Fascism was a nationalist, anti-liberal and anti – socialist political system that emerged in Italy in 1919, at the end of the First World War. This political model has influences and developments up to the present day.
Led by Benito Mussolini, fascism influenced political regimes in several European countries, such as Germany and Spain in the interwar period (1919-1938).
Fascism also inspired right-wing political movements in Brazil, such as Integralism, during the Vargas Era.
Meaning of Fascism
Fascist politics emerged during the post-World War I context in Italy, with Benito Mussolini. During this period, fascism represented a totalitarian government, represented by a leader seeking to reinforce his image among the people, presenting extremist and harmful speeches to minority ethnic groups.
The word fascism comes from the Latin fascio (bundle), as one of the fascist symbols was the fascio littorio . This consisted of an axe wrapped in a bundle of rods used in ceremonies in the Roman Empire as a symbol of unity.
After the abuses and violence caused by this ideology in the first half of the 20th century, the word fascism began to take on new meanings. Now, in the first decades of the 21st century, it is common to call “fascism” or “fascist” the individual or movement that advocates repression and ethnic segregation to solve society’s problems.
Characteristics of Fascism
Fascism is characterized by being a political system opposed to socialism and also imperialist, authoritarian, anti-liberal and anti-socialist, anti-communist and nationalist. Some general characteristics:
- Totalitarian state : the State controlled all manifestations of the population’s public and private life.
- Authoritarianism : the leader’s authority was indisputable. He would be the most prepared and knew exactly what the population needed.
- Nationalism : the nation is a supreme good, and in its name any sacrifice should be demanded and made by individuals.
- Anti-liberalism : fascism shared some capitalist ideas, such as private property and free enterprise for small and medium-sized businesses. On the other hand, it defended state intervention in the economy, protectionism and, in the case of some fascist currents, the nationalization of large companies.
- Expansionism : expanding borders was seen as a necessity, as it was necessary to conquer “vital space” for the nation to develop.
- Militarism : national salvation would come through military organization, fighting, war and expansionism.
- Anti-communism : fascists rejected the idea of the abolition of property, absolute social equality, and class struggle.
- Corporatism : Rather than advocating the concept of “one man, one vote”, fascists believed that professional corporations should elect political representatives. They also argued that only cooperation between classes guaranteed the stability of society.
- Hierarchy of society : fascism valued a vision of the world according to which it is up to the strongest, in the name of the “national will”, to lead the people to security and prosperity.
Fascism promised to restore societies destroyed by war, promising wealth, a strong nation and no political parties that would feed antagonistic views.
Fascism in Italy
A deep sense of frustration gripped Italy after the First World War (1914-1918). The country was disappointed that its demands in the Treaty of Versailles had not been met and the economic situation was more difficult than before the war.
Thus, the social crisis took on revolutionary aspects with the growth of the left and right-wing movements.
In March 1919, in Milan, journalist Benito Mussolini created the ” Fasci di Combatimento ” and the ” Squadri ” (combat groups and squadrons, respectively). These aimed to combat political opponents, especially communists, by violent means.
The National Fascist Party, officially founded in November 1921, grew rapidly: the number of members rose from 200,000 in 1919 to 300,000 in 1921. The movement brought together people with political tendencies from a variety of backgrounds: nationalists, anti-leftists, counterrevolutionaries, ex-combatants and the unemployed.
In 1919, one million workers went on strike; the following year, there were two million. More than 600,000 metalworkers in the North occupied factories and tried to run them according to socialist ideas.
For its part, the parliamentary government, composed of the socialist party and the popular party, could not reach an agreement on major political issues. This would facilitate the fascists’ rise to power.
March on Rome
In October 1922, during the congress of the Fascist Party held in Naples, Mussolini announced the “March on Rome”, in which fifty thousand Blackshirts — as the Fascists were called, because they wore a black uniform — headed to the Italian capital.
Powerless after this demonstration, King Victor Emmanuel III invited the leader of the fascists, Benito Mussolini, to form the Ministry.
In the fraudulent elections of 1924, the fascists obtained 65% of the vote, and in 1925 Mussolini became the Duce (“leader” in Italian).
Mussolini began to implement his program: he ended individual freedoms, closed and censored newspapers, annulled the power of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, created a political police force responsible for repression, among other actions.
The dictatorial regime was slowly installed. The government maintained the appearance of a parliamentary monarchy, but Mussolini held full powers.
After securing great political authority for himself and surrounding himself with the ruling elite, Mussolini sought to develop the country’s economy. However, this period of growth was severely affected by the 1929 crisis.
Totalitarianism and Fascism
Totalitarianism represents an authoritarian and repressive political system, in which the State controls all citizens, who do not have freedom of expression or political participation.
The interwar period was a time of political radicalization. This is how totalitarian regimes were established in several European countries, such as Italy from 1922 onwards, and Nazism in Germany in 1933.
The expansion of totalitarian regimes was related to the economic and social problems that Europe faced after the First World War. There was also fear that socialism, which had been implemented in Russia, would expand.
For many countries, a totalitarian dictatorship seemed like a solution, as it promised a strong, prosperous reaction without social unrest. In addition to Italy and Germany, countries such as Poland and Yugoslavia were dominated by totalitarian regimes.
Fascism also inspired authoritarian regimes such as “Francoism” in Spain and “Salazarism” in Portugal.
Fascism and Nazism
It is very common to confuse the terms “fascism” and “Nazism”. After all, both are totalitarian and nationalist political regimes that developed in Europe in the 20th century.
However, fascism was implemented in Italy by Benito Mussolini during the interwar period. Nazism was a fascist-inspired movement that occurred in Germany, led by Adolf Hitler and which was based mainly on anti-Semitism.
Symbols of Fascism
In Italy, the symbols of fascism were:
- Fascio : the symbol that gave rise to the word appeared on several monuments, seals and official documents.
- Black Shirt : it was part of the fascists’ uniform and, therefore, its members were called “blackshirts”.
- Greeting : with the right arm raised.
- Motto : “Believe, Obey, Fight” was said in political speeches and was present on medals, paintings, etc.
Fascism in Brazil
Fascism in Brazil was represented by Plínio Salgado (1895-1975), founder of the Brazilian Integralist Action (AIB) in 1932. Salgado adopted a motto in Tupi-Guarani ” Anauê “, the Greek letter “sigma” as a symbol and dressed his supporters in green shirts.
He defended a strong State, but publicly rejected racism, as this doctrine was incompatible with Brazilian reality. An anti-communist, he approached and supported Getúlio Vargas until the 1937 coup, when the AIB was closed, as were the other Brazilian parties.
In this way, some integralist militants promoted the Integralist Uprising of 1938, but it was quickly suppressed by the police. Plínio Salgado was exiled to Portugal and many of his companions were arrested.
The New State and Fascism
The government of Getúlio Vargas during the Estado Novo (1937-1945) had fascist characteristics such as censorship, one-party rule, the existence of a political police force and the persecution of communists.
To consolidate authoritarianism, Vargas relied on the approval of the 1937 constitution, nicknamed “Polaca”, due to its similarities with the Polish fascist constitution of 1935.
However, the Estado Novo was not expansionist and did not choose any other people to be the target of attacks. Thus, we can say that the Estado Novo was nationalist and not fascist.
