It is undeniable that fascism has changed the world since its inception within the past century. This system of politics has entranced millions of people, but the true colors of the system may still remain unclear. Soon enough, a history professor at Cardiff University named Kevin Passmore published a book titled Fascism A Very Short Introduction in 2002 with the goal of revealing the inner workings of fascism. According to the Cardiff University website at www.cardiff.ac.uk, Passmore is a widely published author and an astute professor of advanced history classes revolving around the topic of fascism. With this being said, Passmore is a credible and admirable authority with regards to the advancement and understanding of fascist …show more content…
Typically, fascism is seen as strong and masculine and it is as if femininity had no place within the system. Passmore confirms this by stating, “Although fascists mentally prioritized racist nationalism, they conceived the nation in masculine terms.” On the other hand, Passmore pokes a hole in the idea of a totally masculine fascism. He claims that, “There was, however, a contradiction in these policies, for fascists wanted women in the home yet politicized functions once regarded simply as ‘domestic’: reproduction, education, and consumption all became national duties.” Essentially, the fascist method was to promote masculinity and suppress femininity, but once age-old “domestic” duties are questioned it is possible to shake the whole system. The other important aspect of fascism was the issue of social class while under fascist rule. Much like femininity, it is commonplace for the issue of class to be challenged. As described in the book, fascist ideas generally reject socialism, but again, Passmore finds a catch in the fluidity of the fascist anti-feminine and anti-socialist principle. The reasoning behind this, as Passmore explains, is because,
“Feminists and socialists were accused of putting gender, class, or humanity above the nation. Yet since fascists wanted to incorporate both genders and all classes into the nation, they were potentially willing to accept
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Having known little to nothing about fascism with the exception of movies, documentaries, and occasional book about World War II, this book has provided me with a general picture about what it means to be fascist. I respect Passmore as a learned man and admire his research while writing this book. His use of language and the way the chapters flowed seamlessly from one to the next kept me enthused throughout the book. While this book was very insightful, perhaps the topics that interested and impacted me the most were the issues of nationalism, femininity, and socialism. I also agree with most of Passmore’s assertions, however, I remain unclear with some fascist reasoning as explained in the book. With regards to nationalism, it has been reiterated many times in the book that the nation comes before everything else. I do admire patriotism and nationalism, but I do not think these ideas should be ones entire and sole purpose in one’s life. In the case of the general fascist attitude against women, I can understand why a strong and masculine image was sought after, but I think that should not be a reason to make women completely submissive under fascist system. Logically it would make sense to have as many people as possible to help the fascist cause regardless of sex. With respect to socialism, I understand the fact the cooperation of everyone involved in fascism is necessary in order for it to work. On the other hand, I
These were pivotal times in the annals of world history in the 20th century. Mussolini and Hitler’s rise to power was clearly a threat to the freedoms of the United States and its Allies. Through God’s grace and omnipotence, the US alliance, industrialization and intellectual might, we had the resources required to overcome the fierce and mighty threat of Fascism in the Free World.
To understand why Fascism gained such popularity after WWI, it is essential to find a working definition of what Fascism actually is. According to Benito Mussolini and his document What is Fascism, Fascism is “the conception of the state, its character, its duty, and its aim.” It is concerned primarily and totally with the affairs of state rather than those of the individual. The chief duty of a man in a Fascist nation is to do what he can to elevate the state to higher power or assist the state in whatever means necessary in its goals. As is evident to anyone studying this period in history, Fascism “repudiates the doctrine of Pacifism…” meaning that it is most certainly not afraid to use force or war to accomplish its objectives. A Fascist, especially a male Fascist, aspires to be a hero to his country and an ally to the state or nation of which he is a part. A woman ...
7 May 2010 “Fascism in Germany and Italy.” Online Essays. 10 July 2007. 7 May 2010 “Italian Fascism.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.
Whether, it is that a man should appear as not as an individual, why he rejects pacifism and marxism. I can only point out one small paragraph that shows what a fascist person should be like unlike Hitler's book excerpt that shows why and has examples of why the Aryan race should be dominate and, why he wants the Jews to perish. Benito states that a man should be active, be ready, importance of education and, the essential value of work. This is nothing compared to Hitler, who showed why the Aryan race should be dominate, ways to awaken a sentiment of nationality in large masses. The main topic that Benito talks about is why he wants a fascist state and not a pacifist and/or marxism. But Mussolini does state what Fascism does: dening happiness and that men should not be treated as mere animals.
Mussolini, Benito. “The Political and Social Doctrine of Fascism.” The Human Record . By Alfred J. Andrea and James H. Overfield. Vol. 2. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2011. 2 vols. 399-400.
Thesis Statement: Men and women were in different social classes, women were expected to be in charge of running the household, the hardships of motherhood. The roles that men and women were expected to live up to would be called oppressive and offensive by today’s standards, but it was a very different world than the one we have become accustomed to in our time. Men and women were seen to live in separate social class from the men where women were considered not only physically weaker, but morally superior to men. This meant that women were the best suited for the domestic role of keeping the house. Women were not allowed in the public circle and forbidden to be involved with politics and economic affairs as the men made all the
Fascism is one type of political system based on the notion that some races are superior to others. Something that seems ridiculous in to enlightened modern day thinkers, which unfortunately makes it all the more difficult to try and understand for someone who has not experienced it. However by looking through history and taking into account some of the results of practised fascism, we can maybe begin to understand why so many people took up, and are still taking up fascism. Hopefully then we can understand exactly what we should learn from it, and possibly understand how we can prevent it appearing on the scale it did in the Second World War.
The fascism that ultimately resulted in the globally destructive reaction of World War Two was a product of the self-inhibition of the masses that still holds power today in the form of a Freudian 'pleasure versus pain' culture. To break free from the self-inhibition and fascism that still determines much of modern society today is to open one's mind to the necessity of self-determined empowerment contrary to self-inhibition.
In conclusion, fascism has proved to be a burden on our history. Although not everyone is informed on exactly what fascism is, everyone should be aware of how fascist movements are started and how dangerous they can be. Hopefully after reading this paper, the reader will have gained a better knowledge of fascism and will know how to spot examples.
Unlike Marxism, Fascism does not believe that class conflict can bring about change, instead fascism believes that class conflict can hurt the integrity of a country. Fascism emerged in Italy in the 20th century to stop the rapidly growing workers movement which was pushing up wages and threatening revolution. Led by Mussolini, they were funded by various wealthy big businesses (the rich minority) in order to smash picket lines and attack left-wing organisers. Fascism was very attractive in its time as democracy was new in much of Europe and not very well established, many of the countries had been run by the monarchy; democracy appeared weak in comparison to a strong charismatic leader.
Society has long since considered women the lessor gender and one of the most highly debated topics in society through the years has been that of women’s equality. The debates began over the meaning between a man and woman’s morality and a woman’s rights and obligations in society. After the 19th Amendment was sanctioned around 1920, the ball started rolling on women’s suffrage. Modern times have brought about the union of these causes, but due to the differences between the genetic makeup and socio demographics, the battle over women’s equality issue still continues to exist. While men have always held the covenant role of the dominant sex, it was only since the end of the 19th century that the movement for women’s equality and the entitlement of women have become more prevalent. “The general consensus at the time was that men were more capable of dealing with the competitive work world they now found themselves thrust into. Women, it was assumed, were unable to handle the pressures outside of the home. They couldn’t vote, were discourages from working, and were excluded from politics. Their duty to society was raising moral children, passing on the values that were unjustly thrust upon them as society began to modernize” (America’s Job Exchange, 2013). Although there have been many improvements in the changes of women’s equality towards the lives of women’s freedom and rights in society, some liberals believe that women have a journey to go before they receive total equality. After WWII, women continued to progress in there crusade towards receiving equality in many areas such as pay and education, discrimination in employment, reproductive rights and later was followed by not only white women but women from other nationalities ...
It was during the 1920’s to the 1940’s that totalitarian control over the state escalated into full dictatorships, with the wills of the people being manipulated into a set of beliefs that would promote the fascist state and “doctrines”.
The goals of these two leaders were also very alike because of their fascist ideas. The keystone of the fascist political system was the leader: every person and every group, every lobby, lay beneath him on the same level. The Italian and German fascist movements tr...
Feminism in Germany was a movement that began during the years 1888 to 1918, in which women started to have a role in the government. During this period, known as the Wilhelminian period, middle class women took part in the ‘Bund Deutscher Frauenvereine’, which was the union of German feminist organizations (BDF). This organization was founded in the year 1894, and it incorporated 136 separate women’s rights groups. It lasted until the Nazi regime disbanded the organization. The BDF worked toward equal opportunity with men in areas such as education and politics .
Women have always been essential to society. Fifty to seventy years ago, a woman was no more than a house wife, caregiver, and at their husbands beck and call. Women had no personal opinion, no voice, and no freedom. They were suppressed by the sociable beliefs of man. A woman’s respectable place was always behind the masculine frame of a man. In the past a woman’s inferiority was not voluntary but instilled by elder women, and/or force. Many, would like to know why? Why was a woman such a threat to a man? Was it just about man’s ability to control, and overpower a woman, or was there a serious threat? Well, everyone has there own opinion about the cause of the past oppression of woman, it is currently still a popular argument today.