3.1.2.2: Fascism and National Socialism
Read this definition of fascism and keep it in mind as you read more about Mussolini's fascist state and the Nazi state.
Watch this lecture on the life of Adolf Hitler and how Nazism took hold in pre-World War II Germany. Merriman describes the economic, political, and social situation in Germany that allowed Hitler and Nazism to take root. Fascism and National Socialism are extreme forms of state ideology. According to Merriman:
"The Nazis and other fascist groups are better at saying whom they were against than what they wanted. What they want is ultra-nationalism. What they want is a totalitarian state and the destruction of parliamentary rule."
Why do you think fascists and other authoritarian governments tend to focus more on their enemies rather than their goals?
Read the first section under "National Socialism". In its intense nationalism, mass appeal, and dictatorial rule, National Socialism shared many elements with Italian fascism. However, Nazism was far more extreme both in its ideas and in its practice. In almost every respect, it was an anti-intellectual and a theoretical movement, emphasizing the will of the charismatic dictator as the sole source of inspiration of a people and a nation, as well as a vision of the "annihilation of all enemies of the Aryan race". Think back to the original definition of fascism. What parts of that definition apply to the Nazi state?