O Fascism it was a nationalist, anti-liberal and anti-socialist political system that emerged in Italy in 1919, at the end of World War I, and lasted until 1943.
Led by Benito Mussolini, it influenced political regimes in several European countries, such as Germany and Spain in the interwar period.
It also inspired right-wing political movements in Brazil, such as Integralism.
meaning of fascism
The word fascism comes from the Latin fascio (beam), as one of the fascist symbols was the littorio fascio. This consisted of an ax wrapped in a bundle of sticks used in Roman Empire ceremonies as a symbol of union.
After the damage caused by this ideology in World War II, the word fascism gained 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 violent repression to solve society's problems.
However, this definition is not related to what fascism was in Italy in the 1920s and 1930s. For the fascists, violence was a means to power, not an end.
Although they used violent methods in demonstrations, they were no different from other political groups at the time.
Characteristics of Fascism
Fascism was characterized by being a political system opposed to socialism and also imperialist, anti-bourgeois, authoritarian, anti-liberal and nationalist.
- totalitarian state: the State controlled all manifestations of individual and national life.
- authoritarianism: the authority of the leader was indisputable, as 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 agreed with some capitalist ideas, such as private property and the free enterprise of small and medium enterprises. On the other hand, he 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 basic necessity, as it was necessary to conquer “living space” for the nation to develop.
- Militarism: national salvation would come through military organization, struggle, war and expansionism.
- anti-communism: the fascists rejected the idea of the abolition of property, of absolute social equality, of class struggle.
- corporatism: instead of defending the concept of "one man, one vote", the fascists believed that professional corporations should elect political representatives. They also held that only class cooperation guaranteed the stability of society.
- Hierarchization 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 to feed antagonistic visions.
Fascism in Italy
A deep sense of frustration gripped Italy after World War I (1914-1918). The country was disappointed not to have its claims met in the Treaty of Versailles and the economic situation was more difficult than before the war.
Thus, the social crisis gained revolutionary aspects with the growth of the left and right-wing movements.
In March 1919, in Milan, the journalist Benito Mussolini created the "Fasci of Combat" and the "squad" (combat groups and squad respectively). These were intended to fight 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 of varied origins: nationalists, anti-lefts, counterrevolutionaries, ex-combatants and unemployed.
In 1919 a million workers went on strike; the following year, they already totaled 2 million. More than 600,000 northern metalworkers occupied factories and tried to run them following socialist ideas.
For its part, the parliamentary government, made up of the socialist party and the popular party, could not reach an agreement on major political issues. This would facilitate the arrival of the fascists to power.
March on Rome
In October 1922, during the fascist party congress held in Naples, Mussolini announced the "March on Rome", in which fifty thousand blackshirts - the fascist uniform - headed for the capital Italian. Powerless, King Victor Emmanuel III invited the leader of the fascists, Benito Mussolini, to form the Ministry.
In the fraudulent elections of 1924, the fascists won 65% of the vote, and in 1925 Mussolini becomes 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 Chamber of Deputies, created a political police, responsible for the repression, etc.
Gradually, the dictatorial regime was installed. The government maintained the appearances of a parliamentary monarchy, but Mussolini had full powers.
After granting himself great political authority and surrounding himself with the ruling elites, Mussolini pursued the country's economic development. 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. That is how totalitarian regimes were installed in several European countries, such as Italy, from 1922, and Nazism, in Germany, in 1933.
The expansion of totalitarian regimes was related to the economic and social problems Europe went through after the First World War. There was also the fear that socialism, implanted in Russia, would expand.
For many countries, a totalitarian dictatorship seemed a solution, as it promised a strong, prosperous and social unrest reaction. In addition to Italy and Germany, countries like 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 have confusion between 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. already the Nazism was a fascist-inspired movement that took place in Germany, led by Adolf Hitler and that was based mainly on the anti-Semitism.
Symbols of Fascism
In Italy, the symbols of fascism were:
- fascius: the symbol that gave rise to the word appeared in several monuments, seals and official documents.
- Black shirt: it was part of the fascists' uniform and, therefore, its members were called "black shirts".
- Salutation: with the right arm raised.
- Motto: "Believe, Obey, Combat" was said in political speeches and was present in medals, paintings, etc.
Fascism in Brazil
Fascism in Brazil was represented by Plínio Salgado (1895-1975), founder of the Brazilian Integralist Action, in 1932. Salgado adopted a Tupi-Guarani motto "Anauê", the Greek letter "sigma" as a symbol and dressed his supporters in green shirts.
He defended a strong State, but he publicly rejected racism, as this doctrine was incompatible with Brazilian reality. Anti-communist, he approached and supported Getúlio Vargas until the 1937 coup, when the AIB was closed, as well as the other Brazilian parties.
In this way, some integralist militants promoted the Integralista Rising of 1938, but it was quickly suppressed by the police. Plínio Salgado was exiled to Portugal and many of his companions were imprisoned.
The New State and Fascism
Getúlio Vargas' government during the Estado Novo (1937-1945) had fascist characteristics such as censorship, one-party system, the existence of a political police and the persecution of communists.
However, it was not expansionist nor did it choose any other people to be the target of attacks. Thus, we can say that the Estado Novo was nationalist and not fascist.
See too:
- Salazarism in Portugal
- Anarchism