Understanding Totalitarianism: Fascism and Nazism
Totalitarianism refers to political movements and regimes where freedom is severely restricted and the state holds all the power. It is a way to organize the four components: territory, population, government, and power. Critically, this involves a denial of freedom and individual rights.
These regimes usually exalt the figure of a leader with unlimited power that reaches all areas, with the purpose of forming a new man in a perfect society, using propaganda and, tragically, concentration camps. The most prominent examples are Fascism in Italy, led by Mussolini, and Nazism in Germany, led by Hitler.
Fascism in Italy
The formation of the fascist state in Italy started in 1922. It effectively ended with World War II when the last redoubt of Mussolini, the Republic of Salò, supported by the Germans, was defeated by the Allies. Thus, it is primarily a phenomenon of the interwar period (1918-1939). Italian fascism was commanded by Benito Mussolini, born in 1883 into a family of humble origins. He tried to harmonize the conflicts of social classes and create a corporate state, where strikes were banned, trade unions were controlled, and the state intervened in the economy.
Key Features of Fascist Ideology:
- Exaltation of nationality
- Totalitarian state structure
- One-party system with a charismatic leader
- Cult of violence
- Anti-democracy
- Anti-intellectualism
- Fanaticism and militaristic exaltation
- Corporatism
- Racism
- Anti-communism
In 1933, Mussolini began his alliance with Hitler’s Germany, establishing the Lateran Pact.
Nazism in Germany
Nazism is a totalitarian doctrine that advocates for an undemocratic and unparliamentary racist state, supported by the German Nationalist Party and its leader, Adolf Hitler, who ruled Germany between 1933 and 1945.
Causes of Nazism:
- The situation of Germany after World War I
- The economic crisis
- Social confrontation that propelled Hitler to power, backed by parliament
Hitler proposed:
- The idea of a superior race
- Hatred of Jews
- The need to expand Germany’s territory
- Suppression of trade unionists and socialists
His policies aimed to eliminate unemployment, increase wages, and control prices and wages. He also initiated the production of raw materials. The most infamous aspect of his regime was the persecution and extermination of Jews in concentration camps, targeting men, women, children, and the elderly, and banishing migrants.
Hitler and the Nazi Party achieved significant popular support and encouraged Germany to embark on the conquest of Europe, leading to the Second World War.
Factors Leading to Totalitarian Regimes
Several factors contributed to the rise of totalitarian regimes:
- The aftermath of World War I, which saw Europe lose its global hegemony
- The decline of classical liberalism and the strengthening of authoritarian regimes after the crisis of 1929
- State intervention in the economy, setting liberalism aside
- Support from wealthy groups for new political systems to solve problems
- The irruption of the masses into politics, exploited by fascist movements
- Increasing social tensions
These factors facilitated the origin of Nazism in Germany under Hitler and Fascism in Italy under Mussolini.