Fascism and Democracy: The Theoretical Foundations

The best example of the application of this ideology would be the German National Socialists ("Hitler's Nazis").

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             Fascism and fascist ideologies, for the most part came to light in Italy in the early 1920's. No two types of fascism have ever been the same. Past fascist dictactors have always had their own goals and means in mind and adopted their practices accordingly. For example, Mussolini and Hitler, perhaps the 2 most renowned fascist dictators of the century, had totally different interests. Hitler felt justified to commit genocide to attain his goals but Mussolini did not particularily approve this practice. In Germany, Adolf Hitler took Facist ideology one step further by manipulating its theories to his own benefit and incorporating tactics to manipulate the people. He called it National Socialism. It seems then, that in order for an ideology such as Fascism to gain a foothold within a nation, that nation first has to be weak. Germany was humiliated at the end of World War I and consequently by the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. In addition, its economy was floundering. .

             The main body of German society at the time was the middle class. Naturally, for anyone to achieve power, they would need the support of this majority. Therefore, catering to the fears and hopes of that mass was needed for the movement to gain and preserve momentum. This is the strategy that Hitler pursued. By winning the hearts of the majority of Germany's middle class, he had his mass movement and achieved power. How then, did one man manage to convey his ideology to the masses? .

             The use of propaganda and force used by the German Nazis enabled the coveyance and obedience of the message to the population. At its roots, German Nazism is allergic to enlightenment, modernity, liberalism, parliamentary government, and individualism. The whole notion of enlightenment meant change; letting go of the past; replacing the ignorance of the past with truth based on reason and doubt.

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