Fascism: A Philosophical Analysis of Its Origins and Ideologies

This essay delves into the philosophical analysis of Fascism, tracing its origins back to the rise of Mussolini and the National Fascists Party. It examines the core ideologies of Fascism, including its emphasis on authoritarian rule, suppression of individual freedoms, and the importance of a single, powerful leader. The essay explores the historical context of Fascism, highlighting its rejection of democracy and its focus on national unity and a closed economy. Furthermore, the essay discusses the contemporary relevance of Fascism, analyzing the resurgence of similar political ideologies in Europe and the potential for authoritarian tendencies in the United States. It also explores the philosophical foundations of Fascism, particularly the ideas of Gentile, and how his philosophies influenced the movement. The essay concludes by assessing the potential for a full-blown Fascist rule in the modern world, considering both the historical precedents and current political trends.

Running head: PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1PHILOSOPHY
Fascism has its origins in Italy; during the First World War Mussolini founded the
“National Fascists Party”. The word has been derived from "fasces" or "fascio littorio" which
indicates a bunch of rods or sticks tied together with an axe, it is an ancient Roman symbol for
the authority of Magistrate.
Fascism strives in the societies where there is military rule, where the authoritarian
leadership holds the power of the nation; it exercises its power over the trade commerce,
military, over the laws and regulations of a countryi. Fascism also does not support democracy,
under this rule the people of that nation has a very little freedom of speech, rights, equality and
liberty. This kind of a rule supports a single party headed by a single figure possibly a dictator. A
fascist country tends to keep away from the world and having an order of their own.
Fascism can come back in the present time; there are a number of political parties in
Europe who follow anti Semitic, racist, and anti immigrant policies, these parties in power also
isolate their countries from the world and maintain a closed economy ii. Some of these political
parties are, National Front in France, Freedom party in Austria, Golden Dawn in Greece. The
rise of these parties might have been a response to the rise in Islamic terrorism, which is spread
worldwide and also due to the growing economic issues in the Europe.
As for the United States of America (USA), there have been promises made to return
America to its former glory, and people are afraid that the country is moving towards an
authoritarian rule iii. The people are getting ready to face a situation where their freedom would
be revoked and their economic conditions would deteriorate. Although there is very less chance
that USA will become a fascist state as the country has several forms of checks and regulations

2PHILOSOPHY
imposed on it in the various levels of the government, but there are possibilities that Fascism can
take over USA.
Gentile’s idea of Fascism was drawn from the ideologies of Marx, Kant, and Hegel. He
wrote his book “A Doctrine of Fascism” for Mussolini, in which he said "mankind only
progresses through division, and progress is achieved through the clash and victory of one side
over another” iv. He believed that people progress through the existence of various groups in the
society and one group has to gain upper hand by defeating the other group. The fascists had this
idea that they are doing things for a purpose which would serve for the betterment of their nation.
In the current scenario of the world, there are few instances where the features of
Fascism are evident, but the extreme characteristics of Fascism which was present in the
philosophy of Gentile cannot be established in any of the scenarios. At the same time if these
nations or parties who display the characteristics of Fascism are allowed to grow it can lead to a
complete Fascist rule.

i Gregor, A. James. Interpretations of fascism. Routledge, 2017.
ii James, Harold, and Jakob Tanner, eds. Enterprise in the Period of Fascism in Europe. Taylor & Francis, 2017.
iii Kagan, Robert. "This is how fascism comes to America." The Washington Post Online (2016).
iv Gregor, A. James. Giovanni Gentile: Philosopher of Fascism. Routledge, 2017.
Reference list
Gregor, A. James. Interpretations of fascism. Routledge, 2017.
Gregor, A. James. Giovanni Gentile: Philosopher of Fascism. Routledge, 2017.
James, Harold, and Jakob Tanner, eds. Enterprise in the Period of Fascism in Europe. Taylor &
Francis, 2017.
Kagan, Robert. "This is how fascism comes to America." The Washington Post Online (2016).