not a fascist unless he adheres to the entire corpus of
ideas.)
1. Immanence. The reason the Nazis so hated the Jews
was the belief that they had poisoned western
civilization with the idea of a transcendent god
who reveals a transcendent moral law. The fascists
argued that such transcendence alienates human
beings from nature and themselves. One writer,
defined fascism as "the practical and violent
resistance to transcendence." (Eric Nolte).
Fascists seek an organic, neomythological unity of
nature, the community, and the self. Historic
Christianity holds that God is a) separate from
from His creation and not part of it (i.e.,
transcendent), and b) within it ( i.e., immanient)
but without being a part of it. While the Nazi
regime was adamantly opposed to confessional
Christianity (those stressing biblical doctrine)
they tolerated a modernist Christianity which
stressed immanance, the here and now, a
this-worldly agenda. Many liberal theologians
sympathized with the Nazis and agreed to work to
de-hebraize Christianity.
2. Paganism: The goal was to purge the idea of a
transcendent god and replace it with a form of
pre-christian consciousness. The Nazi spiritual
leaders wanted to revive belief in the
ancient germanic tribal deities, e.g. Wotan. This
accounts for the immense popularity of composers
like Wagner with his pagan operas, and the music
and ballet of Stravinsky. Hitler himself studied
deeply in the occult and mystery religions
(Gnosticism). The German calender was
de-christianized and holidays were replaced with
the pagan cycles of nature. Pagan shrines and
ancient ritual sites in Germany were officially
recognized.
3. Group identity: Individual worth and identity was
another poisonous doctrince perpetrated by the Jews
who believed man's worth was based on the IMAGO
DEI. According to fascist ideology, individual
identity comes only from the group, and since
culture determines the individual, the needs of the
culture have priority. Fascism opposes human
automony. Culture, therefore, takes on a mystical,
almost god-like status. Civilization, according to
fascists was the result of Jewish abstraction and
reason. Culture is everything--it is organic and
ethnic. Civilization is mechancal and rational and
brings on alienation. This glorification of
culture and enthicity of course led to virulent
racism the Nazis have been most noted for.
4. Unity with nature: As with primitive and animistic
cultures, fascism sees man as one with nature.
What is generally not known is the fact that this
doctrine led the fascists to hold a very zealous
view of environmentalism. They enacted significant
environmental protection programs. Health and
physcial fitness was stressed. The state not only
was to bring about this unity (hence the tolerance
of totalitarianism) but the state itself was
conceived as the embodiement of culture. The state
was to be a living organism in which each
individual would find fulfillment and purpose like
cells in the greater body. Its political and
economic program grew out of this belief and was
known as National Socialism. Note: The word
"Nazi" comes from a shortened form of the German
word for "national socialism."
IV. Fascism Today
A. Questions:
1. Are there movements today that strongly oppose the
idea of a transcendant God and absolute moral values
derived from God?
2. Is there an extreme emphasis today on culture and
ethnicity?
3. Is there a desire to return to ancient mystery
religions? Are there any pagan holidays being
emphasized?
4. Is there a movement today to base human value on
something other than inherent worth?
5. Is there a glorification of violence in movies and
media?
6. Is there a strong trend away from the emphasis of
biblical doctrine toward a unity centered around
experience?
7. Are there any extreme environmental movements?
B. Note the following quotes from Veith:
"In the 1930s, avant-garde artists shocked the
bourgeoisie with their aesthetic theories that
glorified violence and the release of primitive
emotions. Today, if you like examples of early fascist
aesthetics, simply go to the latest Hollywood
blockbuster, turn on MTV, or go to a Heavy Metal
concert. Here you will see realized the fascists'
artistic ideals: pleasure from violence; the thrill
of moral rebellion; the cult of the Aryan body. The
grisly blood-letting of a slasher movie; the body-
builder who takes the law into his own hands by
machine-gunning his enemies; the masses of teenagers
slam-dancing as Metallica sings `Scream, as I'm killing
you!'--such art is the quintessence of the fascist
aesthetic." P. 12.
"Contemporary mass politics is very different from the
democratic ideals of Madison and Jefferson. Instead of
rational analysis of issues and reasoned debate, our
political discourse turns on image manipulation through
the mass media. The electronic media has created a
genuine mass culture. Visual images take the place of
language; emotionalism takes the place of logic.
Politics is trivialized; citizens are manipulated, but
they are molded into a common will. This was Goebbels's
dream." P. 12,13.
"Moral issues are today almost impossible to discuss in
objective terms. Euthanasia is back. People clamor for
their right to die. One out of four pregnancies ends in
abortion, amounting to millions and millions. In
discussing such issues, it becomes evident that perhaps
the majority of people today have no concept of an
objective morality that transcends the individual and the
culture. Morality is reduced to social utility or the
assertion of the will. This was precisely the Nazi
ethic." P.13.
"Those who assault Western Civilization in favor of
ethnicity, primitivism, environmentalism, and
subjectivism should realize that their critiques and the
alternatives they present are almost identical to those
made by the theorists of fascism. ...[The]fascists of the
1930s also sought to dismantle Western Civilization and
human-centered values. They too attacked the concept of
individual identity and taught that reality is socially
constructed; They too insisted that underlying all
institutions is naked power. They too prized ethnicity.
They too were environmentalists. They too questioned the
objectivity of meaning." p.22
V. Conclusion
With a society that is cynical about democracy, and has a
yearning for charismatic leadership, a longing for group
identity, a continuing economic disaffection, a moral skepticism,
an increasing popularity of paganism with a new face (New Age
Movement), where is the Christian church with its beacons of
Light to dispel the darkness?
"Because they are intolerant they cannot be tolerated."
Hitler
For Further Reading:
(Note: Much of this outline was gleaned from the below mentioned
book by Veith)
Angebert, Jean-Michael. THE OCCULT AND THE THIRD REICH.
Hamilton, Alastair. THE APPEAL OF FASCISM: A STUDY OF
INTELLECTUALS AND FASCISM, 1919-1945.
Laqueur, Walter. ed. FASCISM: A READER'S GUIDE. See especially
the articles by Zeev Sternhell
Sklar, D. THE NAZIS AND THE OCCULT.
Veith, Gene Edward, Jr. MODERN FASCISM: LIQUIDATING THE
JUDEO-CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW.
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